US foreign policy has for too long been held hostage to domestic electoral imperatives.

Start with decades of absurd anti-Castro stances including ineffective sanctions that have helped keep him in power, while only hurting the Cuban poor – all because Florida might be put in play in a next election as right wing Cuba-Americans eternally threaten.

Next is the United States continuing unwillingness to be even-handed in any Israeli-Palestinian dispute, regardless of objective realities. In truth, the IAmerican-Jewish pro-Israeli lobbyists have it pretty easy as they protect their turf on the balance question. First, the Republicans’ anti-Arab posture is unshakable. Second, all they have to do is keep threatening to withhold future financial and political support in Florida, California, New York and nationally for any US political leader who has the temerity to call for balanced Middle East policy and game over.

Before the Clinton kerfuffle, Obama seemed poised to shift – at least at the margins – toward a better balance. It’s anybody’s guess what his reaction was when he was informed of Hillary’s statement.

In any case, the bottom line is that as long as Benjamin Netanyahu remains in power in Israel, the so-called Peace Process is dead letter.