How did you think Obama did on Israel, which appeared as an adjunct to the discussion on Iran? I have to admit I'm a bit worried. But I want to hear what you all think.
Let me say that I think, on the whole, the debate was a tie on points and that Sen. Obama accomplished what he needed most to do--to convince undecided folks that he has the knowledge and temperament to be President. Given that, I think McCain lost.
But onto Israel. ..
I am a liberal Jew who has supported Obama passionately since before Iowa. Like many of my brothers and sisters, I am a member of Jews for Obama and I have sent out many emails to Jewish friends and relatives to get them to question their wrongheaded views of Obama. I haven't had anyone I know be so ignorant as to claim he's really a Muslim (and then I would have to ask--what's wrong with a Muslim president?). But I have known some who worry that he's not really a supporter of Israel, and I then have to point out his longstanding excellent relations with the Jewish community in his neighborhood, all the rabbis who have endorsed him, and the like. Sometimes I think he's actually going to have to join the IDF to convince some Jews on this issue--in other words, they cannot be reached. But there are others who can, and I'm doing my best to do so.
So that's where I stand on the matter. I know Obama would be a far superior candidate for the U. S. and for Israel because of his values and his intelligence. He has a much better chance of helping Israel to achieve the security it needs and Palestine to achieve the state, dignity, and fair treatment it deserves. McCain, with his hotheadedness, arrogance, and intimate links (via Palin and others) with Christian Zionists would, I think, be disastrous for Kol Yisrael (and, of course, the US).
But I have to say I'm worried about the exchange over Israel tonight. McCain, in his sneering way, did land a blow when he asked incredulously as to how Obama would respond to Ahmadinejad's toxic rhetoric if he met him face to face. I hoped very badly that Barack would respond forcefully to this demagoguery, and he did not. And I worried that he blew a golden opportunity to do so.
I'm eager, though, to hear what you all think.