Obama: Bad for the Jews?
The presidential campaign of Barack Obama has generated heat regarding his relationship with the Jewish community and his views towards Israel. There exists much skepticism regarding the level of support he will extend to the American-Israeli relationship should he become president.
These concerns are valid and worthy of debate; they cannot just be dismissed by his supporters and by his campaign as “smears.” Scrutiny of Barack Obama’s history, foreign policy advisers, and own statements and plans should generate concern among American Jews.
By now, everyone know that Barack Obama was, for 20 years, a member of Trinity United Church of Christ — a church headed by Pastor Jeremiah Wright and a man whom he has described in his own words as a “moral compass,” “sounding board,” and “confidant.” Wright is also an anti-Israel activist who has used his pulpit to fulminate against Israel and has called for the ending of American support for our most dependable Middle East ally. Obama has elided the issue of whether he had heard these sermons or read the church magazine, the Trumpet, yet he stated in a 2004 Chicago Sun-Times newspaper article that he basically attended every Sunday service at the church. He also knew Wright’s anti-Israel views based on a Rolling Stone article about Wright and his own disinvitation to Wright before announcing his presidential run, correctly understanding that Wright would pose a political problem for him. He only disavowed Wright when Wright criticized him, not when Wright defamed Israel, whites, or America.
Wright also saw fit to have his church’s magazine carry an op-ed by a Hamas official accusing Israel of developing an ethnic bomb. Wright is also a supporter of the most infamous anti-Semite in America — Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, who has called Judaism a “gutter religion” and has called Jews “bloodsuckers,” and whom he bestowed an award upon last year. It was this award that prompted Washington Post columnist Richard Cohen to wonder why it was that Barack Obama could not and did not express any “outrage” over this award. Maybe because the relationship between Barack Obama and Louis Farrakhan is one that Senator Obama has sought to obscure because there is a tie.
Barack Obama chose to participate in Louis Farrakhan’s Million Man March in 1995, when he was running for the state senate. As Jennifer Rubin wrote:
The Anti-Defamation League had pleaded with African-American leaders not to attend, citing not only Farrakhan’s role but that of Malik Zulu Shabazz, head of the New Black Panther Party, as co-convener of the march. Shabazz had a long history of anti-Semitic spewing as well, having told a university audience that Jews bear special responsibility for the slave trade and consider blacks to be “cursed.”
As A.M. Rosenthal of the New York Times wrote at the time, “To march with Louis Farrakhan in Washington is to strengthen a man who leads a crusade against whites and for resegregation, to march with his goon squads, to march with anti-Semites — to march straight into that swamp of hatred.”
Yet into the swamp went Obama.
When questioned about the relationship between Wright and Farrakhan, he did not respond directly; he certainly did not criticize, reject, or denounce the ties between Wright and Farrakhan or the award given to Farrakhan.
Two other close spiritual mentors of Obama should also cause concerns. Father Pfleger and Reverend James Meeks, both strong defenders of Farrakhan, have both made remarks about Jews that were offensive. Pfleger responded to news that Jewish members had resigned from a state board that monitored hate because a Nation of Islam member refused to denounce Farrakhan’s racism and anti-Semitism with the phrase “good riddance.” Meeks has spoken of “Hollywood Jews” corrupting morals in America.
The former Weatherman terrorist Bill Ayers, another friend of Barack Obama who served on two boards with him, is also a fierce critic of Israel — accusing it of practicing terrorism when it takes actions to defend herself from murderous attacks by terror groups.
How has Barack Obama responded to these relationships being revealed? He has claimed, “nobody has spoken out more fiercely on the issue of anti-Semitism than I have” — which seems to give short shrift to Simon Wiesenthal, Elie Wiesel, Abe Foxman, Alan Dershowitz, and many others who have not remained silent in the face of anti-Semitism, let alone admit close ties to those who honor anti-Semites. He has also said that he has been in the “foxholes” in Chicago with his Jewish friends trying to heal the rifts between the African-American and Jewish populations. There is absolutely no proof of any of these claims. Aside from one ambiguous comment regarding anti-Semitism not being an effective tactic for ambitious African-Americans who hope to rise, there is no evidence that he has ever acted to prevent anti-Semitism in the African-American community, which has the highest anti-Semitism of any group in America. Did he ever discuss the anti-Israel beliefs of his pastor and church, which by far was the largest beneficiary of his charitable donations?
