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From what I have been able to observe so far, one of the main strengths of Barack Hussein Obama is his ambiguity: he does not appear to take many hard , controversial positions, and is thus able to cater to a large number of voters by slightly changing his language based on the group that he is addressing (while avoiding the "mistake" of committing himself to any one position that may upset someone).
One of the big issues where this is in play is Obama's attitude towards Israel. Traditionally, Jews vote Democrat, and because they vote in high percentages and have high numbers in swing states, the Jewish vote is important. For many Jews, the first and only issue in a presidential election is the candidate's attitude towards Israel and the "peace process". Because of his traditionally ambiguous positions, it is not very clear where he stands on many Israel-related issues. After soundly defeated by Hillary in Florida (big Jewish vote), the Obama campaign is on the war-path, trying to define his Israel position in a way that will be pleasing to Jewish voters.
In a recent post on Israel Matzav, blogger "Carl from Jerusalem" provides links to a couple of sources that show how the Obama campaign is trying very hard to win over the Jewish vote, and to a number of other sources that highlight why while Obama can talk the talk, when it comes to Israel, do not count on him to be such a good friend. If you would like to learn more about the subject, I encourage you to check out the link and the cited sources and analysis. For those who want a quick sneak preview:
Ed Lasky, American Thinker: Obama Speaks Before AIPAC
Although the Senator finds Hezb'allah violence against Israel worthy of being condemned he seems to ignore acts of Palestinian terrorism (merely talking of Palestinian "extremists" instead). He criticized Hezb'allah rocket attacks from Lebanon, but not Hamas rocket attacks from Gaza. He notes the destruction of homes by Hezb'allah but not the destruction of lives from Palestinian suicide bombings. He condemns Holocaust denial by Iran but is silent about Palestinian indoctrination of hatred among its children.
The double standard is chilling and disquieting. The remedy of more "jaw-jaw" and the near futility of sanctions (particularly when Iran is protected by strong commercial relations with various nations) are equally unsettling.
Ali Abunimah, Electronic Intifada: How Barack Obama Learned to Love Israel
The last time I spoke to Obama was in the winter of 2004 at a gathering in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. He was in the midst of a primary campaign to secure the Democratic nomination for the United States Senate seat he now occupies. But at that time polls showed him trailing.
As he came in from the cold and took off his coat, I went up to greet him. He responded warmly, and volunteered, "Hey, I'm sorry I haven't said more about Palestine right now, but we are in a tough primary race. I'm hoping when things calm down I can be more up front." [Yikes!]
When Obama first ran for the U.S. Senate, he gave militant responses to the Chicago Jewish News about Israel. Obama denounced Israel's fence--which he called a "wall" and "barrier to peace"--to keep out terrorists and favored working with Yasser Arafat. When members of the Chicago Jewish community circulated his responses, Obama said that the answers were not his positions, but the work of a low-level intern. He submitted new answers. But that was a lie, the insider says. In fact, they were the work of Obama's Policy Director, Audra Wilson. Moreover, Obama told the insider that he blamed the Mideast conflict on the Jews:
Barack told me that he felt that Jewish community was too inflexible, and that was why the situation in the Mideast could not be resolved.
This is the man who says in a new campaign ad that Hillary Clinton will say anything but change nothing. Barack Obama will say anything, but change his answers.
Check out Israel Matzav for more links and analysis.
Although I never thought that I would say it, right now I think that Hillary is the Democratic candidate who is the best for Israel. Obama's shadow positions just scare me. He seems to be saying just enough so that he will not scare away Jewish voters, but once in power, I am afraid that his true colors, and those of his advisers, will come out, to the detriment of the Jewish State.
