(it isn't really Israel, of course - it's the Christian right who welcome wars involving Israel as early run-ups to Armageddon), and when Joe Lieberman is under seige in Connecticut for supporting the Bush/Israeli approach, it might be helpful to remember that Lieberman is an Orthodox Jew. What I don't know is where his particular allegiance lies - but it would make sense to question whether it is to one of the groups which unconditionally supports Israel's claim to its Biblical boundaries and radiates a Kabbalistic hatred of the goyim.
Haven't seen any of that in print. Have you? But ...
... in a piece in Salon, Colin McEnroe points out that Lieberman has appeared on Pat Robertson's 700 Club and said there was too little religion in public life and that he was glad to be seeing more of it. The article also notes that when Lieberman was running for President in 2004 his staff had to remove his image from an informercial in which he appeared with Robertson and Falwell, asking for donations from evangelicals to be used to send Russian Jews to Israel in order to fulfil Biblical prophecy leading to the Second Coming of Christ.
The video was made for the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (IFCJ), which Lieberman worked for diligently between 1994-1999. Among other notable items on the organization's website is the following:
"In 2002, Rabbi Eckstein (the group's founder) joined forces with Ralph Reed, prominent strategist and former director of the Christian Coalition, to launch The Fellowship's Stand for Israel campaign, an effort to mobilize Christian leadership and grassroots support for the State of Israel.
"Stand for Israel aims to engage people both spiritually and politically on behalf of Israel and the Jewish people, by encouraging them to pray for the peace of Jerusalem and providing them with the facts they need to advocate for the Jewish State and fight anti-Israel bias in the media.
"The cornerstone of the campaign is the International Day of Prayer and Solidarity with Israel, an annual event that rallies churches and individual Christians around the world to pray for the Jewish State. The first Day of Prayer took place in October 2002 and involved more than 16,000 churches and 5 million Christians. The following year swelled the ranks even further, with 17,000 churches and more than 7 million Christians participating. This year's event, scheduled for Sunday, January 29, promises to be bigger yet.
"Through this and other initiatives -- including the annual Washington Briefing, which brings together U.S. government leaders, Israeli officials and pro-Israel Christians -- Stand for Israel has proven a potent force for uniting Christians in support of Israel and the Jewish people."
In other words, Lieberman is right smack in the middle of right-wing religious radicalism by both Christians and Jews. It's no wonder he supports the war in Iraq - but why hasn't anyone asked him why that is?
And we almost let this guy get a step away from the Presidency! But then, a step away is better than what we've got.