John Boehner and Benjamin Netanyahu in 2011

Fear is the tool of aggressors to overcome common sense. Fear enabled Adolf Hitler to rally his country into a war that cost millions of lives. Ironically, in World War II, allied countries did not go to war in fear, but in reaction to real events and real threats.

In 2001, America was devastated by the acts of terrorism on September 11th, but we were not ready to leap into a war. For that, conservatives sought to generate fear. We were told that “weapons of mass destruction” were in Iraq and that another attack was imminent. At least that is what Benjamin Netanyahu told us in 2002.

Now, in 2015, we find that same Israel voice standing before Congress, with the same prediction of doom about Iran. Why?

He was not speaking to Congress as a slap in the face to President Obama, although Speaker John Boehner was hoping to insult the President. Nor was Netanyahu before Congress to have a substantive discussion of Iran and nuclear weapons. This was all about making Netanyahu look like an important world leader just before the Israeli elections. Boehner, who actually invited Netanyahu to come in February, was told the invitation needed to be closer to the March Israeli elections. The only reason for “Chicken Little” to come to Congress was for a plumage display for the voters in Israel.

As for Speaker Boehner, if ever a politician looked like he was on his knees servicing his master it was when Boehner set up the Netanyahu visit in order to please Sheldon Adelson, the money behind conservative and anti-Arab causes.

However, the political favor may have a significant cost for both Israel and conservatives. For decades the antagonist in the Arab world has been Benjamin Netanyahu. He has been the architect of inhumane acts that were designed to provoke Arab reaction. His appearance before Congress using the same fear tactics he used in 2002, defined him as the problem, not the victim. Conservatives greeted Netanyahu as if he was the Rush Limbaugh, which made it clear to a reasonable person that this was not a speech of fact, but of a charlatan looking to play to conservative fear mongering, which is the heart and soul of wacko, right-wing conservatives.

The result of this has been to further isolate conservatives, and it has offered evidence that Israel has been playing all of us for far too long. If Netanyahu is successful in his re-election, it may finally wake up people of common sense that the way to bring peace to the world is to stop letting Israel to call the shots.