Makes it sound like Israel is imagining things, as opposed to being a survivor of three actual attempted full-scale wars of extermination, not to mention decades of terrorism from the Arabs or constant political attacks from the U.N. and others.

No it doesn't. That's your philosophical bent altering analysis by someone who's done more looking at the big picture in the Mideast than you'd ever know in 3 lifetimes of Googling. Did you read the same article? I never got the impression that Ritter didn't understand the threats Israel faces or the crazies that surround them. You couldn't have spent the time he has over there without feeling that dynamic.

His article is clearly about overreaction and not allowing ourselves to become supporters for that. It does nobody any good and never reduces the strength or determination of your enemies. If anything it only builds more. The paranoia that Ritter refers to happens naturally to the citizens in any country that is attacked but should never be used as the primary motivating factor in its public policy. Leaders that exploit fear are to be loathed.

And once again you are trying as you always do to get away from the primary question that's brought up and that is how far should the US go in supporting Israel without putting major conditions on exactly which actions we must and will wash our hands of. Whether or not Israel is facing legitimate threat from it's neighbors has nothing to do with the US being enablers for them if they cross the line of human decency and ethics.

Art