the author of this article is former cia, if you can be former in such a case, and he describes some of how israel is the one holding the leash on its american dog;

Jewish congressmen and other officials in the Democratic Party are increasing their efforts to make sure that candidates running for office in November toe the line on support for Israel. The Republicans meanwhile are seeking to portray themselves as the party of Israel, even though most Jews don’t vote for them, and are exploiting the fact that the Democratic Party now includes many genuine progressives who are deeply disturbed by the way Israel behaves. Put it all together and it suggests how Israel has managed to insert itself in the American political system on both sides of the aisle in Congress and elsewhere.
Ironically, those seeking to restore Israel-philia among the Democrats are claiming that they are seeking to “de-politicize the Israel issue.” Actually, what they are trying to do is just the opposite, to politicize it to such an extent that no one will touch it. They seek to make unlimited support for Israel the unspoken rule for everyone in politics, without any debate or conditions. The Republicans, for their part, are seeking political advantage in districts where there are significant Jewish voters or where the issue will resonate, making the Democrats appear to be soft on Israel’s security. Either way, the knee-jerk support for the Jewish state, which does not serve the actual interests of most Americans and damages national security, is being given protected status, as if it were part of the Bill of Rights.
The debate over the Israel issue as part of the upcoming election has not exactly been out in the open, but it has been discussed in the New York Times “A New Wave of Democrats Tests the Party’s Blanket Support for Israel” as well as in a recent article in Mondoweiss headlined “Several Democratic candidates take stands against BDS, amid signs that Israel is becoming politicized.” At stake is the ability of American Jews from both major parties to maintain the U.S. political system and government’s uncritical support for Israel.
One might well ask if there has ever been in all of history the denial of the interests of a large powerful state to placate a weak and extremist client and the answer would have to be “no,” though never before has there been a tiny minority in any country that possessed anything near the power that American Jewry has, power that is frequently employed on behalf of Israel. Some might call the dual loyalty, which George Washington warned against as a “passionate attachment” in his farewell address, to be treasonous.

https://www.globalresearch.ca/2018-midterm-elections-politicize-israel-issue-no-one-touch-it/5657648