Biden to headline AIPAC
Vice President Joe Biden is to headline the opening session at the AIPAC conference in Washington on Monday (Hat Tip: Memeorandum - If anyone at Memeorandum is reading this, your link is wrong). The conference, a chance for AIPAC to flex its unmatched Beltway muscle, is expected draw 6,500 people, and a phalanx of top officials of both parties. Other speakers include Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry, Newt Gingrich and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, as well as congressional leaders Steny Hoyer, Dick Durbin, Eric Cantor, and Jon Kyl. The event typically draws more members of Congress than any outside a joint session or State of the Union.The pity is that each of those people is going to speak separately. I would love to see Eric Cantor or John Kyl debate Biden on this administration's pressuring Israel and coddling Iran. No, not Netanyahu. He still has to be diplomatic about these things.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will also be addressing the group, live via satellite from Jerusalem, getting up at 3:00 a.m. local time to do it. Rep. Jane Harman, who was investigated in connection with the dropped case against AIPAC staffers, will also be speaking.
AIPAC itself is likely to be in an awkward position going forward. They have a policy of supporting whatever Israeli government is in power. If the Netanyahu government clashes with the Obama administration (as appears likely), AIPAC is going to have to scramble. Look for Obama to try to force the Jewish community to accept the leftist J Street as the pro-Israel lobby. We won't.
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 10:15 PM
2 Comments:
Of course they are going to speak separately. In Israel, they would all speak at the same time, as in Popolitica.
Israel and its friends face a cold wind in Washington. And unlike a decade ago, Bibi won't have a friendly opposition Congress to serve as a counterweight to the President. Pro-Israel advocacy groups have their work cut out for them.
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