But where does she stand on Israel?
The question, of course, is directed at John McCain’s choice for vice president of the United States. Please note well: This is neither an endorsement of Sarah Palin nor a refutation of the Alaskan governor’s candidacy. The readers of this paper are perfectly competent to make their own decisions without urging or even recommendation by a scribbler from Boston.
No, my concern here is with noting how fatuous it is to begin an inquiry into a candidate’s readiness for such high office with the Israel question. It is also a reflection on political anorexia.
Political anorexia? The Web site OnTheIssues.org is as comprehensive a compendium of the views of candidates as we have, and if you want to know what Palin really thinks about the great issues facing our nation, it’s a terrific place to browse. And here is what you will learn:
On foreign policy: “No issue stance yet recorded by OnTheIssues.org.” On homeland security: “No issue stance yet recorded.” On free trade, on government reform, on immigration, on drugs: “No issue stance yet recorded.” On jobs, on families and children, on principles and values, on technology: “No issue stance yet recorded.” On war and peace, on welfare and poverty: “No issue stance yet recorded.” (These may no longer be entirely accurate; in the days since her selection, Palin’s Web site has begun to be fleshed out.)
Now I do not want to exaggerate here. The governor is not a blank slate, not at all. She has positions on a number of issues.
For example, as quoted in both the Juneau Empire and the Anchorage Daily News, she is opposed to all abortion, even in cases of rape or incest. On teaching creationism and intelligent design, her position is “Teach both. You know, don’t be afraid of information. Healthy debate is so important and it’s so valuable in our schools. I am a proponent of teaching both. And, you know, I say this, too, as the daughter of a science teacher. Growing up with being so privileged and blessed to be given a lot of information on, on both sides of the subject — creationism and evolution. It’s been a healthy foundation for me. But don’t be afraid of information and let kids debate both sides.”
No to stem cell research, no to civil rights for gay couples, no to gun control — including praise for the Supreme Court’s 5-4 decision to overturn Washington, D.C.’s ban on handguns — yes to the death penalty. She believes “that health care must be market-and business-driven, rather than restricted by government.”
A year ago, soon after visiting Alaska National Guard troops in Kuwait, her press office released the following statement: “Governor Sarah Palin today informed Alaska National Guardsmen and women serving in combat that big game hunting opportunities will be available when they return from combat zones this fall.”
And so forth.
Still, she’s a woman, and that counts for something. Think of Margaret Thatcher, of Golda Meir, of Indira Gandhi, of Angela Merkel, of Aun Sung Suu Kyi, of Mary Robinson. Can’t you see Sarah Palin joining that august sorority after four years of on-the-job training — or sooner, if, heaven forbid, need be?
We all know about that hypothetical 3 a.m. call that Hillary Clinton used to such good effect during the primary season. Surely it’s fair to ask the less melodramatic question, not at all hypothetical: How comfortable will you be knowing it’s Palin sitting at the side of the president at 3 p.m. when disaster strikes, crisis erupts, tragedy befalls us? And who would you prefer take the awesome call when the president himself is indisposed?
Enough of that. I know what you’re waiting for. You’re waiting to learn where she does stand on Israel. Even if it isn’t the first question that comes to mind, it’s not entirely trivial.
So let me be perfectly clear: I do not for a second accept the rumors of Palin’s association with Islamic terrorism. The slender fact that if you spell “Alaska” half-backwards you come up with Al Aksa, the name of Islam’s third most holy shrine, right there on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, is surely inadequate as evidence of such an association. So scotch the rumors; do not pass them on.
Instead, pay attention to what Jewish sources and friends of Israel in the United States told Israel’s YNet.com just the other day: “the Alaska governor has maintained very warm relations with the small Jewish community in the state, which comprises roughly 4,000 people.”
Moreover, and this one’s the killer, “Palin [has] met with Israeli Foreign Ministry official David Akov, who served as Israel’s consul general for the Pacific Northwest Region. During the meeting, the two discussed cooperation between Israel and Alaska on various issues, such as counterterrorism efforts. Akov invited Palin to visit Israel and the governor expressed her desire to do so. She also reportedly told Akov that “‘Alaska’s residents love Israel.’”
