I think you’ve misunderstood me (and perhaps Mearsheimer and Walt). I certainly don’t maintain that it’s not possible theoretically to construct an explanation for U.S. support of Israel, support which would not depend on the activities of the “The Lobby”. I also believe that U.S. economic elites are full force behind current policy. The dispute over “who is guilty” of causing that US support is not my major concern. Chomsky maintains that “The Lobby” is largely overrated, and is in my opinion undeservedly and harshly attacked by Jeffrey Blankfort, who attempts to attribute Chomsky’s view to his psychological desire to protect Israel. Blankfort sees “The Lobby” as very influential, probably as pivotal. My concern is that what is being done by the “Jewish-Israeli Lobby”, as Bruzonsky calls the loose coalition of anti-Palestinian, largely Jewish, elements that comprise it, is reprehensible, regardless of how effective it may be in the short run. I believe they should be “outed” by all decent and conscious Jews, as well as by similar non-Jews. I want to develop the analogy between the growing public perception in the U.S. of these largely “Jewish” forces (Christian rightwingers excepted), and the eventual threat that poses, with the similar threat that extensive control (not total, of course) of German media by “Jewish individuals, interests, and money” posed in Hitler’s time, and for much the same reason: When Jewish people act very badly, and deviously to gain special status, and are widely seen to be in privileged circumstances and manipulative, it serves to generate hatred of Jews. Blankfort’s views (and some of mine) are in the articles

2005-04-30 Damage Control: Noam Chomsky and the Israel-Palestine Conflict, by Jeffrey Blankfort, at site.www.umb.edu/faculty/salzman_g/Strate/Discus/2005-04-30.htm

2005-04-09 The Jewish Threat ― real or imaginary? ― follow-up ― trying to learn the truth, by George Salzman, at site.www.umb.edu/faculty/salzman_g/Strate/Discus/2005-04-20.htm

2005-04-14 War for Israel, by Jeffrey Blankfort, at site.www.umb.edu/faculty/salzman_g/Strate/Discus/2005-04-14.htm

2005-04-09 The Israel Lobby and the Left ― Uneasy questions, by Jeffrey Blankfort, at site.www.umb.edu/faculty/salzman_g/Strate/Discus/2005-04-10.htm

      As for Egypt, an explanation can be given in terms of U.S. strategic interests alone, as I believe can also be done for Israel, but, as explained above, this is not what I’m interested in when concerning myself with “The Jewish-Israeli Lobby”. I believe that Egyptian Americans are not as large or influential a group as Jewish Americans, although I have no hard information on this.

Best wishes,
George