Bush and McCain: Bad For Israel?

Jeffrey Goldberg posts a suggestion from Hillel Levin that you can blame Bush for Iran's ascendancy in the Middle East and everything that has resulted from it--and by extension, John McCain will follow the same policies and continue the problem. Noah Pollak quotes from Levin's thesis:

The war in Iraq has removed Iran’s historic nemesis and counterbalance, strengthening its hand and ambitions in the region. The war has also demonstrated to Iran’s leaders precisely why it is so important that Iran develop nuclear weaponry: America wouldn’t dare attack Iran once it has attained nuclear capabilities. The mishandling of the war has also weakened America’s hand in the region, removing any credible threat of a sustained American military engagement with Iran… And finally, Bush’s refusal to engage with Israel’s closer neighbor Syria–not a traditional ally of Iran’s–has pushed Syria further into Iran orbit than it has ever been before, providing a land-bridge for the transfer of weapons from Iran to Hizballah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza. Simply put, Bush’s policies have emboldened and empowered Iran and improved its regional standing. Israel is left facing the consequences.

Pollak points out, among other things, that Israel itself has abetted Iran's goals and made those consequences possible with its quick withdrawal from Southern Lebanon and the Disengagement from Gaza.

Read the whole thing.

Technorati Tag: Israel.