I'm not going to defend any or all Israeli policies. Is there an effective Israel lobby in Congress? You bet. Do I think this is a good thing? Nope. I am concerned about any foreign government using either co-religionists or its citizens here to influence U.S. foreign policy.
Here are some links about this issue:
(Cached google) Moslim in de Polder (Muslim in the Netherlands) book review, from Columbia International Affairs Online
Foreign Attachments: The Power of Ethnic Groups in the Making of American Foreign Policy, book review in Fletcher Ledger (also see this google search)
Western Europe and its Islam: The Netherlands, Belgium and Great Britain React to an Emerging Religious Community , book summary
foreign policy analyst Bruce Bechtol, Jr. introduces us to the growing influence Korean American community organizations are coming to have upon U.S. domestic and foreign policy towards the Korean peninsula. (Unfortunately the full article is not available)
American Muslims and U.S. Foreign Policy: What are their major objectives, and how are they being implemented? (This is interesting to see what they said prior to 9-11 and in particular Abdurahman Alamoudi, also a photo of some of these guys.)
Immigration's Impact on U.S. National Security and Foreign Policy, this is a PDF file, 48 pages, from the Commission on Immigration Reform back in 1997.
"This paper examines the relationship be-tween U.S. immigration, foreign policy, and national security. It assumes that the primary interest of the United States is its national security and that the ultimate goal of U.S. foreign policy is to promote U.S. national security. The paper outlines the ways in which immigration has been af-fected by the national security interests and foreign policies of the United States as well as the way in which immigration has affected national security concerns and resulting foreign policy."
It sounds more like The New Republic's casting Grover's activities in their most negative light. As there MAY be as many Muslims in the U.S. as there are Jews, and as our economy depends on oil from Muslim countries, and as we are now faced with the necessary task of eradicating the threat of Muslim extremists, we also have the incredible opportunity to reshape the cultures of the Arab states in our favor.
I think part of this is certainly due to a 'gotcha' mentality among reporters. But this is really bad. This is like the Democratic party cozying up to Rabbi Kahane, except Kahane never did anything of this magnitude. Isn't it significant at all that these muslims refuse to condem Hamas, Hezbollah, etc? Sen. Kennedy is a known terrorist coddler - he has consistently tried to aid the IRA. And that is also horrible. But the IRA didn't fly those planes into the Trade Center and Pentagon. Islamists did, and to say the least there is a credibility problem here. And there is a problem in associating with them and legitimating them by treating them as important spokesman.
Grover and the Pro-Muslim forces in this country are now suffering an embarassment, as did the Pro-Israel lobby did in 1967. It will pass, and America will benefit enormously from the coming, and long overdue, new balance.
We may benefit from a new balance. We may even be able to maintain friendly relations with the muslim world. But I'm not banking on it. If the Saudi government is so fragile that bombing Afganistan causes it to fall aren't we better off lancing that boil now then 10 years down the road?
P.S. I don't think the Liberty incident is comparable. That was a naval ship (albeit lightly armed) in a war zone - not a skyscraper.