A reader writes:
Thanks so much for this post. Having been born in Cuba and grown up in Miami and seeing how exiles there twist U.S. foreign policy into whatever way they want it to be, it was very easy for me to accept the idea of an "Israel lobby". Of course, serious people can debate the extent of the influence of the lobby but to deny it exists is crazy.
Luckily, it looks like things are changing in Miami. It looks as though lobbies from within the Cuban-American population are springing up that challenge the traditional exile prerogatives. I hope the same is true of Israel because while Cuba has not really been important to US interests since at least the fall of the Soviet Union Israel's relationships with its neighbors is the most pressing concern to US interests at the moment.
I would also like to note that the idea of a Cuban Exile lobby is widely accepted by people inside and outside the Cuban-American community and I have not yet witnessed one instance of racism being charged when it's pointed out (I've heard other pretty vile stuff but never that).