Michele Bachmann: A donor's promised to pay to move Embassy to Jerusalem

[Scurrilous]

<snip>

"In a pledge that raises so many questions — none of which we can answer here right now — Michele Bachmann just told the RJC crowd that she's secured a promise from a donor to move the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, per POLITICO's Juana Summers:

I also want you to know it will be on Inauguration Day under my administration that the United States will move our Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem," she said. "I already have secured from a donor who said they will personally pay for the ambassador's home to be moved from Tel Aviv to Jersualem."

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1211/70014.html#ixzz1fyH2PBxl


Gingrich’s vow on Israel might come back to bite him

<snip>

"Newt Gingrich might have checked with Joe Clark first.

The Republican presidential hopeful and – according to some polls – the current front-runner in the race to oust Barack Obama from the White House vows his first act in the Oval Office will be to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

“In a Gingrich administration, on the opening day, there will be an executive order about two hours after the inaugural address. We will send the Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, as of that day,” he said.

Mr. Clark, a former Canadian prime minister, made a similarly bold campaign promise in 1979 seeking support – as is Mr. Gingrich – from the relatively small but politically very active bloc of Jewish voters. Once in office and faced with the political realities, Mr. Clark quickly ditched the pledge and Canada’s embassy remains in Tel Aviv."

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/worldview/gingrichs-vow-on-israel-might-come-back-to-bite-him/article2264285/



Romney says Obama has ‘chastened’ Israel; he would visit nation in first trip as president

<snip>

"Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney told a conservative Jewish audience Wednesday that his first foreign trip as president would be to Israel, contrasting his strong support for the Jewish state with President Obama’s policies, which he said had “chastened” the long-time Middle East ally."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/election-2012/post/romney-says-obama-has-chastened-israel-he-would-visit-nation-in-first-trip-as-president/2011/12/07/gIQA8qWbcO_blog.html



Gingrich, Bachmann promise on Israeli embassy would be hard to keep

<snip>

"In remarks to the Republican Jewish Coalition, GOP presidential candidates Newt Gingrich and Michelle Bachmann made nearly identical promises to move the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem if they are elected.

The two candidates were appealing Wednesday to a crowd that wanted to hear pledges of unwavering U.S. support for Israel, and in a climate where evangelical primary voters — among the strongest supporters of Israel — hold unusual sway. But the promises Gingrich and Bachmann made have a long history of not being kept."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/fact-check-gingrich-bachmann-promise-on-israeli-embassy-would-be-hard-to-keep/2011/12/08/gIQAAjFYfO_story.html

[Turbineguy]

1. A TV preacher willing to part

with some of his money? Not in a million years.

[arcane1]

2. Ok, stupid question time: Why is the embassy's location an issue?

:shrug:

[RDANGELO]

3. It has religious implications to both Jews and Muslims.

[vminfla]

4. An embassy has religious implications ?

Was there a Book of Clinton that I am unaware of?

[RDANGELO]

6. Ok,

The city of Jerusalem has religious significants to both religions. Moving the embassy to Jerusalem, when the capitol is in Tel-aviv would be arrogant on our part, and could risk peace in the region.

[vminfla]

8. If both the guest and host country find a location amenable to both of them

it is a private matter. Both the guest and host countries are not theocracies and, thus, not subject to the arbitrary constraints of religious views when it comes to matters of State.

[oberliner]

10. The capital is in Jerusalem

At least that is Israel's self-defined capital.

Most of the rest of the world does not acknowledge this, however, and keep their embassies in Tel Aviv instead.

The Congress, incidentally, has already passed a law saying it should be moved.

[Scurrilous]

5. Officially moving the embassy now, in absence of a peace deal, would totally @#$% things up. n/t

[oberliner]

11. What is going well that would be screwed up by such a move? nt

[oberliner]

9. Israel says that Jerusalem is their capital

Pretty much all of the rest of the world will not acknowledge that and instead maintain embassies in Tel Aviv.

[Scurrilous]

7. Newt Gingrich: U.S. should consider clemency for Jonathan Pollard

Leading Republican White House hopeful says he has a study under way comparing Pollard's sentence with comparable people sentenced for comparable deeds.‬’

<snip>

"Leading Republican White House hopeful Newt Gingrich discusses Jonathan Pollard in an Interview with Wolf Blitzer on CNN Wednesday. Gingrich says he is leaning towards clemency in the case of Jonathan Pollard, but hasn’t all the information needed to make up his mind.

“There are secrecy things involved here that I frankly don't - and I want to have access to as a candidate, and I don't think it's necessarily appropriate to have access to it,” he said. “But I am very cautious about what position I would take on that.”

“I am prepared to say my bias is towards clemency, and I would like to review it. He's been in a very long time. But we are pretty tough about people spying on the United States.”

Gingrich says he has a study under way “to compare his sentence with comparable people who have been sentenced for very long sentences for comparable deeds.‬”

http://www.haaretz.com/news/u-s-elections-2012/newt-gingrich-u-s-should-consider-clemency-for-jonathan-pollard-1.400408