It has always struck me that while huge concern is expressed about the recrudescence of largely left-liberal, antisemitism in contemporary Europe, a great silence extends over the extent to which it exists in the USA. One curious strain I encountered in the South, was unalloyed admiration for Israeli machismo, combined with a desire to see New York drift off into the Atlantic. There was also far more sympathy for the Arabs than I would have imagined.

A shocking example I came across this weekend was the readers comments on a brief article by Fred Kagan about Irving Kristol in the Washington Post. Comment after comment accused Kristol and other neo cons of having captured US foreign policy on behalf of Israel. The overwhelming majority of commentators were Americans; the level of vituperation involved would not have been out of place at the Guardian's Comment is Free section.

Perhaps some of the relentless coverage in the US and elsewhere, dedicated to Europe's hang-up about Jews should be extended to include the US itself?