Go Figure: Israel Lobby Stronger Than Ukro-Nazi Lobby

In foreign policy as in all areas of American political life it really is all about the Benjamins. It looks increasingly likely that Congress will cut the Ukrainians loose in favor of money for Israel. This is a win-win proposition, even for the Uniparty—although “conservatives” have spearheaded the move:

Sorry, Zelensky: Speaker Johnson Plans Separate Votes On Ukraine, Israel Aid

It’s Double Trouble for Zelensky, because not only will the House separate the two votes, but there’s a move afoot in the Senate to do the same. This way “legislators” get to pose as fiscally responsible by (finally) doing something about the crazy Ukraine funding, while also demonstrating their overriding fealty to Israel. This one is right in the wheelhouse for our imperial representatives.

Is this a step toward a restoration of constitutional government and a return to republican values over imperial values? Well, don’t hold your breath. It’s good rather than bad, but not much more can be said. The buildup for a major Middle East war is a bucket of cold water on hopes that realism will be restored to foreign policy:

Johnson told Fox News on Thursday that he's met with Biden and has informed White House officials that "our consensus among House Republicans is we need to bifurcate those issues." Reflecting growing Republican legislator skepticism about the Ukraine war -- and sagging support among citizens of all political stripes -- Johnson said, "We want to know what the object is there, what is the end game in Ukraine. The White House has not provided that."

Biden's $106 billion funding request, which packages aid to Ukraine and Israel with other vote-baiting allocations, was preceded by a rare Oval Office address in which Biden made the case for pouring more weapons and money into both countries. In addition to saying the aid was necessary to defend two democracies, Biden added a new spin to his Ukraine war pitch by saying the spending would be a boon to US arms manufacturers.

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Biden's combo package is also in danger in the Senate. On Thursday, a group of GOP senators introduced a stand-alone bill that would only authorize money for Israel, and none for Ukraine. “My colleagues and I firmly believe that any aid to Israel should not be used as leverage to send tens of billions of dollars to Ukraine,” said Kansas Senator Roger Marshall. He sponsored the Israel bill along with Ohio Senator J.D. Vance, Texas's Ted Cruz and Utah's Mike Lee. 

That goes against the wishes of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who, like Biden, wants to leverage the Israel lobby's grip on legislators as a means of forcing his colleagues into voting for Ukraine money. 

The practice of pushing all-in-one mega-bills in front of legislators for a straight up-or-down vote without amendments is one of the grievances that led to the ouster of former speaker Kevin McCarthy. By breaking up Biden's requests, new Speaker Johnson can also claim that he's moving the House toward better governance. We'll see how long that lasts. 

Meanwhile, don't expect Johnson to exhibit hostility to Ukraine aid. "We can’t allow Vladimir Putin to prevail in Ukraine because I don’t believe it would stop there,” Johnson told Sean Hannity on Fox News, apparently embracing the farcical notion that Russia would invade Eastern Europe if it's allowed to keep the Donbas.  

Right. The fact that Johnson’s pretty much first public appearance as Speaker was with Hannity is another dash of cold water for conservatives.