JTA: The Global News Service of the Jewish People

Sarah, Laura wants you on the phone.

By Ron Kampeas · September 3, 2008

Dr. Laura Schlesinger frets over the example a Vice President Sarah Palin would set balancing five kids and state craft:

"When Mom and Dad both work full-time (no matter how many folks get involved with the children), it becomes a somewhat chaotic situation. Certainly, if a child becomes ill and is rushed to the hospital, and you're on the hotline with both Israel and Iran as nuclear tempers are flaring, where's your attention going to be? Where should your attention be? Well, once you put your hand on the Bible and make that oath, your attention has to be with the government of the United States of America."

Hat tip: Andrew Sullivan via Marc Ambinder

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NJDC head: This will not be remembered as Lieberman’s “finest hour”

By Eric Fingerhut · September 3, 2008

A top Jewish Democrat says Sen. Joe Lieberman's message of bipartisanship Tuesday night at the Republican National Convention is undermined by the fact that Republicans were too partisan to put him on the John McCain ticket.

National Jewish Democratic Council executive director Ira Forman – who hadn't said much since the man who was once the most famous Jewish Democrat in America decided to speak at the Republican National Convention – also said in an interview with JTA Wednesday that "we'll look back and say this isn't [Joe Lieberman's] finest hour."

Forman was particularly bothered that Lieberman picked out one vote Barack Obama had made in Congress and charged that the Democratic presidential nominee was "voting against funding for our troops in the battlefield," noting that Lieberman had promised not to attack Obama but only talk about why he supported McCain.

"It goes against the persona we thought him to be," said Forman.

"Most jarring" to Forman was that Lieberman's speech was based on reaching across the aisle, and yet media reports indicate that McCain's desire to reach across the aisle and pick Lieberman as vice president was prevented by fears that Republicans would revolt.

Forman also was surprised that Lieberman was able to praise Palin's thin record as a "reformer and leader" while at the same time putting down Obama's lack of experience – calling them "the words that must have stuck most in his throat."

Forman said he doubted that Lieberman's convention endorsement of McCain would have much of an impact on Jewish voters because it will be "overwhelmed by the Sarah Palin tidal wave" of attention.

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Biden on the line: Israel needs to decide on Iran, AIPAC does not represent the entire Jewish commun

By Ami Eden · September 3, 2008

Joe Biden had a 20-minute conference call with members of the Jewish media today.

Among other things, when asked about a possible Israeli attack against Iran, he said: "This is not a question for us to tell the Israelis what they can and cannot do. ... I have faith in the democracy of Israel." His overall argument was that on a host of issues – from Israeli-Palestinian talks to Syria to Iran – the Bush administration should have done a better job diplomatically and should have been more respectful of Israel's autonomy.

But the spiciest moment came when JTA's Ron Kampeas asked him about the Republican Jewish Coalition's efforts to highlight times when he broke with AIPAC on specific issues. "AIPAC does not speak for the entire American Jewish community," Biden said. "There's other organizations as strong and as consequential." Biden quickly added that his disagreements with AIPAC are always tactical, never about the big picture. Still, it's not the boilerplate stuff that you usually get from senators when you ask about the pro-Israel lobby.

Listen to the snippet about AIPAC:

[audio:/images/archive/aipacbiden.mp3]

Here's the full call:

[audio:/images/archive/biden.mp3] Audio sound funny? Upgrade your Flash player.

To subscribe to JTA's Behind the News podcast, click here.

UPDATE: AIPAC spokesman Josh Block called in this response to our blog post: "Joe Biden is a strong supporter of the U.S.-Israel relationship; he has been a staunch supporter of U.S. aid to Israel; he is a leader in the fight against Palestinian terrorism, and is a vocal advocate of the special relationship between the two democracies. We look forward to continuing to work with him in the Senate or in the White House."

UPDATE II: It's worth noting that the right-leaning Jewish groups most critical of the Obama campaign are themselves quite willing to break ranks with AIPAC and challenge the notion that it in someway speaks for the Jewish community as a whole (the Zionist Organization of America, for example). And to the hard-working press release writers at the RJC, before you fire one off here ... wasn't it one of your major backers – Sheldon Adelson – who publicly rebuked AIPAC last year for joining Israel in lobbying for U.S. aid to the Palestinian Authority?

