http://blogs.jta.org/ENTRY_PERMALINK_HERE/political-tidbits-a-west-bank-rabbi-for-obama/ A George Mason University professor and rabbi has news of a West Bank, pro-settlement rabbi for Obama. Rabbi Menachem Frohman, in an open letter to Obama, says his election “will be God’s outstretched hand for peace.” Haaretz’s Shlomo Shamir says Rabbis for Obama is one sign of the increasing influence of rabbis in the Jewish community. After a week talking to people in Israel, the Israel Policy Forum’s M.J. Rosenberg writes on TPMCafe that Israelis are now backing Obama. Caroline Glick, in the Jerusalem Post, says Sarah Palin would have delivered a “remarkable speech” at the anti-Iran rally, but Jewish Democrats prevented it because they value abortion more than Israel. Rush Limbaugh, in an interview with Greta Van Susteren on Fox News, uses the anti-Iran rally fiasco as an example of Democrats not wanting to “unify” on anything – but he gets the facts wrong when he blames the Obama campaign for the disinvitation to Palin. Jennifer Rubin rounds up the negative reactions of some Jewish groups to Palin’s disinvitation. Clyde Haberman in the New York Times on how the annual visit of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad makes “some normally sensible New Yorkers lose their bearings” – and this year it was the Jewish organizations’ turn. Minnesota Democratic Senate candidate Al Franken admits that he did suggest an idea that turned into a Saturday Night Live sketch this past weekend making fun of John McCain’s ads – but didn’t write it and says he didn’t even realize it would turn into a sketch. (By the way, it wasn’t nearly as funny as the Palin-Clinton sketch the previous week.) en-us efingerhut@jta.org Copyright 2008 2008-09-23T;15:34:41-05:00