81 US congressmen on junket to Israel courtesy of hardline Israeli lobby

Mya Guarnieri of the Huffington Post put it best:

81 U.S. Congressmen are off in Israel when they should be here, dealing with the mountain of problems facing the American people -- you know, the men and women who elected them...

...They're on a junket funded by the American Israel Education Foundation, a supporting organization of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). As AIPAC is a special interest group -- pro-Israel hardliners who support expansionist policies -- it is unlikely that the Congressmen will be getting a clear-eyed view of the country.

...And what are American taxpayers getting in return?

In his article, "Friends Without Benefits," Matthew Yglesias gives a succinct answer: "Israel does us no favors and is no use to us."

As Josh Ruebner, National Advocacy Director of the U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, puts it,

"This August break is for Members of Congress to be at home, meeting with constituents to hear about our concerns. They should be listening to our anxiety about the economy and thinking through ways to dig us out of the financial mess they've created with their corporate giveaways, tax breaks for the wealthy and lax regulation of unscrupulous banks that are forcing people out of their homes with fraudulent mortgage documents."

...This is the same Congress that showered Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with standing ovations as he stood and spoke one half-truth after another.

...This trip isn't shocking. It's just one more outrageous example of American politicians putting special interest groups ahead of the dire needs of the American people.