Just a Thought
June 13, 2008
By Jonah Rosenblum
And now begins a new series of articles, which will be entitled “Just a Thought,” where I will throw a thought out there about politics, and hope it doesn’t fall too hard.
In his most recent speech before AIPAC, Senator and Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama told the crowd that the bond between Israel and the United States is and must remain “unbreakable.” Never mind that this completely violates George Washington’s warning about making tight political connections with other nations, since we abandoned that principle long ago. My question is what does it mean to have an “unbreakable bond”?
Today, I am calling on our presidential candidates, Senators John McCain and Barack Obama, to actually address what it means to be allied with Israel. Every election cycle, the presidential candidates assert their support for Israel over and over again, in an attempt to win over the Jewish vote. Yet, this election, as fanciful as this may be, I’d like to see them do more than just pay lip service to Israel. This year, I’d like to see them explain what they believe is actually in Israel’s best interest. I’d like to see them talk about Hamas, the settlements, and Annapolis. In other words, I’d like to see them focus on the actual issues.
And I would like them to bear in mind that being Israel’s best friend might be more complex than simply standing by and saying yes to everything Israel chooses to do.
