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"We're not wor- ried, said one lobbyist, "but we are going to watch this with a lot of concern." JAMES DAVID BESSER Washington Correspondent H as George Bush de- cided to sacrifice Jew- ish support in an ef- fort to neutralize the political fallout from the Iran-Contra scandal? Jewish politicos are wrestl- ing with this question in the wake of Bush's tussle with CBS news anchor Dan Rath- er, when Bush insisted that the arms sales "were an operation in the hands of a foreign power." According to some, Bush has been attempt- ing to shift blame away from his own involvement in the arms-for-hostages affair — and in the direction of Jerusalem. "It's noteworthy that the only major reservation that the Vice President has had about this affair — at least publicly — was Israel's role," said Dan ,Mariashin, com- munications director for one of Bush's GOP rivals, Alex- ander Haig. "I would ask this question to the Vice Presi- dent: Why did he feel it was only Israel's role he had to bring up?" Mariashin also suggested that Bush "wants it both ways. On one hand, he wants to posit himself as a staunch friend of Israel, and on the other, at the first opportuni- ty, he's trying to call into question Israel's role." Other observers point out that Bush has never enjoyed particularly strong support from the Jewish community — and that, in any case, Jewish support is not a key factor in Republican presiden- tial primaries. And one more development may put an unpredictable spin on Bush's recent state- ments. Last week's revela- tions about the curious deal- ings between Attorney General Edwin Meese and his longtime legal advisor, E. Bob Wallach over an Iraqi pipeline project raise the spectre of another political scandal in- volving Israel and some of her Jewish supporters here. There is growing speculation that Meese may resign over the scandal — an action that would once again focus negative attention on Israel. In this kind of climate, Bush's remarks about the Iran-Contra scandal could prove to be a ticking time bomb right in the middle of the battle for the White House. Biden Already Looking At 1992? Bush: Sacrificing Jewish support? Aid Process Is Reviewed An unpublicized meeting of Democratic members of the House Foreign Affairs Com- mittee may have big implica- tions for Israel. At the planning and strategy session last week, committee chairman Dante Fascell (D-Fla.) appointed a task force to review the foreign aid process — a key part of the committee's work, and Israel's economic and military lifeline. He appointed Rep. Lee Hamilton (D-Ind.) to chair the informal group, which does not yet have a timetable for reviewing the complex pro- cess of doling out American dollars. According to sources close to the committee, the task force will not review broad policy questions, but concentrate on the nitty-gritty of foreign aid — including the controversial process of "earmarking." Ear- marking is the process by which Congress designates foreign aid money for par- ticular countries and par- ticular projects — like Israel. Earmarked funds enjoy relative immunity from the knives of congressional budget cutters. The State Department op- poses earmarking, on the grounds that it short-circuits the specialists charged with making aid decisions. And earmarked funds for Israel are the special targets of their ire, since they represent such a large proportion of Ameri- can aid. Rep. Hamilton, the task force chairman, is generally respected by pro-Israel lob- On the political front, former presidential candidate Joe Biden (D-Del.) met with his top campaign financing staff last week at his home. Biden was widely regarded as the frontrunner among Jewish democrats until his with- drawal following revelations of plagarized speeches. But the meeting does not represent the beginnings of a renewed Biden campaign, a la Gary Hart. According to sources close to Biden, the powerful chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee is more interested in laying some early groundwork for 1992. Biden's top staff during his ill-fated campaign included an unusually high number of pro-Israel activists, many of whom are not yet committed to other Democratic candi- dates. A recent fund-raising move by the Jesse Jackson cam- paign has raised the dander of some Jewish politicos here. The new tactic involves loose- plate collections in a number of black churches. I IN BRIEF Jordan Arms Sale Considered Washington — The Reagan administration is considering a possible $14-million sale of Sidewinder missiles to Jor- dan. However, a Pentagon spokesman declined to com- ment on the prospect, except to confirm that Congress has not been notified officially of such plans. The missiles, which have been termed the "most- advanced" air-to-air missiles to date that the United States has made available for foreign governments to buy, would be deployed from eight Tornado fighter bombers that Jordan is in the process of buying from Great Britain. A congressional source last week confirmed that the Reagan administration has begun consulting Congress on the issue. The administra- tion's proposed arms sales to Jordan in 1985 and 1986, which Congress blocked, con- tained 300 Sidewinders.