Here is copy of the response I send when I receive an email about the piece in American Thinker. Please read all the way through as there are links and excerpts from pieces from an array of sources discrediting the garbage that is being sent around to various news groups accusing Obama of being Anti-Israel, Anti-Semitic, etc.:
American Thinker is a conservative daily internet publication. There is evidence to support the notion that this publication erves as part of the right wing's echo chamber. Among the media pundits who quote "facts" from American Thinker are such persons as Rush Limbaugh, Michelle Malkin and Michael Savage and also Fox news. Not exactly the most credible bunch in my opinion.
On Obama and Israel and Obama and the Jewish People:
http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0108/Beating_back_the_smears.html January 15, 2008 Jewish leaders fight back on Obama smears
The anonymous anti-Obama e-mail campaign has been particularly viral in Jewish political circles (one of the ones accusing him of being some sort of Manchurian candidate was actually translated into Hebrew), and a broad group of prominent Jewish leaders just put out an open letter pushing back:
Of particular concern, over the past several weeks, many in our community have received hateful e-mails that use falsehood and innuendo to mischaracterize Sen. Barack Obama’s religious beliefs and who he is as a person. These tactics attempt to drive a wedge between our community and a presidential candidate based on despicable and false attacks and innuendo based on religion. We reject these efforts to manipulate members of our community into supporting or opposing candidates.
January 15, 2008
An Open Letter to the Jewish Community:
As leaders of the Jewish community, none of whose organizations will endorse or oppose any candidate for President, we feel compelled to speak out against certain rhetoric and tactics in the current campaign that we find particularly abhorrent. Of particular concern, over the past several weeks, many in our community have received hateful emails that use falsehood and innuendo to mischaracterize Senator Barack Obama’s religious beliefs and who he is as a person.
These tactics attempt to drive a wedge between our community and a presidential candidate based on despicable and false attacks and innuendo based on religion. We reject these efforts to manipulate members of our community into supporting or opposing candidates.
Attempts of this sort to mislead and inflame voters should not be part of our political discourse and should be rebuffed by all who believe in our democracy. Jewish voters, like all voters, should support whichever candidate they believe would make the best president. We urge everyone to make that decision based on the factual records of these candidates, and nothing less.
Sincerely,
William Daroff, Vice President, United Jewish Communities
Nathan J. Diament, Director, Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America
Abraham Foxman, National Director, Anti-Defamation League
Richard S. Gordon, President, American Jewish Congress
David Harris, Executive Director, American Jewish Committee
Rabbi Marvin Hier, Dean, Simon Wiesenthal Center
Rabbi David Saperstein, Director, Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism
Phyllis Snyder, President, National Council of Jewish Women
Hadar Susskind, Washington Director, Jewish Council for Public Affairs
------------------------------------
This is from the Telegraph section of JTA- Global News Service of the Jewish People (below is a small portion of an excellent piece.
http://blogs.jta.org/telegraph/2008/01/28/obama-talks-to-jewish-reporters/For those of you that are not aware and for friends of yours who may ask about where Obama stands on Israel related issues his positions have been made clear in his AIPAC speech which is on the Obama main web page and now his positions on a group of Israel related issues is made clear on the main
Web page :
http://www. barackobama.com under Foreign Policy under Issues where “On Israel” is specifically listed as well as a link to more details on a series of related issues. Please pass this information on to friends who raise the question in the coming weeks leading up to the upcoming primaries. Barack’s support for Israel as one of our strongest allies in the Middle East should be clear to anyone who raises such a question. It is also noteworthy that in a speech to a Black Church in South Carolina Barack spoke out against anti semitism that as occasionally manifested itself in the Black community.He spoke at the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta to mark Martin Luther King Day. He noted that African Americans “have been at the receiving end of man’s inhumanity to man,” then went on to say that the community “has not always been true to King’s vision of a beloved community” and . went on to say “The scourge of anti-Semitism has, at times, revealed itself in our community. Barack has continually spoken out against anti-Semitism. As for the slanderous emails circulating on the web, Several Jewish legislators have spoken out against those emails and confirmed their falsehood.
----------------------------------------------------
From Haaretz (major Israeli newspaper) Obama and the Jewish question
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/949364.htmlFrom Jerusalem Post: Opinion: Obama is not 'bad for Israel' By ALON PINKAS
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull&cid=1200308099552------------------------------------------------------------------
Obama on Israel on 60 Minutes
February 13, 2007
http://www.ou.org/public_affairs/article/10320 ------------------------------------------------------------------
From Rabbi Lerner of Tikkun
Obama is a spiritual progressive. He believes that human beings are equally valuable whether they are white or black, American or Asian or African or European. Apply that to the Middle East and you get policy inclinations very different from those which have been insisted upon by the Israel Lobby, supported by most of the establishment Jewish institutions, and through the power of their organized pressure, have become the dominant policy supported by both parties in rare unanimity
==================================================
Finally, this one from Biden's chief speechwriter (who is Jewish)...
http://elections.jta.org/2008/01/31/bidens-jewish-speechwriter-is-for-obama/ I’m Mathew Littman, and I recently served as Joe Biden’s chief speechwriter. When Senator Biden withdrew from the race, I immediately decided to support Barack Obama, and for a simple reason: foreign policy - and specifically, the security of Israel - is the most important issue for me, and in this regard, Barack Obama is our strongest candidate for President of the United States.
