Not long ago, I lauded Sen. Carl Levin in this blog for his ascension to power. He’s been a great friend to the Jewish people and Israel.

While I’m sure that his Jewish upbringing and values instilled his strong ties to Israel, the millions of dollars he’s received from pro-Israel lobbies helped cement it. 

Since 1989, the two biggest contributors to his campaigns by industry have been 1) lawyers/law firms with $1.29 million, and 2) pro-Israel organizations with $1.28 million.

But if you look at the top contributing companies/organizations to the Levin campaign, they are auto manufacturers. In fact, General Motors ($84,000) and DamlierChrysler ($79,000) are numbers one and two. Guardsmark ($79,000), a security firm, and Ford ($61,000) are three and four.

Of course, that’s what one would expect when Levin, a Democrat, represents Michigan – to bring home the bacon for his constituents, much like Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.) has done for the Hopkins Hubble Space Telescope program.

My problem is that Levin’s efforts to protect jobs at the auto companies interfere with his historic allegiance to Israel. As the Big Three fight against any push for better mileage standards, the more money flows into the coffers of Iran, Saudi Arabia and Syria.

The new Democratic leadership is crafting comprehensive energy legislation – the first in a long time. Levin, one of their own, is against the section requiring automakers to create better mileage for their fleets

Getting the opposing industries aligned will be virtually impossible, as will getting Levin to turn his back on the Big Three. But it’s imperative that we overcome our addiction to terrorist oil. After all, the biggest beneficiaries won’t be Americans or the environment, but Levin’s friends in Israel.