UPDATE III: And now Obama campaign spokeswoman Wendy Morigi: "Barack Obama and Joe Biden have both enjoyed close and effective cooperation with AIPAC over many years, grounded in their respect for its important mission to support Israel's security and a strong U.S.-Israel relationship. That is a mission they share, and they look forward to continuing to work closely with AIPAC on their common goals."

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Family first

By Uriel Heilman · September 3, 2008

For all the talk about how Israeli political campaigns are becoming more like American ones, the brouhaha surrounding McCain's selection of Sarah Palin as VP demonstrates the vast gulf that still separates Israeli and American campaigns, The Jerusalem Post's Calev Ben-David reminds us.

The families of Israeli politicians are generally viewed as relevant by the mainstream press and public only when they are perceived as having an influence on their relative's politics - as is the case with Judy Nir-Moses Shalom, Sarah Netanyahu or Omri Sharon.

While a supportive family can certainly be an asset for a public figure here - and a family member deemed problematic a drawback - in Israel there is nowhere near the emphasis given this aspect of a politician's background as one finds in the US...

When did Yitzhak Rabin ever speak to audiences about the huge impact his Labor Zionist-activist mother had on his life, or Netanyahu about the ideological influence of his renowned academic father, unless directly asked about it? While it's a natural human tendency to draw conclusions about a person by seeing how their children turned out, the world is a complicated place, and parental influence is just one factor in it...

Bristol Palin's pregnancy should be a private matter - but it certainly becomes harder to keep it so when her mother brings her up on stage while being introduced as the new Republican vice presidential candidate and then talks to the entire US about the importance of family in her life.

It is inconceivable, in contrast, to imagine Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni doing anything remotely similar in own her campaign to attain the Kadima leadership. In fact, most Israelis would be hard pressed to even be able to identify Livni's children.

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Political tidbits: Palin meets with AIPAC leaders, Michelle Obama’s cousin is a rabbi

By Ami Eden · September 3, 2008

• Sarah Palin meets with AIPAC leaders.
• Ynet reports on an Israeli filmmaker in L.A. who is mesmerized by McCain's Veep pick.
• Calev Ben-David compares the Olmerts and the Palins, and ponders whether the behavior of a politician's children ever relevant to voters in assessing the character of a candidate.
• Jerusalem Post columnist Elliot Jager wasn't thrilled with the Biden pick, but he's worried about Palin's lack of foreign-policy experience – and hoping that if he wins, McCain, is going to be around long enough to mentor her.
• Pollster Frank Luntz plots strategy with Republicans in the Sunshine State. And the GOP gets to work in South Florida, according to the Palm Beach Post.
• Guess whose cousin's a rabbi? Michelle Obama, the Forward reports.

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The rabbi and the pastor

By Ami Eden · September 3, 2008

Eric Fingerhut has an article up about two prayers recited at Barack Obama's big night last week in Denver at the Democratic convention: one by Rabbi David Saperstein, the Reform movement's man in D.C., and another by Pastor John Hunter of Florida:

Barack Obama's big night began with a prayer from a rabbi and ended with one concluding "in Jesus' name." Well, sort of.

A few minutes after the Democratic nominee made his acceptance speech Aug. 28 at Denver's Invesco Field, an evangelical Christian pastor stepped to the microphone and delivered an ecumenical benediction – until he reached the very end.

"I want to interrupt this prayer for a closing instruction," said Joel Hunter of Northwood Church in Longwood, Fla., adding that he wanted it to be a "participatory prayer." So Hunter asked everyone to "close this prayer in the way your faith tradition" would "usually end prayers" – he concluded with the words "in Jesus' name."

Such an ending by itself might be expected to draw some Jewish objections. But at least one rabbi, Jack Moline, at the convention argued that the novel conclusion was a reasonable compromise to the dilemma of how to allow evangelical Christians to stay true to their traditions in public settings while not turning off those of other faiths.

In fact, said Moline, a Conservative rabbi from Agudas Achim Congregation in Alexandria, Va., it was his idea.

