US President Barack Obama in NY 370.
(photo credit:REUTERS/Larry Downing)
Republicans are trying to woo away Jews who voted for Barack Obama in 2008,
hoping they have experienced “buyer’s remorse.” I, for one, have experienced no
such remorse.
I have gotten from President Obama pretty much what I
expected when I voted for him: a pragmatic, centrist liberal who has managed –
with some necessary compromises – to bring us the first important healthcare
legislation in recent history, appointed excellent justices to the Supreme
Court, supported women’s rights, eliminated the “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy,
maintained the wall of separation between church and state, kept up an effective
war against terrorism and generally made me proud to be an American who cast my
vote for him.
Even with regard to his policy toward Israel, which has
generated much of the impetus for this “buyer’s remorse” campaign, President
Obama has kept his promises.
During the last campaign, I and others urged
candidate Obama to go to Israel and visit Sderot, which was being shelled by
rockets from Hamas controlled Gaza. He then went to Sderot and while standing in
front of the lethal rockets that had inflicted so much damage – physical and
psychological – to so many children and adults, this is what the candidate said:
“I don’t think any country would find it acceptable to have missiles raining
down on the heads of their citizens. The first job of any nation state is to
protect its citizens... If somebody was sending rockets into my house where my
two daughters sleep at night, I’m going to do everything in my power to stop
that. And I would expect Israelis to do the same.”
And when the IDF
finally had to respond to the rocket terror with Operation Cast Lead, President
Obama supported Israel’s actions and his administration condemned the Goldstone
Report as deeply flawed and biased against Israel.
Now, Republican
presidential candidate Mitt Romney is visiting Israel. I’m glad he is, because
support for Israel must always remain bipartisan. No presidential
election should ever become a referendum on support for Israel. Certainly the
upcoming election will not be, because both candidates strongly support Israel’s
security. Each candidate must earn the vote of each citizen based on the
totality of their records, and must not take the support of any group for
granted.
The Obama administration has worked hand in hand with Israel in
developing the Iron Dome, David’s Sling and Arrow defense
capabilities. It has approved the sale of F-35 stealth fighters to the
Israel Air Force. It has conducted large, joint military exercises and has
coordinated intelligence operations with Israeli secret services. That is why I
was not surprised when Israel’s Defense Minister Ehud Barak said that he could
“hardly remember a better period of...American support and cooperation
and similar strategic understanding... than what he have right now.”
The
greatest threat Israel faces today is from Iran, a nation ruled by anti-Semitic,
Holocaust denying, terrorist-inciting Mullahs, who would sacrifice millions of
their own citizens to destroy “the little Satan,” which is how they refer to
Israel (the United States being “the big Satan.”)
There are some, in both
parties, who wrongly believe that a policy of “containment” – that is, allowing
Iran to develop nuclear weapons but containing their use by the threat of
tit-for-tat reprisal – is the right strategy. President Obama has explicitly
rejected this benighted approach and has instead announced that his policy is to
prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, even if it takes military action
to do so. In the meantime, he has ratcheted up sanctions and diplomatic pressure
while explicitly keeping the military option on the table.
Several months
ago, President Obama invited me to the Oval Office to discuss his Iran
strategy. He looked me in the eye and said, “I don’t bluff.” His actions
with regard to Osama bin Laden and the Somali pirates who endangered Americans
and threatened to kill them demonstrated his willingness to use force when
warranted. So does his increased use of drones to target terrorists who
are beyond the reach of capture. I believe President Obama when he says that
Iran will not be allowed to develop nuclear weapons on his
watch.
President Obama also understands that no sovereign nation can ever
outsource the protection of its own citizens against a nuclear Holocaust. If
Israel were to decide – as a last resort, after exhausting all diplomatic,
economic and intelligence options – that it had no choice but to take military
action against Iran’s nuclear programs, I am confident that the Obama
administration would not condemn that action (as the Reagan administration
condemned Israel’s correct decision to destroy Iraq’s nuclear reactor in 1981!)
These are President Obama’s own words on this important issue: “Iran’s leaders
should have no doubt about the resolve of the United States – just as they
should not doubt Israel’s sovereign right to make its own decisions about what
is required to meet its security needs.”
The issue of Israeli security
must be distinguished from the issue of Israeli civilian settlements in the West
Bank. Israel’s settlement policy is deeply controversial within Israel and among
Jewish supporters of Israel in the United States. Both Republican and Democratic
administrations have been critical of some Israeli decisions regarding the
settlements. I have sometimes agreed and sometimes disagreed with these
criticisms. Reasonable supporters of Israel will have different views on the
settlements and on how best to move toward a two-state solution that assures
Israel’s security.
When I decide who to vote for as president, I ask
myself who will be best for America and for the world. An important component of
my answer involves my assessment of the candidate’s willingness and ability to
protect Israel’s security, since I strongly believe that a strong Israel serves
the interests of the United States and of world peace. I am confident that
President Obama will keep his promise “always [to] have Israel’s back” in the
face of the continuing threats posed by Israel’s enemies.
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