Editor's Letter: The Israel Lobby | Debate for a Vitriolic Public Arena

"Most people don't know about AIPAC . . . "

The quote comes from a promotional video for the America-Israeli Public Affairs Committee, and unless you work on Capitol Hill, or perhaps for a foreign policy think tank, you, in fact, likely haven't heard of AIPAC.

You should.

AIPAC is the most influential foreign policy lobby in the United States. What's more, it's the second-largest lobby in Washington, second only to AARP. Since March of this year when John Mearsheimer of the University of Chicago and Stephen Walt of the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University published "The Israel Lobby and US Foreign Policy," AIPAC has been at the center of a debate about how the US leverages power in the Middle East, and more specifically, the consequence of US support for Israel.

The debate has been rancorous and not always evenhanded. So this week, The New York Inquirer is going to size up the arguments, report the facts on AIPAC, and widen the dialogue that is all the more essential as wars in the region rage, unabated. And with our redesigned format that incorporates readers' comments into the discussion, the exchange is sure to be fascinating this week on a hot and, more imporantly, vital topic.

In case you missed it, The Inquirer's feature last week, Hurricane Katrina at a Year: Shameless Silence, peeked into the quiet corners of the Gulf Coast, a year after the storm. Take a look.

In the upcoming weeks, we're publishing a knockout 9/11 five-year anniversary issue and a relentless look at the nation's largest retailer: Wal-Mart. But until then, stop by the site, comment on an article, and help spread the word.

Best,

Andrew Bast
Editor