American Jewish Committee Makes Light Of Iranian Bomb

My name is MJ Rosenberg and I come to Media Matters Action Network following a decade at Israel Policy Forum, an organization dedicated to promoting and supporting US leadership to promote an Israeli-Palestinian agreement and comprehensive peace between Israelis and Arabs.  I'll be serving as a Senior Fellow focusing on foreign policy issues, with particular emphasis on the Middle East.

I have been a blogger for about four years both for Israel Policy Forum and for Josh Marshall's TPMCafe.  I'd say that my specialty has been knocking down the myths about the US-Israeli relationship, starting with the idea that US and Israeli interests are identical and that the status quo advances the interests of both countries and the region in general.  

It doesn't.  The status quo is deadly -- not only for Israelis and Palestinians but also for America's interests in the Middle East and the Muslim world at large.  President Barack Obama's decision to vigorously support the "two-state solution" comes out of his recognition of that fact.

Another issue (related, obviously, to the Israeli-Palestinian issue) is the Iran nuclear question.  Those who favor the status quo surrounding Israelis and Palestinians tend to favor a confrontational policy toward Iran, believing that President Obama's commitment to diplomacy with Iran is naive.  They oppose talking to Iran or, if they do support it, favor negotiations with an expiration date.  Either Iran does what we want by the end of the month or end of the year, or we move toward confrontation -- tougher sanctions and, if they don't work, a military response (by us or by Israel).

Take a look at this video that has just been issued by the American Jewish Committee: [UPDATE: The American Jewish Committee's video has been removed from YouTube for violating its terms of use.]

[UPDATE II: A viewable version of the video is available HERE.]

There is so much wrong with it, starting with its jocular tone.  It is shocking that the AJC believes that cuteness is a responsible approach to the possibility of an Iranian bomb.

No, nuclear proliferation is no joke and no one -- and especially not President Obama -- wants to see a nuclear armed Iran.  But, unlike the AJC, the United States government has to devise a serious approach to forestall a potentially very dangerous situation.  That is why the administration is looking at diplomacy and tighter sanctions.  That is very likely one of the reasons the President decided to abandon the previous administration's plans to deploy long-range missile interceptors on Russia's borders and instead focus on the medium-range threat. The Obama approach, which could lead Russia to join us in the effort to prevent an Iranian bomb, is deadly serious.

The AJC approach, trivializing the possibility of a nuclear attack, is just offensive.  No one wants Iran to have a bomb, least of all the President.  The issue is how best to prevent it.  One thing is certain: joking about the issue does not help.