conservative politics

In the aftermath of the Nevada republican primary yesterday, the activities of Mr. Adelson have come to the fore. He is a wealthy Jewish casino owner, who has supported Gingrich and now promises to support Romney as well, with the single-minded objective of "defending Israel". This whole thing falls well within the historical support for Israel that has long been a part of Republican party platforms, although both parties have been equally helpful to Israel in practical ways. In this case, and given current evens in the middle east, I feel compelled to comment. Adelson does not "speak for" american jews. It appears to me that his concept of what is "good for" Israel is extremely short-sighted. That country could probably no longer survive a concentrated all-out conventional war of the 1948 and 1967 types. Only its nuclear threat keeps the situation stable. However its neighbors, both arabic and persian, have every right to be concerned about such a one-sided situation, and I think a nuclear middle east is ultimately inevitable. In my personal opinion, only close economic and cultural ties among all the countries of the region can hope to maintain peace in the event of the extremely difficult to avoid coming nuclear standoff. This requires very long-term thinking and society-building, not bluster and aggressive threats. I speak as the descendant of Holocaust survivors.