When he was on the board of the Woods Foundation, a charity with a broad mandate, Barack Obama could have funded efforts or groups that worked to heal the rifts that exist between the two communities. He did not do so. Instead the foundation sponsored and paid for anti-Israel, pro-Palestinian agitprop. This seemed in accord with Barack Obama’s own sentiments — since he was considered a friend of Palestinians in Chicago and was particularly close to Palestinian activist and ex-PLO member Rashid Khalidi. There is certainly nothing wrong with being considered a friend of the Palestinians — but was he active in pro-Israel efforts? No. Did he attempt to heal the rifts between the pro-Israel and Palestinian communities? No. Indeed he credited Khalidi with changing his own views and attitudes. That is not a good sign.
On the campaign trail, he also has had a worrisome habit of collecting supporters and picking advisers who not only are highly critical of Israel but also, for good measure, take a jaundiced view of American Jews who seek to have a voice in the foreign policy debate.
His earliest major financial supporter was George Soros — a critic of Israel and foe of the so-called “Israel lobby” who explored forming a counterpoint to such a lobby that would advocate policies that would be harmful to our relations with Israel. Soros also has relationships with a group of foreign policy advisers who seem to share his views and who subsequently became part of Senator Obama’s foreign policy team. (Soros funds the International Crisis Group, which has ties to Zbigniew Brzezinski, Robert Malley, and Samantha Power — see below.)
Zbigniew Brzezinski has played a role in his campaign and this has caused no small amount of angst among supporters of the American-Israeli alliance. Brzezinski has made a second career, after serving in the Jimmy Carter administration, of being a critic of Israel — having all but accused it of war crimes in Lebanon when it fought the Hezbollah terror group in the summer of 2006. He is a supporter of the “work” of Stephen Walt and John Mearsheimer — two academics who have accused the so-called Israel lobby of controlling foreign policy in America; their work was accused of being anti-semitic in the Washington Post article “Yes. It’s Anti-Semitic.” Lately he has been accusing American Jews of practicing McCarthyism in trying to silence critics of Israel in America.
Robert Malley has also played a role in advising the campaign. He is a fierce critic of Israel and has advocated accommodating Hamas, Syria, Hezbollah, Iran, and other rogues in the Middle East. He has also been criticized for lying in his book regarding the Camp David peace process during the Clinton years in order to place blame on Israel for its failure — a position radically at odds with the versions of what transpired at Camp David told by, among others, Dennis Ross and President Bill Clinton.
Samantha Power — who was his closest foreign policy adviser until being forced into a “virtual” resignation in the wake of comments about Hillary Clinton (“Monstergate”) — advocated the complete suspension of all aid to Israel and its redirection to “Palestine” as a way to force an agreement on Israel. Power also advocated the massive placement of American troops in Israel to enforce such an agreement. She has a long history of advocating policies that would harm the American-Israeli relationship.
Obama will be the end of Israel.
Yes, it is clear from the company he keeps that Barry 0 is no friend to Israel (or America). What is not clear, like almost everything to do with this guy, is the extent to which he is an actual enemy. My advice:
When in doubt, fear the worst.
Jews have a history of doing what is bad for them. No doubt a majority will vote for Obama.
Israelis, for the most part, have done what is OK for Israel. But the paper tigerization of America started by Bush who has done nothing about Iran and Syria will be completed by Mr. Obama. Israel may not be finished but they are certainly on the way to mortal danger.
Like blacks, jews will flock to Obama. For no logical reason at all, or at least not for the “logical” reasons that they present.
Yes, Obama is and will be if elected president very bad for Israel, the Jewish people and the world. His past, the friends he keeps, the people who influence his views, the muslin background, his deamenor when confronted with controversial statements, his inexperience in foreign affairs, the hatred he keeps under his skin for all the humilliations he has suffered in his live, and many more things makes him unfitted to be Senator, much less President of the U.S.
