JTA: The Global News Service of the Jewish People

Obama adviser: McCain is lying about embassy move

By Eric Fingerhut · August 24, 2008

A top Jewish adviser to Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) said Sunday that Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) is "100 percent disingenous" when he says he will move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem on "day one" of his presidency.

"The U.S. Jewish community should not be lied to, and told disingenous stories, about where the embassy will be at what day and time," said Eric Lynn, the Obama campaign's national Jewish vote director, on Sunday at the first meeting of the Obama campaign's Colorado Jewish Community Leadership Committee at a hotel in Denver. "All of us heard Governor Bush made similar promises." Bush did make the same pledge during his 2000 campaign, but has signed a waiver every six months of his presidency deferring the move for national security reasons, a move permitted under a 1995 law requiring the move.

"Senator Obama has stated that Jeruslaem is the capital of Israel and as such the U.S. Embassy shall be there," said Lynn, but "he will not make promises that will not be kept." The statement was in response to a question about Obama's position on the site of the embassy.

More than 200 people heard Lynn talk about the presumptive Democratic nominee's trip to Israel, as well as Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) discuss why Obama is the best presidential choice for the Jewish community.

0 Comments | Share This | barack obama, Democratic convention, John McCain |

Noshing in Denver

By Eric Fingerhut · August 24, 2008

They didn't get a chance to sample the corned beef sandwiches, but more than a couple hundred people, Jews and non-Jews, came out to Zaidy's Deli in Denver Sunday afternoon for a "Nosh and Shmooze." That was what Democratic National Committee vice chair Susan Turnbull called the welcome party she hosted for her friends from her home state of Maryland and from around the country. Among those noshing on cheese, crackers, brownies, lemon bars and other desserts were Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), American Jewish Congress president Richard Gordon and American Israel Public Affairs Committee chairman of the board Howard Friedman.

Turnbull noted that when she first talking about hosting the event last winter, some of her colleagues didn't know what a "nosh" was. So her invitations to the event provided definitions for both "nosh" (to snack) and "shmooze" (to stand around and talk). And Turnbull pointed out that's what everyone did.

0 Comments | Share This | Democratic convention |