McCain seeks to renew doubts about Obama on Israel and the Obama response

[maddezmom]

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Now, Republican John McCain's campaign is trying to jump on comments that Jackson reportedly made to a New York Post columnist that could renew concerns for Jewish voters, whom Obama has struggled to win over.


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Columnist Amir Taheri reported: "The most important change would occur in the Middle East, where 'decades of putting Israel's interests first' would end. Jackson believes that, although 'Zionists who have controlled American policy for decades' remain strong, they'll lose a great deal of their clout when Barack Obama enters the White House."

The McCain campaign issued a statement today from Randy Scheunemann, the candidate's senior foreign policy adviser:

"According to a prominent Democratic supporter of Barack Obama, the 'Zionists who have controlled American policy for decades' will 'lose a great deal of their clout when Barack Obama enters the White House.' It should not surprise anyone that Obama’s supporters see what others, from the terrorist group Hamas to Iranian President Ahmadinejad, have seen: an Obama presidency would bring real change to America’s policy of support for Israel. Barack Obama has claimed that nobody has suffered more than the Palestinians, praised a former spokesman of a Palestinian terrorist group for reminding him of his own 'blind spots' and 'biases,' and told the New York Times that Hamas and Hezbollah have 'legitimate claims.' Barack Obama expressed support for Jerusalem being the undivided capital of Israel and switched his position 24 hours later in the face of criticism from Palestinians. Barack Obama has said it is a “disgrace” that the United States has not met unconditionally with leaders committed to Israel’s destruction. Now, Barack Obama claims to be a strong supporter of Israel but his supporters -- here and abroad -- know better."

UPDATE: Obama spokeswoman Wendy Morigi responded:

“Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. is not an adviser to the Obama campaign and is therefore in no position to interpret or share Barack Obama's views on Israel and foreign policy. As he has made clear throughout his career and throughout this campaign, Barack Obama has a fundamental commitment to a strong U.S.-Israel relationship, and he is advised by people like Dennis Ross, Daniel Kurtzer, Rep. Robert Wexler, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, and Senator Joe Biden who share that commitment. As President, he will ensure that Israel can defend itself from every threat it faces, stand with Israel in its quest for a secure peace with its neighbors, and use all elements of American power to end Iran’s illicit nuclear program. No false charges can change Barack Obama’s unshakeable commitment to Israel’s security."

more:http://www.boston.com/news/politics/politicalintelligence/2008/10/mccain_seeks_to.html

Obama, Jackson disavow column about Israel
8 minutes ago

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's campaign sharply rejected on Wednesday a conservative columnist's report that civil rights leader Jesse Jackson expects Obama to reduce Israel's clout at the White House.

Jackson himself denounced New York Post columnist Amir Taheri for "selectively imposing his own point of view and distorting mine" in the column that appeared Tuesday.

The column said Jackson predicted to a policy forum in France last week that "decades of putting Israel's interests first" would end and added in an interview that Zionists would lose a great deal of their clout if Obama is elected.

Obama's national security spokeswoman Wendy Morigi said the column presented "vague quotes — recorded by a columnist it (the campaign) considers hostile in a tabloid newspaper it considers biased against them — from an interview with a man last publicly seen threatening to castrate Sen. Obama."

In July, Jackson apologized for a crude off-air remark he made about Obama in what he thought was a private conversation during a break in taping for a Fox News show. Jackson was reported by Fox to have been saying the Obama appeared to be talking down to blacks in remarks about parental responsibility.

more:http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gxj2BhMmRULxCoPVb4GLLLZIpIWwD93R1LO81