Like two surly dinner guests who won\’t let an argument go, President Bush and Sen. John Kerry won\’t get off topic when they take their case to U.S. Jews: It\’s all Israel all the time.
A cold fear is blowing through south Florida\’s strip malls, wilted palms and retirement homes — fear of another agonizingly close election fraught with charges and countercharges of vote theft.
Call it the tale of two Mellmans.
Mark Mellman, one of John Kerry\’s top four advisers, launched a talk with Jewish Democrats in Boston last month with a drasha (short sermon) on the meaning of Tisha B\’Av, the Jewish fast day that happened to fall during the party convention. Then, with nary a comment from the crowd, Mellman glided into the case for the Massachusetts senator.
Contrast that with the introduction this Sunday for Bush-Cheney campaign manager Ken Mehlman at a similar Jewish event.
\”One of us, Ken Mehlman — let me repeat that, one of us, Ken Mehlman — is running the Bush-Cheney campaign,\” said Morris Offit, a Republican and the president of the New York federation, barely containing his grin as he emphasized Mehlman\’s Jewishness.
\”Evangelical Christians support Israel because according to prophecy, Jews have to be in Israel in order for the apocalypse to happen, and the messiah and all that stuff,\” Al Franken said.
\”And when that happens, of course, Jews will all burn in hell,\” he said. \”And so I think at that point the coalition will break up.\”
Republicans promise that a substantive, tough party platform this year will present Jewish voters with a sharp contrast from the relatively scrawny Democratic document — but they may find that delving into details could prove devilish.
The Bush campaign is emphasizing its adherence to old-fashioned platform-writing techniques, going into particulars, yet leaving open an element of surprise by allowing a platform committee to hash through the proposed document on the eve of the convention next week.
Rep. Porter Goss\’ distance from Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking was likely a plus in securing the nomination to lead the CIA.
In fact, Goss (R- Fla.), President Bush\’s choice to succeed George Tenet as intelligence director, is about as far from the CIA\’s peacemaking efforts in the Middle East as Tenet was close to it.
Israeli officials are elated at the tough language in a resolution passed last week by the board of the U.N. nuclear watchdog rebuking Iran for not cooperating with nuclear inspectors.
Questioning the support Israel\’s official policy at May 15-18 annual conference of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).
A Kerry administration would avoid the pressure other presidents have used to nudge Israel in peace negotiations, and would consult closely with the Jewish state before launching any new Mideast peace initiative.
Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, outlined his approach to Middle East peacemaking in an interview with JTA on Monday, the same day he launched his campaign to win Jewish votes with a major policy speech to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).
Ariel Sharon is already reaping political dividends from last week\’s historic exchange of letters with President Bush, but the U.S. president\’s payoff depends a great deal on what Israel does next.
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