Obama to offer pro-Israel views at Chicago gathering (Friday)

[Freddie Stubbs]

March 1, 2007
BY LYNN SWEET Sun-Times Columnist

For the first time since becoming a senator -- much less a White House hopeful -- Barack Obama on Friday will talk in depth about U.S. policy toward Israel and the Mideast.

The story behind the story of Obama's appearance before the American Israel Public Affairs Committee's regional forum at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel and Towers provides insight into the Obama presidential operation.

AIPAC, whose sole interest is U.S.-Israel relations, is one of the most influential lobbying groups in the nation. Its annual policy conference starts March 11 in Washington. The gathering provides fertile territory for Obama to schmooze with well-connected backers and donors. Though no 2008 presidential candidates are on the program, Obama is hosting a reception for AIPAC members -- as is archrival Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Clinton delivered a well-received speech before an AIPAC regional meeting in New York on Feb. 1. The Obama team wanted to get Obama's pro-Israel views -- not well-known -- out front before the big AIPAC conference. Obama's team has put together a briefing sheet on his record about Israel, but that was not widely circulated and clearly not enough. If he was to make a major speech on Israel, there was an interest among Obama's Chicago backers for him to deliver it in the city.

more: http://www.suntimes.com/news/sweet/278222,CST-EDT-sweet01.article

[IA_Seth]

1. That oughta be good.

Let's hope he shoots straight and goes easy on the pandering.

[Name removed]

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[Megahurtz]

9. Lol! n/t

[Alhena]

4. With a middle name like "Hussein" I expect Obama thinks

that he has to show he's not overly sympathetic to Arab interests. And I have no reason to think that he wouldn't be pro-Israel even absent politics. But let's face it- if he adopted an anti-Israel position he would be smeared as a closet Muslim or some such nonsense.

[IA_Seth]

Courage

It takes courage to speak your truth, regardless of worrying about smear attempts. That is what is wrong with politics.

You don't have to be 'overly sympathetic' to Arab interests to see that some of the ideas that AIPAC tends to oppose (land for peace, a Palestinian state, UN Resolutions) are in our best interests, and in the interests of justice.

And that wouldn't make him anti-Israeli either.

[azurnoir]

8. The truly sad part

is that in the long run those same policies are in Israels best interest too. The situation between Israel and the Palestinians can not go on forever,

[IA_Seth]

11. Nor will it..

The situation will come to a head eventually, the status quo just can't hold. With the lop-sided force capabilities of Israel, I see a pretty messy situation.

[Freddie Stubbs]

7. I think that any candidate with an anti-Israel position would lose a lot of support regardless of

what their middle name is.

[JAbuchan08]

3. Let's hope he has some perspective

He seems like an even handed enough guy to me, but he really hasn't addressed my concerns with much substance. He's interesting to watch, but I still don't know who I'm voting for yet. This meeting may or may not begin to narrow the field.

[Norquist Nemesis]

5. Well, geez! I didn't think he's going to be giving an anti-Israel view

Where do they come up with these headlines?

This one's going to be closely watched and likely to be a make-it or break-it for him.

[Name removed]

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[Megahurtz]

10. AIPAC?

Oh Brother. :eyes:

[mazzarro]

12. I am not holding my breadth

Because it is going to be the same old pandering that is the hallmark of American establishment politics - Israel right, Palestine wrong on all counts.

[Freddie Stubbs]

13. Is that pandering, simply reflecting how most Americans feel?

:shrug: