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McCain, a supporter of Israel with a 'Judeophile' brother  

WASHINGTON - A little while after the outbreak of the Second Lebanon War, a group of Israelis visited Senator John McCain in his office, armed with maps. Among them was the IDF military attache, Major General Dan Harel, and ambassador Danny Ayalon. The maps were laid out, a briefing was made, and McCain did not hesitate much at the end to declare the just cause behind the Israeli offensive.  

In one of his speeches during that time, at a fundraiser in a St. Louis golf center, he said: "My dear friends, you have probably seen our European friends say, 'Well, the Israelis have got to stop.' But what would we do if somebody came across our borders and killed our soldiers and captured our soldiers? Do you think we would be exercising total restraint?"  

Here is a subject with which McCain identifies a great deal more with Israel than some of the members of the current U.S. administration - his concern for the Israeli prisoners. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has given some of her interlocutors cause to understand that she believes this to be an obsession which affects Israel's judgment. She may even be right about this - but McCain, a former POW, identifies with this obsession. Whenever Israel needs someone to pick up the telephone on the subject of the prisoners, McCain is ready to help -if he can.  

Israeli captives on the one hand - prisoners in Israeli jails on the other. McCain believes that Israel is the perfect example of how terror suspects should be interrogated, without torture. During one of his meetings with Shaul Mofaz, when the latter was still defense minister, McCain's aides asked for details on this subject.  

At the time the Senator was in the midst of a battle against the forms of interrogation supported by the Bush administration. This is one of the many issues over which McCain upset his Republican colleagues, when he ignored the party line and joined the Democratic legislators. McCain is a man of many sides, many enemies, and many friends.  

An old Washington hand, familiar with all the candidates for the presidency, offered yesterday an interesting way of differentiating between them. Barack Obama is a complete mystery, he said. We cannot tell who his choice of aides will be, and also not necessarily what his policies will be. Hillary Clinton is surrounded by persons that are well known in Israel - and she will bring with her a team that is known, but it is difficult to tell what her policies will be. Clinton is a woman who keeps her cards close.  

McCain is the opposite of Clinton - his policy is open or at least better known, but who will be the persons he will select to fill the posts in his administration are difficult to tell in advance.  

One of the factors contributing to this is the fact that McCain is divided by two worlds. There is the realist McCain, whose friends are Brent Scowcroft, from the Ford and Bush Sr. administration, Henry Kissinger and Senator Chuck Hagel, who was not a fervent supporter of Israeli government policies , and many military and security figures, like Norman Schwartzkopf, former deputy secretary of state Richard Armitage, former secretary of the Navy, John Lehman, and many others.  

It is McCain who told Haaretz's Amir Oren of the possibility that he would send Scowcroft and James Baker as envoys to the Middle East, for which he was later strongly criticized. Richard Fontaine, an aide, who was in the interview later denied this was said, and that too much importance was given to this.  

McCain's official stance on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is similar to that of the Bush administration in its current form: zero tolerance for terrorism, but at the same time in favor of efforts to progress toward a diplomatic solution.  

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Yeah for Muslim terrorists!

Post edited at 12:20 am on Sep. 18, 2008 by jakelong

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"Everyone helpin' each other whenever they can we makin' it happen, from nothin' to somethin'
That's how we be survivin'" - BEP

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Two weeks ago, I spoke with Barack Obama about the Middle East, Zionism, and his favorite Jewish writers. Since my blog is both fair and balanced, I had a lengthy conversation with Senator John McCain earlier this week about many of the same subjects.

The two candidates, who are scheduled to address the AIPAC policy conference in Washington, D.C. early next week, have well-developed thoughts on the Middle East, and their differences are stark. Obama sees the Israeli-Palestinian dispute as one of America's central challenges in the Middle East; McCain names Islamic extremism as the most formidable challenge. Obama sees Jewish settlements as "not helpful" to peacemaking between Israel and the Palestinians; McCain does not offer a critique of the settlements, instead identifying Hamas' rocket attacks on the Israeli town of Sderot as the most pressing problem. And both men take very different positions on the issue of Philip Roth.

In our conversation, McCain took a vociferously hard line on Iran (and a similarly hard line on Senator Obama's understanding of the challenge posed by Iran). He accused Iran of not only seeking the destruction of Israel, but of sponsoring terrorist groups - Hamas and Hezbollah - that are bent on the destruction of the United States. And he said that the defense of Israel is a central tenet of American foreign policy. When I asked him why he is so concerned about Iranian threats against Israel, he said - in a statement that will surely placate Jewish voters who are particularly concerned about existential threats facing Israel - "The United States of America has committed itself to never allowing another Holocaust."