“Our job is to renew the United States’ efforts to help Israel achieve peace with its neighbors while remaining vigilant against those who do not share this vision.. That effort beings with a clear and strong commitment to the security of Israel: our strongest ally in the region and its only established democracy.”
These are the words of Senator Obama, spoken last March at an AIPAC conference in Chicago.
While the Senator’s support for Israel is unquestionable and unwavering, there is a right-wing blogger who is spreading falsehoods about Senator Obama’s record and remarks on Israel.
In an ideal world, such mud slinging would not require a response. But a political campaign does not make for a utopia. Instead, rapid response to injustice is necessary because, well, Mark Twain said it best: “A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.”
In the Internet era, that saying may have to change to, “A lie goes to all the inboxes around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.”
Consequently, when I saw the blogger’s screeds about Senator Obama, I felt compelled to respond. I did wonder, “Who does this blogger support?” It turns out, the blogger is the rare George W. Bush supporter - such a fan that, in the recent past, he urged all Jews to
vote for and support W. I always wondered if I’d meet or hear from one of those 29% of people who still support the President, and folks, we finally found someone who believes George W. is doing a heck of a job.
How does the blogger’s right-wing bias impact his screed?
The blogger criticizes Senator Obama for taking on George W. in regards to Iraq and the United Nations. The blogger points out that Senator Obama favors a gradual withdrawal from Iraq, and that he opposed the nomination of John Bolton as our Ambassador to the United Nations. These positions taken by Senator Obama are two big, big positives for me.
The blogger does not stop at impugning Senator Obama’s record. He also impugns the Senator’s Jewish supporters in the Congress, who, in the opinion of this blogger, support the Senator because, “These Congressmen are well aware that Obama might be the next President-certainly it never hurts to have a friend in the White House.”
Rather than spend all of my time (and yours) responding to the character attacks on Senator Obama and his supporters, allow me to point specifically to the Senator’s record and remarks.
Senator Barack Obama stood up strongly for Israel’s right to defend herself from Hezbollah raids and rocket attacks. Senator Obama insisted that Israel should not be pressured into a ceasefire that did not deal with the threat of Hezbollah missiles.
In the Senator’s own words: “It is important to remember that Israel had unilaterally withdrawn from Lebanon only to have Iran supply Hezbollah with thousands of rockets.. When Israel is attacked, we must stand up for Israel’s legitimate right to defend itself. And in moments like these true allies do not walk away.” The ability to stand up for Israel when many stood up and walked away from her is one reason that I support Senator Obama.
Senator Barack Obama has repeatedly stated his belief that the United States and Israel enjoy a special relationship. In fact, he delivered this message personally to Palestinian students in Ramallah. Senator Obama told them that United States would never - never - distance
itself from Israel. The ability to walk into Ramallah and tell people exactly what they do not want to hear is one of the reasons I admire Senator Obama.
Senator Obama has consistently voted for foreign assistance to Israel. Again, in the Senator’s own words, “we must preserve our total commitment to our unique defense relationship with Israel by fully funding military assistance and continuing work on the Arrow and related missile defense programs. This would help Israel maintain its military edge and deter and repel attacks from as far as Tehran and as close as Gaza.”
Senator Obama has been outspoken in his belief that Iran’s President Ahmadinejad is a danger to the world.
But don’t take it from me. Here is what Senator Obama has said:
“Unfortunately, history has a way of repeating itself. President Ahmadinejad has denied the Holocaust.. We know the Holocaust was a real as the six million who died in mass graves at Buchenwald, or the cattle cars at Dachau or whose ashes clouded the sky at Auschwitz. We
have seen the pictures. We have walked the halls of the Holocaust museum in Washington and Yad Vashem. We have touched the tattoos on loved-ones arms. After 60 years, it is time to deny the deniers.”
Senator Obama went on to say that, “In the 21st century, it is unacceptable that a member state of the United Nations would openly call for the elimination of another member state. But that is exactly what he has done. Neither Israel nor the United States have the luxury of dismissing these outrages as mere rhetoric. It is too dangerous to have nuclear weapons in the hands of a radical theocracy. We should take no option, including military action, off the table.”
Before I became a supporter of Senator Obama, I read his words regarding the existential threat that Iran poses to Israel, and I was comforted to know that his views on Iran comported with mine.
Finally, Senator Obama believes that we must “help Israelis and Palestinians both fulfill their national goals: two states living side by side in peace and security. but in the end, we also know that we should never seek to dictate what is best for the Israelis and their security interests. No Israeli Prime Minister should ever feel dragged to or block from the negotiating table by the United States.”
I was very pleased to know that the Senator believes we cannot demand of Israel, but that we can suggest. I have often been taken aback when an American politician believes he or she can tell Israel what to do.
My friends, these are Senator Barack Obama’s own words, his own votes, and his deeply held beliefs.
There will always be those who seek to knock him down. That’s the world of politics. It is up to us - supporters, and those still undecided - to look at the record for ourselves and determine the truth.
My truth is that Senator Obama is the best candidate for President of the United States, and he is the person in the race most unwavering in his support for Israel.
And so, I am unwavering in my support for him.
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
