Well I suppose that as the Evangelical Right isn't the power it used to be then Bibi can court Congress. The real issue is money and as everyone is blighted by the economic downturn I can't see even friendly Democratic congressmen parting with US$ at a time like this, especially when Israeli obduracy makes Israel so unpopular.

Congress is more powerful than the President in the long run. Congress is also much friendlier to Israel than our president it. In fact they just passed a reversal of Obama's order to cuts in military aid to Israel. http://www.worldtribune.com/worldtribune/WTARC/2009/me_israel0520_06_30.asp I think, as apparently Congress does, that missile defense is key to Israel's defense against it's unfriendly neighbors. Obama doesn't think so. "It is the sense of Congress that Israel has the inalienable right to defend itself in the face of an imminent nuclear or military threat from Iran, terrorist organizations and the countries that harbor them," Rep. Pete Sessions, a Texas Republican, said. Don't be afraid to court Congress Bibi.

It reminded me how marvelous the American democratic system really is. With all our fairy tale talk of good and evil and the nature of God (when I say all I mean all religions), but this American system takes into account mens' weaknesses, strengths and aspirations and tries to rule over them rationally and sanely. There is so much belief and talk about the Messiah. Is it at all possible that Mankind can so improve that we might not need one?

That is how our system is structured. The only real role that Congress has in foreign policy is the Senate ratifying international treaties. On top of that, this Congress is full of left-wing lunatics who are behind Precedent Hussein all the way. If you are counting on the America-hating traitors in Congress to help Israel, you are sadly misguided ... as Israel was misguided about how anti-Israel B Hussein was from back in the campaign. Face it, Israel is alone and the West is forcing Israel to handle Iran, after which the West (including the US, under the junta in Washington) will try to kill Israel. That is the situation.

the usa, eu, un , russian and indeed the arab world love to interfere with israel's policies. israel should do the same. israel has enough enemies, why does israel trewat it's friends such as the congress with impunity. to hell with hussein, keep on with congress

Congress? You mean the U.S.Congress? Yeah. I guess. Those miserable self serving wankers are the best friends money can buy. The problem is that like any other "shakedown artistes" their appetite grows and grows, requiring more and more honey to keep them sweet and those "dirty pix" hidden; or whatever. Trust any congress critter, particularly a Jewish one with the same care you would when approaching a Black Mamba or a hungry Lion. Depending on any polititurd is tricky, and downright nasty when refering to the American House of Self-representatives and Senators.

NO! It is not possible.

I'm not sure Israel underestimates Congress's power, but thank G-d AIPAC doesn't!

There is the House of Representatives that controls all the spending.

Sure, the President is powerful. But Congress is more powerful. Remember that it is the Congress that has the power to impeach a President. Congress controls the money, and without money Obama can't get anything done. As one commenter pointed out, recently Congress stopped Obama from cutting funding for Israeli missile defense programs. Obama can't simply cut all funding because the House and Senate won't allow it. The friendlier we get with the Congressmen and Senators, the better things will be.

and compelling article, Mr. Ettinger. Thank you for reminding us about the real system of power in the USA. And Karl, thanks to you for the insert on your commentary where we read that congress really did disagree with O'Bama and restored the funding for our security needs. One Talkbacker dismissed congress for being nothing but a bunch of snakes. Not all politicians are, however, as cynical as the Israeli public may be about them (politicians). And it takes no intelligence to dismiss all politicians in such a vein of cynicism. Multiple rationales for voting or electioneering are more to the point. But "Yes", we appear to have defendants in congress and "Yes", Netanyahu and Lieberman (listening Guys?) should definitely appeal to them independently of the president just as Mr. Ettinger suggests.

That Russia invades Israel.

But I pointed out in my comment that Congress (the House, specifically) is full of left-wing lunatics who are as anti-Israel as The Precedent. Except for the conservatives in the House, there are no friends of Israel to be found, there. And I should have added that only Congress gets to declare war, but the US hasn't had a declared war since WWII, so that is pretty much of a moot point. But still, in the end, the Executive will determine America's foreign policy. That is just a fact that it is useless to try to deny. And this Executive hates Israel, with a passion.

The entire process is bought and traded. The Federal Reserve owns Congress 100%. A private, for-profit company that prints all US currency, (think about that for a minute) then issues bonds to the US govt to pay for the money, so the govt owes the Fed more than 100 trillion dollars. Congress does not have a prayer of paying off the interest, and are in NO position to dictate terms. So as long as Israel is a profitable investment, Israel will have US support. Ideology, religion, geopolitical alignment etc., is irrelevant. It matters only in the P/L column. Remember the golden rule: "Whoever has the gold, makes the rules."

