Mideast Conflict

A city torn and in crisis. It's not Beirut, it's New York:

The broadening violence in the Middle East is endangering a political species with deep roots in New York: the liberal Israel hawk.

Although parts of the American left are more sympathetic to the Palestinian side of that conflict, "in New York the liberals are Zionists, because they're Jews," says Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-Brooklyn, Queens).

But the anti-war, anti-Bush, pro-Israel "progressive" political space occupied by the likes of the upper West Side's Rep. Jerrold Nadler and national Democrats such as House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi is shrinking.

Israel's American allies are increasingly in the Republican Party, and leading journals of the American left have been skeptical of Israel's aggressive military response to the kidnapping of its soldiers.

Nadler said he sees "an increasing strain on the far left that is unreasonably anti-Israel, which I do not understand." An unwillingness to support Israel's right to defend itself, he said, could be tantamount for supporting the destruction of Israel. "If this kind of support for genocide of Jews continues to infect the left - that's not a left I want to be part of," Nadler said. The criticism of Israel's recent response as "disproportionate" has widened the gap between Democrats who back the Israeli government and their more critical allies.

"I think it's gong to end up pushing them farther apart," said Chris Owens, a Brooklyn congressional candidate who has called for negotiations between Israel and its neighbors.

Here are a few of the unreasonable far left.

The Democratic party's big tent is fast becoming a big top, and the clowns are taking over the circus.

In related news, Allah sorts them out over at Hot Air, Emily Post discusses table manners, Tim Blair shows his appreciation for both fine textiles and succinct phrasing, and a news search for "disproportionate" brings up some interesting articles; presumably not written by people whose cities have gotten rocketed by a private army.