Nature & Animals Quote by Michael Scheuer

Scheuer’s line is built to do two things at once: offer a prophylactic nod to moral obligation, then detonate a critique of U.S. policy capture. “No one wants to abandon the Israelis” isn’t empathy so much as political armor. It anticipates the most predictable counterpunch - that any constraint equals betrayal - and denies it before the argument even begins. That opening clause also tells you who the real audience is: domestic American gatekeepers, not Israelis or Palestinians. He’s signaling he knows the taboo, and he’s stepping around it.

Then comes the phrasing that matters: “the perception is… probably an accurate perception.” He frames his claim as atmosphere rather than accusation, as if he’s merely reporting weather. That’s bureaucratic rhetoric at its most effective, because it smuggles in a harsh judgment while wearing the costume of analytic caution. The “tail is leading the dog” metaphor does the rest, compressing a complex alliance into a humiliating image: the superpower as animal, yanked by a smaller appendage. It’s vivid, slightly contemptuous, and designed to stick.

“Carte blanche ability” is the subtextual charge of impunity. He’s not arguing Israel is always wrong; he’s arguing Washington has surrendered its leverage - and, by extension, responsibility for outcomes. In the post-9/11 security-state context Scheuer comes out of, this reads as an insider’s warning: alliances aren’t just commitments; they’re incentives. If you outsource restraint, you inherit the blowback.