I'm certainly not suggesting that Israel is not our strongest ally in the Middle East. I specifically use the term "ally" because there really are no "friends" in the realm of foreign relations. Each country acts in what it believes to be its own best interests and once it becomes clear there is no further purpose in maintaining an allied relationship, even those who had been allies become just another country.

Just for the purpose of discussion, Donna, what would we do if...

• Iran attacked Israel and Israel responded with a nuclear attack on Iran?

• Or what should we do if Israel unilaterally attacked Iran's nuclear development facilities, resulting in a major Middle East ground war between Iran and other Arab nations who might support them in a war against Israel?

What I'm asking is--if Israel gets itself into a major war in it's region of the world, having its own sovereignty threatened, or threatening peace in the entire Middle East because of its actions--does the U.S. have a dog in the fight? Would we or should we deploy troops to help Israel in the resulting war? In either circumstance, would Israel still be a "friend"? Would they be an "ally"?