I have known another person like Obama, his name is Fidel Castro, they both have the same traits, they are equal in everything, and mainly they both have a sinister mind. Obama is a very dangerous person, and I ask the Jewish people, please don’t vote for him, if you can’t vote for McCain, stay home.
HI Everyone,
Thank you for reading the article and for your comments. I would just like to add a couple of points that did not make it into the column by the publication deadline.
There is another adviser who might raise concerns:
Senator Obama’s nuclear affairs expert, Joseph Cirincione http://www.commentarymagazine.com/blogs/index.php/schoenfeld/3547 is quick to blame Israel for all manners of ills and mistakes-from disputing the idea that the Syrian site attacked by Israel in September of last year was a nuclear site (it was); to blaming Israel for nuclear proliferation in the Middle East; to suggesting that Israel be stripped of its putative nuclear arsenal (whose threat possibly saved it from destruction in 1973 and is the only counterweight to the burgeoning nuclear program of Iran).http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2008/04/obama_keeps_hiring_antiisraeli.html
Also there should be concerns about Senator Obama’s approach towards Iran:
The alacrity which he accepted the findings of the wholly discredited National Intelligence Estimate report that all but absolved Iran of charges that it was developing nuclear weapons should also be cause for concern-after all, politicians across the political spectrum in America and our European allies thought the report was deeply flawed. But not Senator Obama who used the report to help him politically. Indeed, Obama’s views towards Iran are causing consternation with our European friends who have been working to sanction and pressure the Iranian regime to prevent its development of nuclear weapons. These nations fear a President Obama would cause grievous harm to their efforts to pressure Iran. http://hotair.com/archives/2008/06/22/europe-fears-obama-on-iran/
Thanks again,
Ed Lasky
Obama is not just bad for the Jews, he’s bad for everyone.
He will find it easy to sacrifice Israel to the left since the Israeli left is suicidal in its policies.
“These concerns are valid and worthy of debate; they cannot just be dismissed by his supporters and by his campaign as “smears.””
Precisely. Libs, full of emotion rather than logic, use name calling to “debate.” That does not work. For liberal “Jews” not to understand that BHO, aside from his other shortcomings, could care less about Israel, is naive but typical.
Good article. Full of facts, logic and rational discourse.
One should not refer to Israel or any other country as “her” or “herself”, IMO. It detracts from the essay.
Obama will destroy Israel.
Keep in mind that even dyed in the wool anti Semites and Israel haters like Pat Buchanan always express their support for Israel and her security, just like Barack Obama. Indeed, Barack Obama probably believes that if Israel would only withdraw from all of her ancient homeland, negotiate with the Palestinians and give in to all their demands, then true peace would be achieved. Actually, this seems to be Obama’s approach to the Iranian problem, only with Iran, he believes that they will give up their nuclear program if America will just negotiate with them to reach an agreement to let them have the nuclear weapons. Barack Obama is dangerous to the Jews, dangerous to Israel, and will be a catastrophic danger to America and what is left of the Free World.
Great job, Ed. This article summarizes what I have been writing for months. I believe that Sen. Obama has signaled a strong antipathy for Israel and a willingness to embrace very strident voices of anti-Semitism from within his inner circle.
The deadwood media has intentionally whitewashed this issue and they have avoided vetting it like the plague. For whatever reason, it still has very little traction.
Malley, Power, McPeak, Brzezinski….these were and are the voices that most accurately represent the wind direction on the presumed Middle East policies of an Obama administration.
The late Edward Said, Rashid Khalidi, Ali Abunimah were and are the voices that most accurately represent the worldview of the “Palestinian” question for an Obama administration.
Ayers, Dorhn, Meeks, Pfleger, Wright, Frank Marshall Davis were and are the voices that most accurately represent the “social conciousness” of Barack and Michelle Obama.
What conclusions may be rightfully reach, given the shell game that the complicit media has foisted upon us with regard to getting legitimate answers to each of the above?
