'Likely to cause controversy'
I'd say it's a safe bet that Stephen Walt and John Mearsheimer's forthcoming book "The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy” will indeed cause controversy. Walt, of Harvard, and Mearsheimer, of the University of Chicago, seem to think the mere existence of such controversies, such as book-promotion cancellations, partly confirm points in their book about the 'Israel lobby' and its alleged control over U.S. foreign policy. .... From cancelling book-promotion events in Chicago to shutting down talks with moderates in Iran, that's one hell of a powerful lobby. ... Listen, I know the 'Israel lobby' is more powerful than the critics of Walt and Mearsheimer will openly admit. But, come on, to say it's controlling (and not just influencing) U.S. policy in the Middle East is ridiculous. Bush and Cheney -- the new Rockefeller Republicans of the 21st Century -- aren't on Israel lobbyist strings. Nor are Big Oil, Christian fundamentalists and people in general who like their SUVs and think the less-than-perfect Israel is surrounded by an array of nutcase dictators, religious terrorists and other unsavory characters. ... The authors also make clever comparisons to the influence of Irish Americans on Northern Ireland policies and Cuban Americans on Cuba policies, etc. etc. But I don't recall the words 'lobby' and 'dual loyalty' being bandied about as often, if at all, when discussing Ireland and Cuba. ...  ¶ 5:49 AM