University of Chicago political scientist, John Mersheimer wrote with Stephen Walt, The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy. Though the two took a lot of heat, the book in many ways opened the current conversation about AIPAC. The credentials and moderate views of the two made it possible to have a normal discussion about the American-Israeli relationship. Here is Mersheimer on the recent flare up and his assessment of what is likely to happen."There will be more crises ahead, because a two-state solution is probably impossible at this point and greater Israel is going to end up an apartheid state. The United States cannot support that outcome, however, partly for the strategic reasons that have been exposed by the present crisis, but also because apartheid is a morally reprehensible system that no decent American could openly embrace. Given its core values, how could the United States sustain a special relationship with an apartheid state? In short, Americas remarkably close relationship with Israel is now in trouble and this situation will only get worse." http://www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2010/03/17/john-mearsheimer/taking-sides/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=3206UPDATE: Here are the views of the non-governmental U.S. foreign policy establishment: A Council on Foreign Policy round table: Elliot Abrams, Leslie Gelb, Daniel Senor, Steven Cook, and Steven Simon. http://www.cfr.org/publication/21671/usisrael.htmlUPDATE: Charles Krauthammer announces that the whole thing is Obama's fault! http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/18/AR2010031802747.html?hpid=opinionsbox1