We are staring down both barrels of Euro-socialism/leftism of Chirac, for example…whereby a barely beneath the surface hatred of Jews, rabidly pro-Palestinian and equally rabid anti-Israel foreign policy, combined with a black retribution/redistribution of social “balancing” and anti-corporate America, anti-capitalism takes hold.
Taxes you never dreamed of, taxes on goods, taxes on services, taxes on gains, taxes on death, taxes on business, taxes on investments.
A crippling of the national defense…to levels beneath the Keystone Kop levels of Dhimmi Carter.
This is about wealth redistribution…from your pockets…to someone else’s. This is about punishing corporate success. This is about power redistribution. Power and money are to be labeled evil…and concurretntly ….American Jews are in the crosshairs…and don’t even know it. The deadwood media is the conduit for this assault and they are complicit up to their mendacious ears.
This is Jimmy Carter redux on steroids. We are slouching toward Chirac Socialism. We are dying on the vine as a great nation. And our own deadwood media ….well, the blood is already on their hands.
For what it’s worth here’s my opinion. IF we let Israel be destroyed, and like it or not, that’s the goal of the Arab world, the West will have lost whatever claim we had to moral standing. After that our material prosperity will disappear like smoke from a dying campfire. The only thing which holds the US together is that prosperity, once it’s gone we’re just a bunch of people living on the same land. IF.
Loren: When speaking of the land of a people’s birth or citizenship, I believe it would be perfectly proper to speak of it in the feminine form.
It is inconceivable to me that Israel would divide Jerusalem the heart of their faith. To me it would be like dividing the Vatican or Medina. This I think is the stickiest of sticking points in all the negotiations.
Obama seems to have chosen questionable people to negotate his way through politics. I do not think that is good for the United States or Israel or Iraq etc. Thanks for the good article.
I am utterly convinced that Barack “Barry” Obama perceives both the United States and Israel as victimizers of the dark skin peoples of the Third World. We are at fault if terrorists wish to harm us. Why shouldn’t we therefore expect these well deserved blowback actions? Obama wants to apologize to our enemies for our misdeeds. Appeasement is instinctively his default position. Khrushchev took full advantage of John F. Kennedy’s immaturity. Much worse will happen if Obama is our next elected leader.
PEACE TO ALL…I MUST SAY THIS PAGE IS FULL OF HATE AND BITTERNESS TO POLITICIANS,MINISTER’S,AND COMMUNITY GROUP’S THAT MOST ARE NOT AWARE OF…BARACK OBAMA HAS TAKEN ON THE TASK TO REBUILD THE INTREST OF THIS NATION…IT IS A FACT THAT PRESIDENT BUSH IS IN CONTROL OF POLICY ISSUE’S ,SO THEIR FOR RESPONSIBLE FOR WHERE THE COUNTRY IS NOW…WE AS AMERICAN’S BELIEVE WHAT IS GIVEN TO US BY THE PRESS,AND GOVERNMENT WITH OUT QUESTION…AND AS A RESULT LOOK WHAT IT HAS GIVEN IN RETURN…WE HAVE TO NOT ALLOW THE SAME PEOPLE CHOOSE FOR US WHO IS BEST …WE SHOULD BE MORE INFORMED TO RESEARCH FOR OURSELF…
PEACE TO ALL…TO ALSO ADD…THE MILLION MAN MARCH WAS A DAY OF ATONEMENT…IT WAS A DAY THAT WE AS BLACK MEN STOOD UP AND BEGIN TO HEAL THE PROBLEMS WE HAD WITH FAMILY,COMMUNITY,POLITIC’S,AND SELF…AND FOR THIS POST TO BE MAID JUST GOES TO SHOW JUST HOW SILLY SOME CAN BE…THE MILLION MAN MARCH WAS A MARCH MAID UP OF ALL FAITH BASE TRADITION’S,POLITICIANS,AND COMMUNITY SUPPORT GROUPS…OF WHICH ALL HAD A CHANCE TO SPEAK REGARDLESS OF YOUR BELIEVE,GENDER,EVEN RACE… TOGETHER WORKING ON OUR DIFFERANCE’S…ON THAT DAY IT WAS A DAY OF PRAYER AND PEACE…THE MILLION MAN MARCH CHANGED ALOT OF PEOPLE’S LIVE’S FOR THE BETTER…AND IT ALSO WENT DOWN IN HISTORY…
I came to the conclusion a long time ago that an ordinary Roman Catholic, goyim like myself is a far better friend to Jews and Israel than American Jews are to themselves and to their cousins’ nation. And I am not alone. But, in this upcoming election there are not enough of us who know about Obama’s intellectual roots in Communism/Marxism, or of his associations with Jew-haters, whether in the form of people like Prof. Rashid Khalidi or in the kind of advisers that George Soros selects for him.
