For The Same Reason You'd Tell Your Best Friend He's Being An Asshole

James Fallows, writing to Ralph Nader in Salon back in April 30, 2002:

Twenty years ago it would have seemed insultingly obvious to say that disagreement with Israeli military policy did not make you an anti-Semite. That is still obvious (as [Richard] Cohen notes) in Israel itself. But in America, a combination of conservative Christians and Likudnik Jews has started waving the anti-Semitism flag as reflexively as Marion Barry once used the "racism" defense to any criticism of his regime. I can't provide a link to Clive Crook's latest column in the National Journal, since it's on a proprietary site, but he makes the same point very well from a European perspective. Yes, there are anti-Semites in Europe, but concentrating on them tells you nothing about a reasonable settlement between the Palestinians and Israel.

Amen. Elementary as it may be, it seems it still needs to be explained: criticizing the US does not mean those who do it love their country any less. In fact it may be argued they love it more, because they risk such opprobrium for it.

The same goes for Israel.