John J. Mearsheimer

It is manifestly clear to most Americans that the Iraq War is one of the greatest strategic blunders in American history.

Our argument is that Israel, and especially the lobby, were two of the main driving forces behind the decision to invade Iraq.

It is hard to imagine that war happening in their absence.

To start with Israel, it was the only country besides Kuwait where both the government and a majority of the population favored the war.

The Israeli government, to include Prime Minister Sharon, pushed the Bush administration hard to make sure that it did not lose its nerve in the months before the invasion.

Other influential Israelis, like former Prime Ministers Ehud Barak and Benjamin Netanyahu, also implored the United States to take down Saddam.

In fact, Israel was pushing so hard for war that its allies in the United States warned Israeli officials to damp down their rhetoric lest it be seen as a war for Israel.

I might also add that President Clinton said in 2006 that every Israeli politician I knew thought that Saddam was so great a threat that he should be removed even if he did not have WMD.

Oh, I think it would sell lots of copies.

There's no question about that.

It sold lots of copies then.

Although the lobby went to enormous lengths to suppress it.

Do you know Abe Foxman, the former head of the ADL, wrote a book attacking our book.

Before our book came out, it was due to come out the same day our book was supposed to come out.

Actually?

Actually, yeah.

He wrote a book, Abe Foxman, that was a direct attack on our book.

Before our book was published, and he didn't have the page proofs or anything, he was basing his attack on what we had said in the article written the year before.

And it was scheduled to come out on exactly the same day that our book came out.

That's...