Ira Forman, head of the National Jewish Democratic Council, thinks it’s irrational and unfair to bring up Barack Obama’s vote on Kyl-Lieberman, his past statements and interactions with Palestinian activists, and presumably his choice of advisors in evaluating Obama’s views on Israel.
As to Kyl-Lieberman, the facts are the facts. On the only available opportunity to vote to classify the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization Obama made his opposition very clear and used it as a pretext to attack Hillary Clinton. If he wants to change views now that’s his prerogative. But it seems odd not to “count” that vote.
As to the “guilt by association” defense, it is a convenient slogan to deflect responsibility for a troubling record. But what a candidate has said, his failure to object to anti-Israel slurs, his toleration and celebration of hate-mongers like Reverend Wright, and his choice of advisors (from whom Obama has at times tried to distance himself ) are entirely relevant to figuring out who a candidate is, what he thinks, and how he might act. That seems particularly true when a candidate’s record is so thin and his national security record so slight.
But I do understand why defenders of Obama would want to rule out all these considerations. Nevertheless, it doesn’t mean voters should. One final point: Forman seems to think that I am accusing voters of being uninformed or dupes. To the contrary, it is Obama who accuses Jews of being snookered by viral emails and being cowed by his middle name. I am the one who has suggested that Jews and other voters are highly informed about and concerned about the details of Obama’s comments, positions, and affiliations regarding Israel and that he would do well to confront these issues head on. But the Obama camp appears increasingly unwilling or unable to respond to these concerns.
So once again, they seem to have settled on the strategy of attempting to de-legitimize those concerns or disparage those who raise them. Whether that tactic works remains to be seen.
