ABC News reported that Reps. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., and Buck McKeon, R-Calif., the chairs of the House Foreign Affairs and House Armed Services Committees, respectively, protested the proposed cut to Israel’s aid, writing to President Obama that they were “deeply concerned that at a time of rising threats to our strongest ally in the Middle East, the administration is requesting record-low support for this vital defense cooperation program.”
The Democratic National Committee’s rebuttal to RJC attacks cites “the bond between the U.S. and Israel. It’s always been beyond politics.” But now, according to ABC News, Washington Republicans are breaking that tradition, launching negative ads which may or may not be solid on facts, but are definitely making an impression on a Jewish vote that used to be almost unanimously in favor of President Obama.
Then there’s the personality clash between Bibi and Obama.
Tevi Troy—a Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute, the former Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, a former liaison to the Jewish community under the Bush administration, and currently an unpaid advisor to the Romney campaign— told JointMedia News Service about “a number of unpleasant dust-ups between the Obama and Netanyahu administrations.” During Netanyahu’s visit to the White House last march, Obama skipped a photo op with Bibi, and did not invite him to dinner. You don’t do this to a visiting dignitary unless you wish to convey that you’re really, really angry at him. And then Obama was overheard blasting Netanyahu loose relationship with the truth, with French President Nicolas Sarkozy actively listening.
“There were a number of these incidents that were not only unpleasant but discomforting to Jewish voters,” Troy said.
