Posted by
J-GOP on Wednesday, June 04, 2008 10:47:15 AM
John McCain's speech before the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) drew a standing ovation and illustrates how Iran, more than the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, has emerged as the defining issue for candidates wooing Jewish-American voters.
Sen. McCain sought to set down a political marker with Jewish voters by pledging a hard line on Iran and a commitment to many of the policies AIPAC has been promoting. The American lobbying body has particularly pushed for an international divestment campaign from companies doing business in Iran, while also seeking more unilateral U.S. sanctions against Iranian state institutions, such as the central bank.
The Arizona senator also sought to again define his likely Democratic opponent for the presidency, Sen. Obama, as weak on Iran and naïve for announcing his willingness to negotiate directly with Tehran's leaders.
"We hear talk of a meeting with the Iranian leadership offered up as if it were some sudden inspiration, a bold new idea," Sen. McCain said, noting that the Clinton administration had also attempted to engage Tehran. "Yet it's hard to see what such a summit...would actually gain, except an earful of anti-Semitic rants."
AIPAC and other Jewish-American organizations have identified Iran as a threat to Israel's existence. Tehran's efforts to develop nuclear technologies are seen as directly targeted at Israel, fueled by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's calls to "erase" the Jewish state from the map. Mr. Ahmadinejad Monday said the country "has reached the end of its function and will soon disappear off the geographical domain," Iran's IRNA news agency reported.
Both Republicans and Democrats view Jewish-Americans as key swing voters in the presidential election. Jewish-Americans have leaned toward Democrats due to their liberal stances on domestic issues, such as abortion and immigration. But Sen. McCain's backers believe their candidate's hard-line approach to securing Israel could cause some Jewish-Americans to cross party lines. In fact early estimates from several leading pollsters show that the Jewish Republican vote could reach as high as it was in 1984, when 32% voted to re-elect President Ronald Reagan.
The strategy to woo Jewish voters could be crucial in Florida, according to Adam Hasner, the majority leader in the state's House of Representatives, who is leading the McCain campaign's Jewish outreach there.