The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) is holding its annual Policy Conference in Washington, DC, this week. Monday night, Vice President Mike Pence addressed the 18,000 attendees. His message was simple: American stands with Israel because we share common values and common enemies. Below are some excerpts of the vice president’s remarks.

We stand with Israel because her cause is our cause, her values are our values, and her fight is our fight. We stand with Israel because we believe in right over wrong, in good over evil, in liberty over tyranny.

When I stood before you last March, I told you that President Trump would keep the promises that he made to all of you and to our most cherished ally, and so he has…

The United States of America was proud to be the first nation in the world to recognize the State of Israel in 1948. And just as Harry Truman made history, President Trump will make history again, when … in May of this year we will open the American Embassy in Jerusalem…

Israel might be one of the smallest countries in the world, but it has one of the biggest footprints… A living testament to the power of freedom and the power of faith… The miracle of Israel is an inspiration to the world. And the United States of America is proud to stand with Israel and her people as allies and cherished friends.“

Bibi Salutes Trump

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with President Donald Trump for more than two hours at the White House on Monday. Following his meeting, Netanyahu told reporters that the central issue discussed was "Iran, Iran, Iran.” Netanyahu added that his advice to President Trump on Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran was “fully fix it or fully nix it.”

Tuesday morning, Netanyahu addressed the AIPAC Policy Conference. He told the audience that it was great to be in America’s capital, especially after President Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

Like Vice President Pence, Netanyahu reminded the audience that Israel and America share common values, and that those values come from the Bible and can be seen inscribed on the many monuments throughout Washington, DC.

Much of Netanyahu’s address focused on Iran. Like Winston Churchill more than seven decades ago, Netanyahu is trying valiantly to warn the world of a gathering storm. Here are some excerpts of his remarks:

Darkness is descending on our region. Iran is building an aggressive empire: Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Gaza, Yemen, more to come. Now Iran is seeking to build permanent military bases in Syria, seeking to create a land bridge from Tehran to Tartus on the Mediterranean.

And in addition to moving its army, its air force, its navy to Syria to be able to attack Israel from closer land, it’s also seeking to develop, to build precision guided missile factories in Syria and Lebanon against Israel.

I will not let that happen. We will not let that happen. We must stop Iran. We will stop Iran.

Last week, we read in the Book of Esther about an earlier Persian attempt to exterminate our people. They failed then. They’ll fail now…

President Trump has made it clear that his administration will not accept Iran’s aggression in the region. He has made clear that he too will never accept a nuclear-armed Iran. That is the right policy. I salute President Trump on this.

And the president has also made it clear that if the fatal flaws of the nuclear deal are not fixed, he will walk away from the deal and restore sanctions. Israel will be right there by America’s side. And let me tell you, so will other countries in the region.

Mueller & Putin

By all accounts, Special Counsel Robert Mueller has dedicated his life to serving his country. As a Marine, he saw combat in Vietnam, receiving the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star for heroism. He made a career in the Justice Department and eventually led the FBI.

That is why I sincerely hope he concludes his Russia investigation soon. With each passing day, Mueller’s investigation paralyzes our president and serves Putin’s interests.

On Fox & Friends Tuesday morning, Judge Napolitano noted that Mueller has just subpoenaed each and every email from 10 people connected to President Trump. That’s going to take months to sort through.

Judge Napolitano added that Mueller’s investigation is gearing up and that his grand juries (yes, there are two of them) could last until the end of Trump’s presidency.

But let’s go back just a couple of weeks to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein’s announcement that 13 Russians had been indicted for meddling in the election. Rosenstein said the Russians were simply promoting discord, adding that there is “No allegation in the indictment that any American knowingly participated in the conspiracy.” In other words, no collusion.

Putin was not trying to tilt the election in any one direction. He was trying to set the political process on fire regardless of which candidate won.

Yet every day since the election, the Trump administration has been hobbled and hounded by a hostile media and a resistance movement fueled by the fantasy that Trump will be impeached because of collusion with Russia.

Every day that Mueller continues his investigation — continues distracting the administration and dividing our country — is a victory for Putin’s strategy.