I suspect Bibi also hopes to replace Barack Obama, whom he clearly dislikes both politically and perhaps personally as well, with his
old buddy Mitt Romney. Romney's comment in a primary debate last December that "Before I made a statement [about the Palestinians], I’d get on the phone to my friend Bibi Netanyahu and say: ‘Would it help if I say this? What would you like me to do?’" raised quite a few eyebrows among seasoned diplomats.
In the past an insecure international situation has generally been seen as beneficial to the Republicans. This time around I think Obama has actually defused the "Democrats are soft" perception after the assassinations of Bin Laden and other high-level al-Qaeda commanders. It's still the case, though, that no matter how strongly
Obama puts himself behind Israel (starting around 07:45), he's still
criticized by the right, even when he endorses positions, in particular a return to 1967 boundaries with land swaps, that all
Presidents of both parties have held for decades. The continual drumbeats about Iran seem tailored to encourage fear in the American public about a possible confrontation in the Middle East. Just this week Republicans in the House conducted a hearing over possible
Iranian cyberattacks against the United States. It doesn't take much insight to see why Republicans might want to orchestrate events such as these as we head into an election.
The place of Israel in American domestic politics has become more problematic with the rise of evangelical Protestants as a powerful force within the Republican party.
Christian evangelicals see the defense of Israel as insurance that the "Promised Land" will be in friendly hands when the "
Rapture" arrives. Republican politicians, and the State of Israel itself, have cynically
pandered to these views. I doubt Jewish neo-conservatives like Elliot Abrams really expect the "End of Days" to happen any time soon.