J Street: Political Sophistry or Pro-Israel Advocacy?

Goldblog reader David Sobel writes in response to the continuing J Street brouhaha:

Amy Spitalnick's claim that "The very reason for J Street's existence is to secure Israel's future as a Jewish democracy" does not convince.  What do defending Seven Jewish Children or Obama's rewarding of the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Mary Robinson have to do with supporting Israeli democracy? And why can't J-Street find the time to publicly rebuke Stephen Walt's endorsement, even as its constituents repeatedly criticize AIPAC? J-Street is confusing political sophistry for pro-Israel advocacy. Until J-Street stops making excuses for not taking on Israel's defamers, statements about Israeli democracy sound like bromides to anybody on the right of Yossi Beilin. AIPAC, warts and all, is undoubtedly for Israel. Right now it seems that J Street is for J Street.