Why do US politicians feel that they have to kiss Israeli ass??

Before Obama even was 100% sure whether he was the democratic party nominee, the talk was about the speech that he would give in front of AIPAC (the American Israel Public Affairs Committee) and how he needs to assure AIPAC of his commitment to Israel and the Zionist cause. What the hell?? How on earth is Israel so essential in determining the destiny of US politicians and how the ‘f’ did Israel become so intertwined in US politics? Last time I checked, we were going to be electing the president of the United States in November, not the president or prime minister of Israel! Why does every politician – in order to have a serious shot at the white house - have to pay homage to Israel? Did I fall asleep for a hundred years and woke up in a new era where Israel is the super power? Am I the only one who noticed how much more open (and openly anti-Palestinian) the emphasis on Israel has been in this election? Does anyone else see this? Is it because the Israeli lobby is afraid of Obama? Is the Israeli lobby so unsure about the man’s true intentions towards Israel? Zionists don’t you worry – neither Obama nor McCain can go against the most powerful, most influential, and most corrupt lobby for any cause in the entire world. They may pretend to show some resistance to your pressures but that’s about all they can do. Pretend.