The media is openly in the tank for this guy. They are not going to broadcast one critical segment about him. They won’t ask probing questions about where he comes from and what he really thinks. He is going to be allowed to shimmy-shammy his way through to the election. So far, Johnny McLame seems to not have the kind of advisers who direct him to hammer this guy where he is vulnerable.
I’ve got a bad vibe about this election. He is much farther to the Left than Jimmy Carter was in 1976, and every bit as stealthy. This guy is farther to the Left than open socialist Bernie Sanders of Vermont is. But no one in the mainstream media exposes this.
The under-40 kiddies, where most of his support is found, do not even know what Marxism and its analysis and principles are. Truly, they do not. They’ve been simply told that the Sugar Daddy State is “progressive” and conservative principles of limited government and an unshackled business community are retrograde. Their teachers and professors told them so – and they believe it. Maybe some have questioned it in the the privacy of their own minds and dare not make it public at the university or among their cool, hip, progressive friends.
The official weblog site manager for Obama’s campaign is an open Communist named Sam Graham-Felsen. He was a known Communist at Harvard. The kid’s father is a Marxist and a labor lawyer who was a sixties’ radical – no doubt a Red Diaper Baby.
Obama’s victory is a triumph for the Gramscian “long march through the institutions.” My hope is that the four years of disaster will teach a lot of these kids a valuable, if painful lesson.
What’s wrong with you people? Barak Obama is running for the President of the *United States*, not the President of Israel; the President of the United States shouldn’t be elected on other countries’ merits. It’s inconsequential. Besides one can be critical of *any* foreign government without wanting to destroy it or without hating the people of whatever religion who occupy it. Well…unless you’re the U.S. because they’ll destroy anyone. Korea, Lebanon, Vietnam, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Columbia, Panama, Yugoslavia, and they don’t even need a good reason. i.e. Iraq. Actually, the U.S. *does* still owe payback to Israel for the USS Liberty thing. So, yeah, maybe you’re right. Obama might be bad for Israel. Point well taken. Touche.
Let’s ignore the other BS and innuendo that PJ writes and consider the point “on other countries’ merits.
Every Euro “New Class” type I talked to on recent business trips want to see zerObama elected. A few had the brutal honesty to tell me their opinion that the US is too strong in world affairs and that it would be good for Europe for the US to be taken down a couple of pegs. Others simply recognized him as a Euro-style socialist like themselves. Is this really the sort of president the US wants for itself?
An interesting factoid for those wondering about USS Liberty: about ten percent of ISRAELI casualties in the Six-Day War were due to “friendly fire” (in war, sh*t happens). [sarcasm] Perhaps Israel owes payback to Israel? [/sarcasm]
L.C please don’t shout, we can read perfectly well in lower case with appropriately placed capitals (usually at the beginning of sentences and propr nouns, if you know what those are (which I doubt). Not that correct grammar would make your post any less idiotic.
On second thoughts please continue SHOUTING, it makes it easier for everyone to see the profound depth of your impolite ignorance.
PJ. The subject of the piece was Obama’s likely foreign policy concerning Israel. Maybe you don’t think that foreign policy is something a President should bother with. Of course you don’t think that. The inconvenient truth is that you are a merely typical common or garden anti-semite (ie: a racist).
