M.J. Rosenberg has the full text of Barack Obama’s AIPAC speech. On Iran, I think this is somewhat better than what John Edwards and Hillary Clinton have said to similar audiences in terms of tone, though some of Edwards’ (and, for that matter, Bill Richardson’s) remarks in the post-Herziliya backlash have been better than this. The best part was this:

But we owe it to our sons and daughters, our mothers and fathers, and to all those who have fallen, to keep searching for peace and security — even though it can seem distant. This search is in the best interests of Israel. It is in the best interests of the United States. It is in the best interests of all of us.

The worst part was this:

But in the end, we also know that we should never seek to dictate what is best for the Israelis and their security interests. No Israeli Prime Minister should ever feel dragged to or blocked from the negotiating table by the United States.

That’s silly. We should give Israel billions of dollars a year but should never make an Israeli Prime Minister “feel dragged to . . . the negotiating table” even though going there “is in the best interests of Israel. It is in the best interests of the United States” — that doesn’t make sense. I did, however, like the inclusion of the “or blocked from the negotiating table” proviso, a subtle dig at the Bush administration’s bizarre pressuring of Israel to avoid making peace with Syria.

Andrew Sullivan posts a very partial transcript. Here’s what he said on Iran:

The world must work to stop Iran’s uranium enrichment program and prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. It is far too dangerous to have nuclear weapons in the hands of a radical theocracy. And while we should take no option, including military action, off the table, sustained and aggressive diplomacy combined with tough sanctions should be our primary means to prevent Iran from building nuclear weapons.

Well, I’d like to know what the next paragraph said before offering any judgments, since that’s pretty ambiguous without context. Interestingly, this gang of anti-semites Jewish Week article suggests that Jewish financial clout within the Democratic Party is significant and may influence what viable candidates can say about Middle East policy.

The Jerusalem Post reports:

The nuclear crisis with Iran was averted Saturday when Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the entire Iranian nuclear program was traded to the New York Knicks for point guard Stephon Marbury. Iran will also get the Knicks’ first two draft picks.

That’s some kind of Purim humor, I guess.