What would George Washington think of would-be kingmaker Sheldon Adelson's ambition regarding Israel? Conor Friedersdorf has an interesting column in The Atlantic in which he claims that, when it comes to Israel, Obama's actions and sentiments are much more in tune with George Washington's famous farewell address, which warned Americans against getting entangled in other countries' business. I was particularly struck by one of Washington's comments: And it gives to ambitious, corrupted, or deluded citizens (who devote themselves to the favorite nation), facility to betray or sacrifice the interests of their own country, without odium, sometimes even with popularity; gilding, with…

Binyamin Netanyahu has shown a marked preference for American Jews. Many of them have, over the years, worked for him. He even appointed some to high office: Stanley Fischer as Director of the Bank of Israel, Michael Oren as ambassador to the US. It is possible there were not worthy of either office, but I doubt it. Of the two, Oren’s case is more problematic. He has given up his American citizenship in order to serve as ambassador – an act which he publicly noted caused him much grief – but the situation where an ambassador serves in a country…