It is amazing how when Obamaniacs post they demonstrate, not only their inability to write, but their inability to think (closely related mental disorders, methinks).
You people remind me why I left the blogosphere in 2000.
Got Kids, “You people remind me why I left the blogosphere in 2000.”
So how did you find your way here then, peabrain? Please leave for good and good riddance.
I mean, really! Does this even need to be debated? Of course, Obama is anti-semite! What? Do you need to waste more time writing the obvious? Since when are words from a politician more important than actions? At the very least, an Obama administration will greatly encourage and embolden Hezbollah, Hamas, Iran, Syria, and Al-Qaida. They know that within the first 4 years, its do or die. They will see this as their best opportunity, by far to see their dream of pushing Israel into the sea. Honestly, I can see why they would think that as well. First, it is believed by many that Obama is an Islamic sympathizer, whether it is true is besides the point. Second, and most important, If Muslim nations support a terrorist grand scheme to overthrow Israel, an Obama administration will positively do nothing but maybe talk, and will probably at best criticize Israel for defending itself. Instead he will demand Israel enter into immediate negotiations to give up more of their national sovereignty to terrorists who will only use it set up future wars against Israel.
Just thought I’d share a recent experience I had while walking through the old city of Jerusalem while wearing a “Barack Obama for President” T-shirt. A gift from a friend, I am probably the only person in Israel who has such a shirt. I’m not American and I hold Israeli citizenship, but I’d support the candidate who would be “good for Israel”. So I decided to wear it and see what reaction I would get…
In the Jewish areas I was met by indifference and light criticism; but in the arab quarter I was suddenly overwhelmingly welcome. Thumbs ups everywhere for Obama; smiles of welcome in restaurants, and top notch service.
The comments tended to go along these lines:
“Barack Obama! Barack Obama! Cool man!”
“Obama! Barack Obama! You vote him? He’s good!”
“Obama – I love him, man!”
All this stood in sharp contrast to the times when my Israeli girlfriend and I walked through the same streets and ate at the same restaurants: we were met with surly, simmering, indifference. Service was grudgingly given and while we may have been smiled at in welcome, a sudden about-face showed those same waiters glaring at us with hatred.
Makes ya think, doesn’t it?
It does make me think. If I did sudden about-faces in restaurants, what would I see?
Just for the record, Barack Obama is running for President of the USA not Israel. Our other choice is John Mccain who sings, “bomb, bomb Iran”.
Hasn’t the last few years shown, Israel is safest when the President is as an honest broker as was the case with previous adminsistrations?
Obama is smart enough to make allies out of detractors. Its time to quit bitching & join the team of congressman Wexler, senator Levin & many other Jews, who I am sure will explain our cause & the truth to Obama & make him an instrument of truth & justice like he says he wants to be. REB SHLOMO
Wexler and Levin are socialist POS Dhimmis. They are worse for Jews than any GOPer.
I’m a pro-Israeli Bible believing redneck who owns guns, so Obama doesn’t give a rip what I think anyway. BUT, all Obama really cares about is making history by being the first “black” man elected into the White House. His Senate voting record speaks for itself – he is against Israel! The Jews actually supported Germany at first and the Catholics approved Hilter’s plan to get rid of those hated Jews (never mind the fact Hilter was afraid that he was half-Jew himself). The question is: what does someone who was raised in both Muslim and Catholic schools learn in these schools – TO HATE JEWS! The day the USA turns its back on Israel, rest assured that the Most High GOD will turn His back on us!
Look. I admit it, I was trying to rile someone up. That was immature. I apologize.
In all seriousness though, I believe if you vote for the President of the U.S. *solely* on who would be best for Israel (or any country for that matter) you are at best unpatriotic or at worst borderline-treasonous because you don’t have the U.S. in your best interests. However, if you weigh all the U.S.’s best interests and you come to the conclusion McCain, the oldest man ever running for president, is actually going to bring change to the sorry state of our nation, then great. I’d like to hear about THAT.
