Race ends with GOP slamming Obama on Israel http://jta.org/ENTRY_PERMALINK_HERE/race-ends-with-gop-slamming-obama-on-israel/ As the presidential race came to a close, the McCain campaign ratcheted up its efforts to paint Barack Obama as a threat to Israel. en-us efingerhut@jta.org Copyright 2008 2008-11-04T;17:00:11-05:00 Comment by Alan Jay Weisbard alan.weisbard@gmail.com Jews should denounce this latest slur on both Sen. Obama and Prof. Khalidi. One does not need to agree with all of Khalidi’s views to recognize that any sustainable settlement between Israelis and Palestinians will require the support--and perhaps the participation--of thoughtful Palestinian moderates. Prof. Khalidi has shown courage and foresight in his denunciations of Palestinian violence against civilians and corruption. It is a good thing that Sen. Obama is open to talks with persons of diverse views on contentious and difficult issues. The gross pandering of McCain and Palin on issues like this should be a source of embarrassment to the Jewish community. Do thhey really think we are that shallow, and that stupid?--The Wise Bard Jews should denounce this latest slur on both Sen. Obama and Prof. Khalidi. One does not need to agree with all of Khalidi’s views to recognize that any sustainable settlement between Israelis and Palestinians will require the support--and perhaps the participation--of thoughtful Palestinian moderates. Prof. Khalidi has shown courage and foresight in his denunciations of Palestinian violence against civilians and corruption. It is a good thing that Sen. Obama is open to talks with persons of diverse views on contentious and difficult issues. The gross pandering of McCain and Palin on issues like this should be a source of embarrassment to the Jewish community. Do thhey really think we are that shallow, and that stupid?--The Wise Bard

]]> 2009-11-08T;12:40:00-05:00 Comment by Donald Weinshank weinshan@cse.msu.edu There is an old American expression which, in its entirety, is too vulgar to post here. Paraphrasing: “He decided to throw everything at the wall to see if any of it stuck.” In this election, Senator McCain not only ran against Senator Obama but against McCain 2000, the decent, centrist, coalition-building politician we then thought him to be. McCain 2008’s ad hominem attacks on Senator Obama are unparalleled in my very long memory of presidential elections. You can no more trust his statements on Obama vis a vis Israel than you can his other erratic, inchoate, self-contradictory pronouncements on a wide variety of topics. The Mishnah teaches us that one should honor a great scholar who, in old age has forgotten his learning, for the man he was. I honor Senator McCain for the man he was but, sadly, not for the man he has become. There is an old American expression which, in its entirety, is too vulgar to post here. Paraphrasing: “He decided to throw everything at the wall to see if any of it stuck.” In this election, Senator McCain not only ran against Senator Obama but against McCain 2000, the decent, centrist, coalition-building politician we then thought him to be.

McCain 2008’s ad hominem attacks on Senator Obama are unparalleled in my very long memory of presidential elections. You can no more trust his statements on Obama vis a vis Israel than you can his other erratic, inchoate, self-contradictory pronouncements on a wide variety of topics.

The Mishnah teaches us that one should honor a great scholar who, in old age has forgotten his learning, for the man he was. I honor Senator McCain for the man he was but, sadly, not for the man he has become.

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