Jewish Americans cannot afford to make the wrong decision on Tuesday, November 4th, 2008. Many of our ancestors ignored the warning signs in the 1930s and 1940s and made a tragic mistake. Let’s not make a similar one this year!

Paid for by the Republican Federal Committee of PA – Victory 2008.

Denouncing the email, McCain spokesman Peter Feldman said that

McCain ”rejects politics that degrade our civics.”

Degrades our civics? Actually, trying to capitalize on the murder of six million innocent people doesn’t degrade “civics,” it degrades, demeans, and insults the dead.

This one comes with a little controversy: several of the current officials featured in the video say they were misled about the purpose of the film.  Some say that that they praised both Obama and McCain and their positive words about McCain were left out.  The main complaint is that they had no intention of interfering in an American election, just as they wouldn’t want any country interfering in Israel’s internal politics.

The complaint seems legitimate to me, particularly from current members of the Knesset. But that does not diminish the positive effect this video and others can have on Jewish voters.  After all, a majority of Israelis prefer Obama over McCain and this is just graphic proof of that.

As always, please forward to the cockers in Florida and your cousin the doctor in Cleveland.

Palin’s recent interviews with Charles Gibson, Sean Hannity, and now Katie Couric have all revealed an attractive, earnest, confident candidate. Who Is Clearly Out Of Her League.

No one hates saying that more than I do. Like so many women, I’ve been pulling for Palin, wishing her the best, hoping she will perform brilliantly. I’ve also noticed that I watch her interviews with the held breath of an anxious parent, my finger poised over the mute button in case it gets too painful. Unfortunately, it often does. My cringe reflex is exhausted.

Palin filibusters. She repeats words, filling space with deadwood. Cut the verbiage and there’s not much content there. Here’s but one example of many from her interview with Hannity: “Well, there is a danger in allowing some obsessive partisanship to get into the issue that we’re talking about today. And that’s something that John McCain, too, his track record, proving that he can work both sides of the aisle, he can surpass the partisanship that must be surpassed to deal with an issue like this.”

When Couric pointed to polls showing that the financial crisis had boosted Obama’s numbers, Palin blustered wordily: “I’m not looking at poll numbers. What I think Americans at the end of the day are going to be able to go back and look at track records and see who’s more apt to be talking about solutions and wishing for and hoping for solutions for some opportunity to change, and who’s actually done it?”

If BS were currency, Palin could bail out Wall Street herself.

That’s not me talking, it’s conservative columnist Kathleen Parker writing in the National Review today.

And with that, here’s the full Palin-Couric exchange. Behold the outcome of thirty full days of preparation and study:

Palin’s comments put her in direct conflict with just about everybody in Israel.  Anyone who’s spent any time there (and I have) knows that Israelis are rarely of a single mind on any issue, particularly ones dealing with security.  Two Jews, three opinions, Israelis like to say. 

Shortly after her selection, I noted the presence of an Israeli flag in her office:

Yesterday at the UN, she told Israeli President Shimon Peres about that flag.  As an unapologetic supporter of Israel, I don’t find this particularly reassuring.  

Palin’s “support” for Israel isn’t about security or democracy and it most certainly isn’t about peace.  It’s about advocating a religiously-motivated, militaristic, and uncompromising view of the Middle East. This is from the conservative Washington Times:

Sarah Palin displays an Israeli flag in her governor’s office in Juneau, even though she has never been to the country, and attends Protestant evangelical churches that consider the preservation of the state of Israel a biblical imperative.

Nothing wrong with that.  Israel’s continued existence shouldn’t be controversial, but in some quarters it is.  Palin’s brand of Evangelicalism, however, teaches very speicfic understanding of the meaning of “perservation of Israel.”  Here’s how one prominent Evangelical leader describes it:

[Pastor John] Hagee calls it “biblical advocacy,” an idea that has attracted prominent Evangelicals like Gary Bauer and Jerry Falwell to join Hagee. A “biblical advocate” for Israel believes the borders of the country were set by God and should not be altered. It’s a view at odds with the majority of Israelis who are prepared to trade land for peace, but, Hagee promises, the group won’t intervene in internal Israeli politics. 

The documentary Jesus Camp told the stories of Americans who share Palin’s views.  One family homeschooled its children, was, like Palin, radically conservative, revered George W. Bush, and believed Jesus’ return was imminent.  Every morning, family members gathered around the breakfast table and said the Christian Pledge of Allegiance.  In addition to the American and Christian flags, guess what that family waived:

Because of internal political and religious pressures, Israelis and Palestinians simply can’t make peace on their own.  Both sides need the US to bring its prestige, power and influence to bear to provide the cover each needs to make the kinds of historic, emotionally charged compromises required to make lasting peace. The “support” that Sarah Palin would offer to Israel as president or vice president is the kind that virtually guarantees that generations of Israeli — not Alaskan — children will remain locked in conflict because of a biblical worldview that they don’t share. 

Palin is no terrorist, but she shares something disturbing in common with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.  Despite the fact that, officially at least, the Palestinians have already recognized the Jewish state, and regardless of what kind of comprehensive deal they conclude with Israel,  Iran will “never recognize Israel.” Many Iranians refer to this as the more Palestinian than the Palestinians policy.  And that’s the mirror image of what Palin proposes. 

Barack Obama, by contrast, promises “not to waste a minute” getting the parties to the table to restart negotiations. If negotiations succeed, the Jewish state will, for the first time in thousands of years, have defined, recognized borders which protect its democratic, Jewish character. That’s security. 

My, that sounds familiar.

Whacked out extremists really do come in threes, don’t they?

The McCain campaign still isn’t allowing her to answer any press questions, of course.  Why would they do something like that? The press is liberal and out to get her.  It is not — repeat not — because the campaign is afraid she’ll come off sounding like an ignoramus, causing thousands or perhaps millions of voters to abandon McCain. That’s definitely not the reason.

Here we see Governor Palin fully comprehending what Afghan President Hamid Karzai is talking about.

“Interesting,” Karzai is probably saying. “If I stand on my tip-toes and look over Turkmenistan, I can almost see Russia from my country too.”

UPDATE:

Imagine how proud you’ll be when this is your president, simultaniously chatting with Hamid Karzai and studiously avoiding looking at the cameras, lest she invite someone to ask her a question.

Oh and by the way, the American economy is cratering.

I see.  Facts are hostages and the McCain campaign will distort them in whatever way it sees fit until it gets its way.  I’m sure the rest of the world will be relieved when President McCain behaves this way toward Russia.  Oh, what am I saying?  John McCain voted with George Bush 90% of the time.  Screw the rest of the world. 

Change!