It takes daring to read this!
by a Reader from Washington, DC, posted on Tuesday, Sep 30, 2003
Written by a former congressman, this book is a massive compendium detailing the enormous influence of the Israeli Lobby in the USA. Released for a third time with an update all the way to the turn of the millennium, this is definitely the authoritative study of the working of American politics, and the ease with each the US political system can be manipulated by another country. I have only read the second edition, and actually am seriously considering getting the third just to see what Findley has added to the book - it's been almost a decade and a half since the second edition, so this update is long overdue. The book is very well-written, and very engaging as the picture unfolds like a detective story, chapter by chapter. The issues discussed are very relevant, examining the influence of a foreign country in every aspect of American life: in Congress and the White House, in the press, in the universities and churches, and throughout America. It reads like a who's who in politics and society, with quotations and interviews with everyone of relevance, even including many prominent American Jews who dare to speak out against the Israeli lobby and reject having to toe the lobby line. From the start, the author makes a sharp distinction between being pro-Israel (as he defines himself) and being "pro-Israel-right-or-wrong", as "They Dare to Speak Out" appears to categorize the Zionist lobby. It is definitely an influential book and highly recommended reading.
In all fairness, I did not give it 5 stars for one reason: the book left me quite depressed about the state of affairs of this nation, and I didn't like the impression it inadvertently paints of an all-powerful lobby. For one thing, as "They Dare to Speak Out" points out repeatedly, a large part of the Lobby's influence is psychological, yet the whole book tends to reinforce that "almighty lobby" image, which means the book is self-defeating, in a way. Perhaps the 3rd edition did something about it. In any case, if you haven't read any of the earlier editions, it is worth to just buy it and take a look. You might feel overwhelmed, but you will learn a lot of important things, too.
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Why is Israel called "Our Ally"? 
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