Criticism of Barack Obama's stance towards Israel has gone mainstream, and has appeared in media outlets and from Jewish groups across the spectrum. T

These include, the New York Post, all the Israeli papers, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times (in a recent op-ed), Commentary Magazine, statements from Abe Foxman of the Anti-Defamation League, David Harris of the American Jewish Committee, and a statement issued by The Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations, Washington Post columnists, and the Washington Times.

Criticism has even appeared at the liberal New Republic, including from Marty Peretz who, during the campaign, wholeheartedly supported Obama and deflected criticism that he would not be a supporter of Israel. James Kirchick, an editor at the magazine has been especially insightful (see, for example, "Israel Betrayed" regarding the damage Obama has already caused to the American-Israel relationship).

Even Democratic Congressmen have begun to speak out regarding Obama's approach towards Israel, including Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Senator  Robert Menendez of New Jersey, and Congresswoman Shelley Berkley of Nevada.

So a question naturally arises. Where have Barack Obama's Jewish defenders been hiding?

I am speaking about the range of people - many from Chicago - who dismissed scrutiny of Obama as hogwash from the internet, who counseled people on You Tube videos not to listen to people expressing concern about Obama, who wrote scathing emails questioning the intelligence of Jews who did not support Obama. I checked to see if some of these You Tube videos are still available but they have vanished.

Where is former Congressman Abner Mikva? Or various business titans across the land who stoutly defended Barack Obama? The criticism was quite voluble and was widely spread. So where are Obama's most ardent admirers and defenders now?

Are they leery of being in the company of groups such as J Street and their ilk who defend Barack Obama and are regarded in many quarters as anti-Israel pariahs? Of course, Ira Forman of the National Jewish Democratic Council will defend Obama to the grave: that is what he gets paid to do. Alan Dershowitz did write one op-ed in a recent Wall Street Journal that was less than  a full-throttle defense of Obama   (and was subject to a very fine level of criticism from British columnist Melanie Phillips. That Dershowitz would even feel it necessary to write such an op-ed is telling in and of itself that there are problems with the President.

But where are the fine people who disparaged critics of Obama? Was it just easier to dismiss critics as  "blogging crackpots" than it is to start defending him when the criticism comes off the pages of America's finest papers and from the halls of Congress.

Their silence is deafening and also says a great deal about their prior views and how they feel right now.

Just wondering where they are now since so visible-and so certain-before.