I do not expect to convince you but I do hope that you will respect my opinion and experience.
For those who say that John Kerry would be just as good as George Bush on the issue of Israel let me cite an article from The New York Sun dated August 4 2004:
In a speech he made last December at the Council on Foreign Relations Mr. Kerry said he would consider sending Mr. Carter or Mr. Baker as his personal envoy to make peace between Israel and the Palestinian Arabs. Both men are associated with using America’s special relationship with Israel to pressure the nation into untenable concessions.
The article went on Mr. Levine told The Sun yesterday that Mr. Kerry instantly regretted making those comments. ‘The truth on the envoy issue is that his staff got out ahead of him and released a statement he had not seen; when he saw it he was extremely upset about it and it did not reflect his views. Rather than withdraw at that moment he allowed it to stay in the speech. He regretted it before he said it but made the decision that taking it out of the speech at that time would call more attention than leaving it in. He has subsequently made abundantly and repeatedly clear he would not appoint an envoy that does not have the trust of both sides.’
Does anyone seriously believe that Kerry saw the offending reference for the first time when he delivered that major speech? A major speech on foreign policy would have been vetted and practiced by the candidate and his advisers a dozen times before delivery. Does anyone believe that if he disagreed with a statement in that speech he would not have deleted it? Does anyone believe that while disagreeing with the statement he delivered it anyway thinking there would be less damage than if he removed it?
I found it both interesting and disturbing that Kerry omitted any reference to Israel during his acceptance speech at the Democratic Convention. To his credit vice presidential candidate John Edwards did think it important to mention the need to protect the security of the State of Israel.
I am convinced that President Bush will never trade Israel’s special relationship with the U.S. for political support be it domestic or international. I doubt that John Kerry and the ‘Deaniacs’ who now embrace him would have the same resolve.
I am appalled at the refusal of so many in the Jewish community particularly in New York City to support the president’s reelection. I know them well. When I was mayor receiving 75 and 78 percent of the vote in my second and third reelections I did better with Catholics than I did with Jews. The exit poll numbers in one of those elections showed that 81 percent of the Irish and Italians (Catholics) voted for me while only 73 percent of the Jews did.
I always cited those numbers to reporters and editorial board writers with a laugh but like Taddeo the clown of the opera Pagliacci that laugh masked a lot of pain. I was not sufficiently liberal for the so-called Upper West Side Jews.
We Jews know there has never been a president of the United States as supportive of the Jewish community and its overwhelming concern – the security of the State of Israel – as George W. Bush. Nevertheless the Jewish community which should be supporting his reelection has not and it appears at the moment will not to the extent he deserves. Jews are expected to vote overwhelmingly for John Kerry.