Check out the full story for Saperstein's reaction and and the skinny on his speech.

Here are the videos:

UPDATE: Tuesday night it was the GOP's turn to have a rabbi deliver one of the prayers.

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Joe noodges, Bush winks, Sarah smiles

By Ron Kampeas · September 3, 2008

Joe Lieberman wentandunnit and urged his erstwhile party-mates to vote Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) president.

The Connecticut senator, addressing the Republican convention in St. Paul on Tuesday, also brought about the first Clinton applause line at a Republican convention, albeit at the expense of Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), the Democratic nominee:

"Let me contrast Barack Obama's record to the record of the last Democratic president, Bill Clinton, who stood up to some of those same Democratic interest groups, worked with Republicans, and got some important things done like welfare reform, free trade agreements and a balanced budget."

Which is not to say he did not have kind words for Obama – these, however, did not earn the cheers the Clinton mention did:

"Senator Barack Obama is a gifted and eloquent young man who I think can do great things for our country in the years ahead."

Meantime, President Bush delivered his remarks from the White House, ostensibly because he had to manage the hurricane-crisis-that wasn't (but perhaps he was wary of the sort of GOP confab that would applaud Bill Clinton?).

In any case, Bush delivered one of his famous coded messages (remember the bizarre reference to Dred Scott in the 2004 debates? This one was about abortion, too). Ostensibly talking about the McCains' adopted daughter, he launched into a paean to McCain's respect for human life:

"John is a leader who knows that human life is fragile, that human life is precious, that human life must be defended."

Translation: Forget what you once believed about McCain and a woman's right to choose.

Finally, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, McCain's VP pick, reassured AIPAC types about her Israel bona fides.

We hear there's going to be red meat for the pro-Israel crowd in her speech Wednesday night.

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Rabbi Flax quotes Proverbs, endorses McCain

By Eric Fingerhut · September 3, 2008

Rabbi Ira Flax quoted Proverbs, saluted the military and endorsed John McCain in his closing benediction Tuesday night at the Republican National Convention.

The retired Air Force chaplain, now living in Birmingham, Ala., began by noting that "the song 'God Bless America' was introduced to this country 70 years ago, and in those seven decades, Lord you have indeed blessed us in so many ways."

He continued, "We are here in this hall this evening safe and secure because there are men and women willing to serve others [and] they are standing guard against the enemies of freedom and ready to respond to the natural calamities that beset our lot from time to time. We ask you, God, to bless their efforts, bless their families, and bless us too."

Flax also paid tribute to those suffering through Hurricane Gustav: "As our fellow citizens on the gulf coast emerge from the dark night of storm clouds and rain, may the light of God's face shine upon them and bless them with peace."

Finally, he quoted from the Book of Proverbs, Chapter 29:18 in both Hebrew and English.

"B'eyn chazon yipareh am, where there is no vision, the people perish," he said. "In every age God, you have provided people of vision to act decisively in moments of great adversity. Bless this land with prosperity, bless our people with health and our leaders with vision, and God bless John McCain, the next president of the United States."

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JTA VIDEO: Things get started in the Twin Cities

By Ami Eden · September 3, 2008

Ron Kampeas and Eric Fingerhut file their first video report from the GOP convention in the Twin Cities.

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Biden in Florida

By Ami Eden · September 3, 2008

Here's the JTA brief on Biden's swing through South Florida:

Joe Biden reassured older Florida Jews that Barack Obama would be strong on Israel.

Biden, the Democratic nominee for vice president, was introduced by a Holocaust survivor at a speech before several hundred at a retirement community, The Associated Press reported.

"I am chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee," said the longtime U.S. senator from Delaware. "I give you my word as a Biden, I would not have given up that job to be Barack Obama's vice president if I didn't in my gut and in my heart and in my head know that Barack Obama is exactly where I am on Israel. And he is."

Biden also urged his audience to ignore Internet rumors that Obama is secretly a Muslim, calling the rumors "scurrilous."

"By any objective fact, Israel is less secure today in the world than it was eight years ago," Biden said. "I promise you ... we will make it more secure."

The Obama campaign has put significant effort into winning over Jewish voters who could prove to be a key voting bloc in the swing state of Florida.

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