At the recent republican debate, Gov Perry suggested the U.S. should not criticize Israel in public, but only in private. Later the same week, Fareed Zakaria asked a Russian diplomat about Putin’s statement that the U.S. is a parasite because of our debt. While individuals have the luxury of having private conversations, nations do not. I suggest that it is simple minded to equate reasonable criticism with “We don’t like you”, “You are not our friend.” Israel and the U.S, are not a monoliths. Being democracies, both nations engage in vigorous internal debate. Unfortunately the global ramifications of the debated issues are often given a lower priority. Criticism from allies can be important, valuable and relevant. Unfortunately, dichotomous thinking “Who are you to tell us what to do?” “How dare you interfere with our internal affairs?” confounds potentially important insights.