We are finding the controversy over Jews and Obama quite baffling.
To prove that Obama is anti-Semitic, folks are pointing to the expressions of some of his supporters (Reverend Jeremiah Wright and Louis Farrakhan) as well as the family lineage and past statements of some members of his foreign policy advisory team such as Merrill McPeak and Robert Malley.
The problem is, cherry picking the relative anti or pro Jewish stance of a candidate's supporters can cut both ways.
For every news article, editorial and blog post that claims to "prove" Obama is anti-Semitic or will govern in a way that harms Israel, there are equal numbers that say the opposite.
What about the fact that Obama's campaign advisor is David Axelrod, a Jew from Chicago who has been with him since his days as a civil rights organizer on the streets of Chicago?
And did you know some of Obama's closest friends are Jews? According to Obama's Chicago neighbor Rabbi Arnold Jacob Wolf:
"Many people remain concerned that Obama isn't committed to Israel. Some want him to fall in line behind the intransigent, conservative thinking that has silenced Jewish debate on Israeli policy and enabled the Bush Administration's criminal neglect of the diplomatic process.And were you aware that leaders of most major Jewish organizations such as the Anti-Defamation League, the Orthodox Union, B'nai B'rith, etc., have come out and said they do not believe Obama is anti-Semitic?
Clearly, though, anyone who thinks Obama waffles on Israel hasn't been paying attention. In 2007, he spoke to AIPAC about "a clear and strong commitment to the security of Israel." Today, his website states clearly that America's "first and incontrovertible commitment in the Middle East must be to the security of Israel."
For my part, I've sometimes found Obama too cautious on Israel. He, like all our politicians, knows he mustn't stray too far from the conventional line, and that can be disappointing. But unlike anyone else on the stump, Obama has also made it clear that he'll broaden the dialogue. He knows what peace entails."
Rather than spending all of our time trying to paint Obama as the candidate whose foreign policy will be harmful to Israel, lets work together and get a democrat elected in November.
As long as Democrats and Progressives are busy bashing Clinton and/or Obama we allow John McCain to sail on to victory. And lest we forget, that really WILL be harmful to Israel.
John McCain is a warmonger. He doesn't know anything other than war. As long as bombs , armies, occupations and threats are the first tools we reach for when building a Middle-East foreign policy program, the more likely we will be to see the real destruction of Israel.
In fact, one of McCain's most ardent supporters -- Reverend Hagee, whose stated desire is to see Israel engage in an apocalyptic nuclear war with Iran -- is calling for that very thing. Watch:
And for the record, there are articles and posts online right now that claim Hillary Clinton is affiliated with anti-Semitic supporters and advisers and that her church is leaning in that direction.
The point is, with the advent of the Internet, we can find an article that supports any view we wish to espouse -- whether positive or negative -- about a particular candidate.
And where does that get us?
John McCain, that's where.