It is the responsibility of the president to make US foreign policy which the Congress then decides to fund or not. The responsibilities of both branches are different. Thanks to the allies of Mr.Ettinger, namely, the US Israel lobby, past presidents have faced difficulties as well as humiliations in pursuing their policies with regard to resolving the Israel-Palestine conflict because their efforts have been sabotaged by that same Israeli lobby which functions as a Fifth Column operating behind American lines. What Ettinger is doing here is part of that subversuve effort and he should be treated as a dangerous foreign national and either not allowed to enter the US or arrested and deported as a foreign agent.

True Obama is weak in Washington like in the world. Lots of leftists in Congress and one party super majority rules like communists rubber samps without even reading, but Obama doesn't write the laws, big business lawyers and unions are. Still there are some friends of Israel there, your only friends in DC.

1. The overwheleming number of Jewish members of congress are center left in their views on the Middle east -- firmly zionist but not sympathetic to the greater Israel right 2. Few of them represent a district where a majority Jewish vote holds sway and even when they do (in NY and Florida) Jewsh share their liberal tendencies...so little leverage there 3. Jews who give money to candidates also lean heavily to left 4. the organized Jewish community while nervous about where Obama may be going (or end up) in his middle east maneuvers is four square behind his domestic economic and social policies particularly in the areas of stimulus, education and healthcare not to mention GLBT and womens issues 5. Other than demagoging the middle east issue (which the one Republican Jew eric Cantor has triedto no avail) their is no other issue the current very right wing republican leadership in the house can find common ground on with Jews

and are trying to find some ray of sunshine in the US Congress, let me remind you that this Congress is even further to the left of the one that had Nancy Pelosi and a bunch of others violating the Logan Act in their illegal mission to Syria a couple of years ago. Do you all remember what they had to say about that? Well, that was the Speaker of the House (who should have been arrested and jailed for her meddling in foreign affairs) and a bunch of other dems. And I would also remind you that this is the same Congress that had no problem with $900 million going to "Gaza" (i.e. Hamas). Israel has to face where the US now stands. The US administration is an enemy of Israel. We tried to warn people, but too many wouldn't listen. Any Jew who voted for Precedent Hussein, or the Dems, should hang his head in ultimate shame - both for the way they are going to destroy Israel AND the way they are going to destroy the US.

Israel that has the nukes. If o-bum-a wanted to put Israel in a corner, Bibi could just use the F word and launch a strike that could destroy the majority of the population centers in the arab countries. o-bum-a can coax and threaten, but if he were to really box in Bibi and Israel's survival were at stake, there would be more millions of dead arabs than you could count and who would give a damn what the world said?

As everybody knows in their personal lives, it is always dangerous to court new friends if you risk doing it at the expense of old friends, in this case the long-standing friendship between Israel and America. Israel cannot yield its essential security for inspiring rhetoric. But it must calmly and resolutely do what it can to have the United States remain its closest ally. By the same token, the United States must respond to the fundamental needs of Israel and its government, mainly in the security field. The friendship of the U.S. : http://xrl.us/bewv97

The President sets foreign policy, but does so under the watchful eyes of the legislature. Congress has the power not only of the petty purse, but to make law (including the legality of policies), and declare/terminate war. In the end, checks and balances aside, the ultimate power rests with Congress, who are the true representatives of the people. The stature of the presidency has been overrated for many decades. If Congress wants to veto a policy via an act it has the power to do so.

And exactly how is Yoram Ettinger's essay here "subversive"? Ettinger is not advocating here anything which is un-American or treasonous to America. There is nothing "subversive" in calling to strengthen the ties between Israel and the American Congress, which is a fundamental part of the American democracy, and directly represents the will of the American people. This is definitely not intended to replace the contact with the American President, only add another avenue of communication and interrelations between the countries. Moreover, as the American government does not give exclusive power to the President, who must share it with the Congress, then this approach cannot be considered as bypassing the Presidency. Actually, this is just like America and Europe strengthening their ties with the opposition in Israel's Knesset, in times when a rightist government is in power here. Countless words have been said about Yossi Beilin's salary from the European Union. Nowadays, for example, Foreign Minister Lieberman is shunned by Mitchell, who prefers to conduct his matters through Defense Minister Ehud Barak, who holds a more comfortable political stance for Mitchell. According to your logic, all these things are just as "subversive".

is a ship me and you are the passengers both of us want to reach the shore want to fight the waves and deviate the wind . . at bush time this ship reach to no way no shore cant deviate any wind or fight any wave so the man was out of the job but they must change the way or the friend or the shore may the best or the easiest is to change the friend

Yoram Ettinger is right on target. He identifies Congress as an institution that has been supportive of a strong US-Israel relationship and my 54 trips to the Hill between 1994 and 2007 certainly bear that out. We at Americans Vote Israel would like to enhance that relationship by including Members of Knesset in the discourse. Please feel free to contact me at jdaube@americansvoteisrael.org to find out more.

The Congress can put a break on what the president has planned either via funding or other means. Members of the US Congress are more likely to be in touch with what the people want. US Citizens who support Israel let Congress Members know about their support. Don't bypass the US Congress!