In an intimate conversation on Aug. 29 with 35 young Iranian American Jewish leaders, Congressman Henry Waxman cautioned against associating support for Israel more with one party than the other. “It shouldn’t be a Republican cause,” the 17-term Democratic congressman said. “Whatever political differences we have as Democrats and Republicans, there should be no difference in our support of the United States-Israel relationship.”
In just over one hour, the chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s talk ranged widely, discussing domestic issues like the economy, the stimulus and the need to reduce the federal deficit. He answered questions about the impact that the Tea Party could have on November’s elections and about the debate about immigration reform.
But since the Brentwood Hills “Power Brunch” was organized by the Iranian American Jewish civic organization 30 Years After, foreign policy issues dominated Waxman’s remarks. He spoke at length about Iran. “It is essential for the United States to play the role of bringing countries together and make sure to stop Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons,” Waxman said. And although he said the option of direct American military intervention was “not off the table,” Waxman hoped it wouldn’t come to that. “We’ve got to do all we can with sanctions and put the squeeze on Iran.”
Returning to the subject of a recent opinion piece in The Jewish Journal, Waxman took pains to make clear the commitment that President Obama has to Israel. “He [Obama] has said he has spent more time with [Israeli Prime Minster Benjamin] Netanyahu than with any other leader,” Waxman said. Obama, Waxman noted, “also has a sense that he is in a unique position to reach out to Muslims,” although he acknowledged that when the president talks tough to Israel, all parties often end up less than satisfied. “Not only were the Israelis unhappy with him,” Waxman said, “the Palestinian Arabs were unhappy with him, too.”
Waxman, “the senior Jewish member in the House of Representatives,” met with Obama in May along with the other Jewish members of Congress. “In 35 years in the House of Representatives,” Waxman said, “no president has ever asked the Jewish members to get together.”
Waxman did not invite the lone Jewish Republican, Rep. Eric Kantor of Virginia, to the meeting, because he and his colleagues wanted to deliver a distinctly Democratic message: “We helped you pass your bills,” Waxman said. “Don’t take us for granted.”
The meeting allowed the lawmakers to tell the president what they were hearing about Israel from their constituents. For Obama, Waxman said, “It was a very uncomfortable meeting.” He encouraged the audience to keep him apprised of their opinions, promising to lobby the president. “Keep pushing me; I’ll push him,” Waxman said.
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