Morris J. Amitay

Column for June, 2008

 McCain for America – and Israel

Before I explain why I am supporting John McCain for President – while I must admit my track record in presidential winners has been spotty – I have always used the same criteria in my selections.  As a patriotic Jewish American, I care deeply both about Israel’s well-being and security and that of our own country

I have sought to keep tabs on all the candidates, their statements, records, advisers and prominent supporters as they affect our national security.  I wanted to be able to determine who would serve our country’s and Israel’s interests best at a time when we face the unprecedented challenge of Islamic extremists employing terrorist tactics.  Right now, with both parties’ presumptive nominees identified, the choice for the pro-Israel community is clear - McCain is the one.  I only wish my conclusion was shared by more of my coreligionists, a strong majority of whom invariably support Democratic candidates, more out of habit than conviction, and who, unfortunately, fail to appreciate the growing menace of Islamic extremism both to the United States and to Israel.

For too many Jewish Americans, ensuring our own safety and security and Israel’s appears to be a lower priority than certain domestic issues, such as preserving abortion rights.  Such a disappointing view was expressed by a retired septuagenarian in Florida who told me recently with all sincerity, that for him, the next president’s Supreme Court appointments are the most crucial determinant of his vote.  Can this really be more important than the future security of his grandchildren, or does he think that jihadist threats are less serious than the “menace” of a new justice who might have a different view on a domestic issue?  This baffling ordering of priorities would perhaps have more validity if John McCain had made the abortion issue a prominent feature of his entire public life, rather than his prime concern, national security.  Why do so many Jews with memories of the Holocaust still fresh consider the bloodcurdling statements by Islamic extremists as mere rhetoric, while at the same time taking at face value Obama’s calls for “change we can believe in” and nonsensical slogans such as “we are the ones we’ve been waiting for”? 

There is also the belief shared by some in the Jewish community here that Israel’s and the United States’ current unpopularity in the world is entirely a result of both countries’ actions, thereby demonstrating an “it’s all our fault” mentality.  A few years ago a prominent liberal Jewish U.S. Senator told then PM Sharon in a private meeting that the reason for growing anti-Semitism was because of Israel’s own actions.  Then there are some Jewish Americans, in their often frantic attempts to burnish their liberal credentials, who subscribe to the “both sides are to blame” explanation of international conflicts.  Purveyors of this theory conclude that the way to deal with sworn enemies is to demonstrate heartfelt concern for their “legitimate grievances”, which will then lead to peaceful relations.

I have absolutely no problem with those who pursue their liberal causes – I was an aide to both a liberal Democratic Representative and a liberal Democratic Senator.  I can truly claim that “some of my best friends” are Democrats!  However, I have to admit that now most of them are of the centrist, Joe Lieberman, “Scoop” Jackson variety, rather than the Michael Moore, Dennis Kucinich, far-left “progressive” types enamored with Obama.  Lieberman, now an Independent Democrat, who has enthusiastically endorsed John McCain for President, recently wrote “I have worked with Sen. McCain on just about every national security issue over the past twenty years…I have seen Sen. McCain time and time again, rise above the negativism and pettiness of our politics to get things done for the country he loves so much.”  Contrast this with the shallow background and thin resume of McCain’s opponent.  Because he somehow transcends race, it is assumed Obama will transcend everything else – divisions of region, class, party, generation, and ideology, his record in the Senate to date to the contrary. 

Obama’s quest is also being compared by an adoring media to JFK’s candidacy.  It has been pointed out, however, that it is not Obama, but actually John McCain who, like Kennedy, was commissioned as a naval officer, awarded the Purple Heart, and was decorated for helping his comrades.  And McCain, like JFK, has pledged to fight for freedom around the world, and not to retreat from our enemies.

There are many in the U.S. Congress whose Israel-related voting records are excellent, and Barack Obama in his brief four years in the Senate is among them.  But some of these senators appear unwilling to confront the growing menace Islamofacism poses to America’s vital interests in the Middle East and to Israel’s survival.  During the past year there has been only one Presidential candidate who before all kinds of audiences has repeatedly emphasized that “the transcendent challenge we face today is the menace of Islamic extremism.”  This, of course, has been John McCain.  And that is why in the coming election on November 4 he offers a clear choice to voters who share his concern for America and its friends’ survival.  McCain’s “straight talk” is surely not, as some claim it to be, merely fear or war “mongering”, but it is facing up to the reality of today’s world.  John McCain does not suffer from the moral equivalence syndrome of the U.S. State Department, and the liberal media exemplified by the New York Times.

One can respect Barack Obama for his ambition, his meteoric rise, and the rhetorical skills he displayed recently at AIPAC’s Policy Conference.  But to little surprise he almost immediately backtracked from his remarks on Jerusalem.  This is eerily similar to his “explanation” of his previous assent to unconditional talks with Iran’s Ahmadinejad and his about face on public financing of presidential campaigns.  Also worrisome is the unremarkable, but ultra-liberal, voting record he has compiled during his short time in the U.S. Senate, earning him the distinction of being the “most liberal” Senator among all his colleagues, at the same time he claims to be a “unifier”.  In this regard many centrist Democrats were disappointed by Obama’s failure to join in the highly effective bipartisan Senate initiative regarding judicial appointments known as the “gang of 14”.  If his actual record on “bringing people together” is so meager, his national security resume is even thinner.  This means he will have to rely more heavily on his advisers.  Here it can really get scary, given both the backgrounds of several of those who have counseled him to date, and the endorsements he has received from a growing list of Israel bashers.  It is not difficult to determine whose advice he will rely upon and to whom he will owe his political allegiance in the future – his AIPAC speech notwithstanding

If one believes we live today in a very dangerous world with unprecedented challenges, the choice before the American people and the Jewish community should really be a no-brainer.  There are so many critical issues our next President will have to face on that much bullyhooed “day one” – Iran, Iraq, Russia, North Korea, Afghanistan, China, global terrorism, Middle East oil – and, almost incidentally, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Given the two candidates’ records, experience and core values, the choice for the pro-Israel community and the American people as a whole should be a real “slam dunk” – John McCain for President.

Morrie Amitay, a Washington attorney, is a former Executive Director of AIPAC and founder of the pro-Israel Washington PAC (www.washingtonpac.com).