NATIONAL JOURNAL
by Lauren Fox
March 2, 2015

The New Jersey senator, and ranking Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee, takes his Capitol Hill fight to AIPAC and vows not to back down—even from his allies. Sen. Bob Menendez takes joy in being on the wrong side of Tehran, and he’s not afraid of being at odds with his own party’s White House. “When it comes to defending the U.S.-Israel relationship, I am not intimidated by anyone—not Israel’s political enemies and not by my political friends when I believe they’re wrong,” Menendez declared to an energized crowd at the AIPAC policy conference Monday evening. A call to action for his fellow members of Congress, Menendez vowed never to back down from a brawl to defend the U.S. and Israel’s “sacrosanct” and “untouchable” relationship….The senator also took an overt shot at Obama’s national security adviser, Susan Rice, who spoke to AIPAC just before he did, saying, “I take issue with those who say the prime minister’s visit to the United States is ‘destructive to U.S.-Israel relations.'” Rice called the visit and the politics around it “destructive” in an interview last week with PBS. READ MORE

Democratic Senator Bob Menendez’s speech at AIPAC 2015, beginning at 1:19 mark, interrupted by frequent thunderous applause and ovations. A marked contrast to Susan Rice’s speech which received a polite, but tepid response.