Sharonsj at #38,
“Most Jews I know voted Democrat because they hated the Bush regime.”
You need to tell us how President Bush wronged the Jewish community. I can’t think of a President who was more of a friend to Israel. If one researched candidate Obama’s history and associations one would have been able to predict with great accuracy his tone towards Israel and his policies which are decidedly anti Israel, America’s best ally. What I type next will contain generalizations about the American Jewish community. Let me say in advance that I know there are exceptions who are unfortunately in the minority.
If you care about the survival and prosperity of Israel voting for candidate Obama because of hatred for Bush is illogical. Bush’s term was up. I wonder at times if American Jews have a death wish for Israel. Israel is a tiny democratic country surrounded by enemies. It is by far the most pro western and pro American country in the middle east. It’s cultural and religous ties to the US Jewish community and Americans in general are profoundly intertwined. Republican presidents have unfailingly shown support for Israel. Saddam Hussien was paying for suicide bombers to attack Israel and President Bush ended that. Yet American Jews overwhelmingly hate Republicans and President Bush. This makes no sense to me.
It is ironic that Israelis have an entirely different attitude. They actually have to live in the world’s most dangerous neighborhood and have a decidedly realistic, nonromantic attitude about friend and foe. They have no trouble identifying which is which. The American Jewish community does not share their clarity of thought. Supporting a candidate who is demonstrably anti Israel means you either don’t care about the welfare of Israel or you are deluded as to the candidate’s true intentions. This confuses me for I believe American Jews care deeply about Israel.
Once again I do not include the 25% of American Jews who voted for McCain in my critisism. I also recognise McCain was a flawed candidate, although not on foriegn policy. It is a fact however, that American Jews who voted for McCain are in the minority. I shake my head at this voting absurdity. It doesn’t change my thoughts about Israel or my respect for Jews and the cultural contributions by them to the history of our world. It does sadden me however.
President Obama is an international relations neophyte, who appears to be deluded by his exagerated belief in his power to heal and fix. He believes that he can ignore history and effect change. He, like Chamberlain before him, is mistaken. He can’t bring us peace in our time by weakening and denigrating Israel. In fact, he is probably prompting Israeli action. He is courting disaster where events could rapidly spin out of his control. Fools rush in where angels fear to tread.
