By MJ Rosenberg
The right-wing of the "pro-Israel" (in quotes because they are anything but) commentariat is worried. It is beginning to look like President Ahmadinejad might lost Friday's election.
In Congress, there have been several attempts this week to push through anti-Iran measures as Iranians start heading to the polls.A bill imposing new sanctions was scheduled for House floor action on Tuesday until the White House got it pulled.
Today the House will be voting on an amendment to the House Foreign Relations Act that "that Israel has the right to defend itself from an imminent nuclear or military threat from Iran and other countries and organizations." The (Democratic) House Foreign Affairs Committee is recommending a "yes" vote.
Note: the amendment does not say Israel has a right to respond to an Iranian attack (it obviously does) but that Israel has the right to respond to an "imminent nuclear or military threat from Iran" which some Israelis (and some here) believe is the case right now. In other words, it is threatening Iran with an attack from Israel in the guise of defending Israel. Did Ahmadinejad write this amendment because he sure will love it! It helps undo the damage done to his cause by the President's Cairo speech.
Why vote on this today? This pieceby Iranian-American scholar helps explain it. And then there is this by Likud's Boston spokesman, Marty Peretz, on why it doesn't matter if Ahmadinejad loses.
I'll be ecstatic if Ahmadinejad loses on Friday. The forces in Israel and the United States that are eager to bomb Iran will be in sack cloth and ashes.
Here is the official list of amendments to be voted on today.