Besides, do you honestly think that any U.S. president would ever let Israel be destroyed? I don’t think so–save for a preemptive nuclear strike by Israel. That might be the line in the proverbial sand.
Shalom
Homer,
We Catholics do not teach Jew hatred anymore. Not at all. I know, because I’m old enough and involved enough to straddle the old, pre-Vatican II world and the post-Vatican II world. In the early grades of my Catholic school experience, we were never taught Jew hatred. Plus, I found out recently that in Germany at that time it was not uniformly propagated. Most of the teaching of Jew hatred happened outside of church, in the neighborhoods and associations, but not all of them. Objectively, the Jew hatred was more intense in the Protestant and the atheist sectors. And that included the Communists and the socialists too.
Has the Church fessed up to the role it played in Jew hatred? Yet it has. Has anyone else publicly admitted as much and publicly apologized as often? No.
Israel matters to me because of a variety of reasons. But let me set the record straight to those Buchananites on the board: loyalty to America does not mean one has to be hostile towards Israel. Israel is an underdog in a region full of jackals baying for Jewish blood. It was so long before the formation of the state of Israel. Hello? Hajj Amin al Husseini anyone? As in, a Muslim Arab who went to Hitler to get an entire SS Division (Handschar) for himself to use in Europe to wipe out Jews in the Balkans. Israel is the only true democracy in the Middle East (another reason). It is an outpost that stands guard against the hoards of Allah’s minions. Plus, I DO believe they are God’s Chosen People. Jesus Christ and the New Testament do not change that one iota. God has a purpose for these people, and if some of them hate themselves, well that’s their problem. We can support them, but if Israelis and their American cousins do not want to defend themselves, well there’s nothing we can do about that.
Bravo, Fred. I’m Catholic too and I feel the same way. Israel is our ally and the only democracy in a terrible neighborhood. We must stand by her.
I wouldn’t say that anti-Semitism is entirely dead among Catholics, but there are many friends of Israel among us. Please don’t judge us all by Pat Buchanan.
I support McCain in large part because of his stance on security and foreign affairs. And yes, it is frustrating to talk to Jews who are star-struck over Obama.
I know some very smart Jews. Are they politically smart?
Not so much.
Obama’s top foreign policy advisor is and has been Dennis Ross who is considered a friend of Israel. Congressman Howard Berman (Chair of the House Foreign Relations Committee)says he has worked closely with Obama and they share the same outlook on the Middle East and that Barack Obama has been and will be a strong supporter of Israel’s. The newspaper Haaretz recently published a report saying that intelligence agents had advised the Israeli government that Israel may have some problems in the first year of an Obama Presidency because some of those on the left that are supporting him don’t realize how strong his support for Israel is and there may be a backlash when they figure out that he means what he says and that Obama is the strongest supporter of Israel to run for President this year. Some of these statements may be too strong, but if so, they are no different than what is in Mr. Lasky’s article. Why not let it go that Obama has a consistent record of supporting the Jewish state and that some people are worried because of his ethnicity and family background that when he gets into the top job, he might be different than he seems. That’s a very fearful way to look at the world, but it’s the only thing that justifies nonsense like this column.
This opinion piece is what I thought it would be: half truths and innuendos. It is weak beer indeed.
“for our most dependable Middle East ally.”
For whom 2 spies have been prosecuted in the last 30 years…and those were the ones we caught. Why does our “closet ally” in the middle east spy on us?
“He has also said that he has been in the “foxholes” in Chicago with his Jewish friends trying to heal the rifts between the African-American and Jewish populations. There is absolutely no proof of any of these claims.”
And the “proof” of most of your assertions are no where to be seen either.
“the Woods Foundation, a charity with a broad mandate”
Their foremost mandate is fighting poverty.
“(Obama) has singled out two figures demonized by anti-Semites, Paul Wolfowitz and Richard Perle, as being responsible for the Iraq War. This despite the fact that Perle was not in the government and George Bush, Dick Cheney, and Donald Rumsfeld were the key figures and decision-makers.”
Is this a joke? It is clear, from the many investigative pieces, written since 2003, that Perle, Wolfowitz, Feith, et.al, did have undue influence on the prosecution of the War whether they were offically in the Government or not.
