"Because Iran actually has a population capable of sustaining democracy; and Mousavi is as good as we'll get."

AA misses a chance here. The question to ask Sullivan, the famous defender of The Bell Curve is this: Who are "we" to decide who is capable of sustaining democracy?
Two weeks ago Obama called the Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak, "a force for good." Yesterday speaking about Iran he said "the world is watching."
The hypocrisy is stunning. But is it Obama's hypocrisy or the hypocrisy of the public that makes such absurd comments obligatory from the leader of the United States? So do we blame Obama or Joshua Marshall and the rest of the 'liberal' audience for his remarks; all of those who defend the dreams of an ethnic state over a democratic one?
The photographs above are from Gaza. The one below is the west bank.


Realpolitik in defense of long term goals is a practical necessity. But what are Israel's long term goals? What are the goals of its liberal defenders? After that we can ask about the long term goals of the US establishment as a whole.

I would really be happy if demonstrations break out against every single regime in the Middle East, and all of them are overthrown. However, I understand that the US and Europe would really panic if the likes of Mubarak or House of Saud or Hashemite KingStation are threatened, let alone overthrown.

Is the "Israel lobby" (and this includes Marshall and M.J. Rosenberg and J Street) really the only reason US only defending kings and dictators in the middle east? The answer to that question is obviously 'no,' but Israel is beginning to really get in the way.

Helena Cobban and Philip Weiss are now at TPM Cafe. They even had one Arab poster recently, Sam Bahour, from Ramallah. Even a year ago that would be unthinkable. Liberal zionists are beginning to feel ashamed of their own arguments. They've been comfortable using the language of liberal universalism while defending tribalism- and what's J Street but an essay in liberal tribalism? Now they're losing their audience and they know it. And if they won't yet admit it, they know why. Rosenberg's desperation in this post is almost palpable:
We Will Never See Iranians The Same Way Again
Israeli barbarism doesn't bother me as much as the whiny mediocrity of hypocrites.