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Funny I had no idea abs was pro-Israel! Man that guy switches sides faster than a pancake!

Post edited at 12:24 am on Sep. 18, 2008 by jakelong

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"Everyone helpin' each other whenever they can we makin' it happen, from nothin' to somethin'
That's how we be survivin'" - BEP

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Jeffrey Goldberg: Is the Zionist cause just, and has it succeeded?

John McCain: I think so. I'm a student of history and anybody who is familiar with the history of the Jewish people and with the Zionist idea can't help but admire those who established the Jewish homeland. I think it's remarkable that Zionism has been in the middle of wars and great trials and it has held fast to the ideals of democracy and social justice and human rights. I think that the State of Israel remains under significant threat from terrorist organizations as well as the continued advocacy of the Iranians to wipe Israel off the map.

JG: Do you think the Palestinian cause is just?

JM: In respect to people like Mahmoud Abbas, who want to have a peaceful settlement with the government of Israel, to settle their differences in a peaceful and amicable fashion. If you are talking about Hamas or Hezbollah, which are dedicated to the extinction of the state of Israel, then no. It depends on who you're talking about.

JG: Senator Obama told me that the Arab-Israeli dispute is a "constant sore" that infects our foreign policy. Do you think this is true, and do you think that the Arab-Israeli dispute is central to our challenges in the Middle East?
JM: Well, I certainly would not describe it the way Senator Obama did -

JG: He wasn't referring to Israel as an "open sore," he was referring to the conflict.

JM: I don't think the conflict is a sore. I think it's a national security challenge. I think it's important to achieve peace in the Middle East on a broad variety of fronts and I think that if the Israeli-Palestinian issue were decided tomorrow, we would still face the enormous threat of radical Islamic extremism.  

I think it's very vital, don't get me wrong. That's why I've spent so much time there. The first time I visited Israel was thirty years ago, with Scoop Jackson and other senators, when I was in the Navy. I visited Yad Vashem (Israel's Holocaust memorial) with Joe Lieberman the last time I was in Israel. So my absolute commitment is to peace between Israel and the Palestinians. But the dangers that we face in the Middle East are incredibly severe, in the form of radical Islamic extremists.

JG: Do you think that Israel is better off today than it was eight years ago?

JM: I think Israel, in many respects, is stronger economically, their political process shows progress - when there is corruption, they punish people who are corrupt. The economy is booming, they have a robust democracy, to say the least. Bin Laden has not limited his hatred and desire to destroy the United States to the Israeli-Palestinian issue, though Israel is one of the objects of his jihadist attitude.

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http://jeffreygoldberg.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/05/mccain_on_israel_iran_and_the_1.php

But hey we know that abs dont mind pro-israeli zionists feminazis if they get the Repukes in the White House and keep it WHITE!  

Vote Obama if you want mulsim terrorist to win!

Post edited at 12:31 am on Sep. 18, 2008 by jakelong

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"Everyone helpin' each other whenever they can we makin' it happen, from nothin' to somethin'
That's how we be survivin'" - BEP

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Your stupid republican friends are the ones who love the jews and feed them billions of dollars and Arm them with weapons.

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It would be stupid if they funded the arabs, which IS what they do.

So what the fuck are you talking about?

Israel is one of our allies, moron.

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Redemption comes.

Your a moron.

Better embrace it now in your youth then have a shocking realization later.
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Latin Muscle, israel makes plenty of its own money, and most if not all of its weapons are vietnam war weapons improved upon by teh israeli government.
The USA does not give israel advanced military technology. They invent it themselves.

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The world is only as sweet as you make it and only as terrible as you see it

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Latin Muscle, israel makes plenty of its own money, and most if not all of its weapons are vietnam war weapons improved upon by teh israeli government.
The USA does not give israel advanced military technology. They invent it themselves.

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O'Rly?

Care to discuss where the Arrow missile system came from?

Care to discuss where the Merkava came from?

Care to discuss why the majority of the IAF is flying US made jets including the most upgraded F-15 Eagle?

Care to discuss why Israel constantly spies on the US and its weapons programs?

Care to discuss who provided technical input and billions for the Lavi?

US military sales to Israel

Israel is a fracking welfare state.

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"I give the probability of this working at zero" - Dan DeMatteo