“His use of the term “separation barrier” or “wall” rather than the far more commonly used “security barrier” has apartheid-like connotations.”
It seems to me that YOU are the one giving the term “barrier wall”, etc. an apartheid connotation, although if we are being honest the Wall is de facto a “seperation barrier” not to mention that once again, Palestinan Land has been confiscated to build parts of the barrier.
“(Israeli removal of all settlements from Gaza has not resulted in peace.)”
Maybe the fact that Gaza is maintained like the Warsaw Ghetto has something to do with the lack of “peace.”
“this seems to be Obama’s approach to the Iranian problem, only with Iran, he believes that they will give up their nuclear program if America will just negotiate with them to reach an agreement to let them have the nuclear weapons.”
Oh please, Obama never said that “just talking” to the Iranians would take care of their Nuclear Ambitions, but talking first (yes even without pre-conditions) is certainly better than threatening them with the “Obliterate” button ala Clinton and McCain. Cold War Era Politics are simply not working any longer…the fact is that going into Iraq has emboldened Iran and weakened our “friend” Israel. BTW, Ronald Reagan actually did speak privately to Gorbachov before Communism imploded (they corrosponded with Letters.) Reagan knew that you could catch a fly or 2 with Honey instead of vinegar. Need more proof that “talking” can make a positive change? Look at the Bush Administration’s success with North Korea this past week; diplomacy should always be the first line of defense..(someone needs to wake McCain up to this fact before he bomb,bomb,bombs Iran.)
Obama would rather keep Iran from going Nuclear and diplomacy is on the table, but military action, he has made clear, will always be an option, In short, Obama promises to “speak softly but carry a BIG stick.”
Personally I’m an American Firster who actually doesn’t give a rat’s patoot about protecting Israel, especially at the cost of American lives, that said, I believe that Obama meant what he said at AIPAC: he will continue the strong relationship between the US and Israel that Harry Truman got rolling 60 years ago (a mistake, IMO, but I digress.)
Why elect Obama Messiah? Just elect George Soros, he is the mastermind. Obama is surrounded by Soros’ associates. We do not need a proxy. Elect Soros instead!
Obama’s election and his policies may actually be a wakeup call for the Europeans, the Israelis, and even the Arabs, who will no longer be able to rely upon the U.S. as a shield/supporter against the bad guys like Iran. The result could be a stronge Europe militarily, an Israel that finally does what it must do to the Palestinian Arabs to stop their aggression against Israel, and the Arab states may actually decide to cooperate with Israel against Iran and Syria. This may be the great plan from above as there is no way we should even be taking aboout a lightweight nothing like Obama as a serious candidate for President.
WILD WITH FEAR….. That’s what you people are… Has any of you brilliant people read his book ‘Audacity of Hope”? I bet not,,, as a Christian he knows that he is just GRAFTED IN to the chosen people of Israel and God has special plans for His people…. And in the Bible it does state.. Those that bless Israel will be blessed, and those that curse Israel will be cursed… If you don’t believe me, just look at history and the countries and civilizations that have been destroyed for hurting Israel…
Obama is not out to hurt Israel… and, by the way, if you didn’t know it,
HE IS NOT A MUSLIM………..
Now that Obama has finally been elected as President, there has not been the slightest hint of animosity nor hatred for the Jewish people nor of the ‘questionable’ existence of the State of Israel as yet. Infact neither has there been any passion shown for the Palestinians except for the reminder of the fact that Palestinians first have to accept their responsibilities towards implementing the Road Map by first recognising the existence of the State of Israel … and then also accepting all past agreements before a Palestinian State could be achieved. Indeed, for the time being anyway Obama sounds ‘fair play’ all round and whether it is only ‘the Beginning’ is a question that might be answered in the not too distant future. By the same token people do change sometimes and who may know if his visit to Israel last summer and the insight he may have gained during that experience of visiting the Holocaust Museum and the different historical sites may have had some new influences on his until then, rather one-sided approach? We shall soon see ……