Awesome.
And one more thing, almost delicious: “The winter sky of Alaska is a Talmud of gray, an inexhaustible commentary on a Torah of rain clouds and dying light,” Michael Chabon writes in his “The Yiddish Policemen’s Union,” so brilliantly set in Alaska, so idiosyncratic. Oh to know what, if anything, Sarah Palin took away from Chabon’s book.
What can a devout Christian understand of the chaos of Chabon’s imagined universe? Or, perhaps, what does an Alaskan get that remains alien to those of us so decisively non-Alaskan?
Palin's church hosted the exec. dir. of Jews for Jesus as a guest preacher. During his sermon, the J4J representative called violence in Israeli streets judgment for rejecting Jesus. Following the sermon, the pastor dedicated that week's offering to J4J. When a reporter asked about the sermon, the pastor confirmed that Gov. Palin was in attendance. This was on August 17, twelve days before she was introduced as the GOP VP nominee. As with so many devout Christian evangelicals, we must remain wary of her affinity for the Jewish community and skeptical of her loyalty to Israel. Original reporting of the story: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0908/13098.html The transcribed introduction, sermon, and concluding prayer are available at http://wasillabible.org/sermons.htm
Palin's support of Israel is stronger than Leonard Fein's support. Obama has surrounded himself with anti-Israel advisors, such as Zbib Brestinky, Tony Peak, Samantha Power, and Robert Malley. SO Ms Palin listened to a Jew for Jesus. Obama listened to Rev Wright for 20 years, and for all we know, agrees with his reviews. I am tired of the American Jewish tradition of supporting Democrats in gratitude to FDR keeping the established American Jewish community deluged with foreign accented German, Polish, and Russian Jews.
"Palin's support of Israel is stronger than Leonard Fein's support" And you know it how? She is a fundamentalist Christian with fairly extreme views - where I come from this typically does not bode well for respect to other religions. So, at least based on what we know so far - Palin ze lo tov le'yehudim.
where I come from this typically does not bode well for respect to other religions.... You must come form a place that has respect for all religions except Judaism (likely California). fein's record on Israel is clear. He is at best a fair weather friend. I trus Palin more anyday over Fein
Fein says: "Please note well: This is neither an endorsement of Sarah Palin nor a refutation of the Alaskan governor’s candidacy. The readers of this paper are perfectly competent to make their own decisions without urging or even recommendation by a scribbler from Boston." After saying this he trashes her throughout the whole article. What a pitiful small man. McCain and Palin will be much better friends to Israel than either Fein or Obama. If you haven't noticed the terrorists are all voting for Obama. He's a weak liberal whose immediate reaction to a world crisis is moral equivalency as his initial reaction to the Georgian crisis until he realized it made him look like the weak person he is. The Arab Israeli dispute is about as clear cut a moral distinction that exists on earth. There is a life loving culture and a death loving culture fighting one another. The last thing we need is a president who can't make the moral distinction between the two. He is incredibly inexperienced and even though he seems like a nice guy he has surrounded himself with bad people from Ayers to Wright to Rezko. Liberals should be praising this woman. She is a feminist's dream. She actually came from nowhere. PTA mom gets into politics to change the politics in her neighborhood and rises to be governor of her state. It's movie material. Palin's message to women is become a powerful woman on your own. Hillary's message to women is marry a powerful man. The only reason Hillary is where she is, is because of her husband. The reason the left is attacking this woman is because they are frightened of her. She is a smart, beautiful, self-made woman who would otherwise be praised by the left for her accomplishments but she is reviled because she is a conservative. She has more experience than Obama and in case you haven't noticed he's at the top of the ticket. Other than give speeches and writing autobiographies Obama has done nothing. He has never been a mayor. He has never been a governor. He has never been in charge of the National Guard. He has never had the guts to be a whistle blower on corruption. Palin defeated the incumbent governor of her party and then a previous democratic governor. Obama would never have even been elected if Ryan's private sealed divorce records were not released. Palin's resume and experience is better than Obama's. Isn't it fun watching liberals melt down. Other than George Bush, there is nothing they hate more than an accomplished woman, black, gay, or hispanic conservative.
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