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Insight

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Lieberman's Marathon

A few minutes with Sen. Joe Lieberman, a man on the run.

HARRY KIRS BAUM

Staff Writer

S

en. Joseph Lieberman, D-
Conn., is currently running
at the head of the pack of
candidates vying for the
2004 Democratic presidential nomi-
nation.
In 2000, he says, he was run-
ning a sprint when he entered
the national spotlight as Al
Gore's running mate.
"This time it's a marathon,
but it's my marathon," he says.
Between fund-raising speech-
es with Detroit-area Jews,
Lieberman sat down with the
Jewish News June 4 for a quick
discussion of Middle East
peace negotiations and the
state of his Jewish support.

and believe this will be the case this
time.
I'm getting a lot of support from the
Jewish community and a lot of sup-
port obviously from the rest of
America, which is part of why I'm
leading in the polls.
I hope and believe that I will get
nominated and elected. But if I don't,

Question: In 2000, Joe
Lieberman is selected by Al
Gore to run for vice president.
Certainly, in terms of the
Jewish community, you were a
rock star. What's changed with
you and what's changed in the
Jewish community?
Answer: Part of what's
changed is that this is a longer
campaign, and I'm running for
president. Not much has
changed in response to the spe-
cific question you're asking. On
the night after Al Gore had
selected me, I was flown to
Sen. Joseph Lieberman
Nashville — he was nice
enough to invite my family to
dinner with his family.. He
I'm convinced it won't be because of
talked about the selection, the barrier-
my religion.
breaking part of it.
If there are some people in the
He said that the fear among Jews of
Jewish community who think that one
anti-Semitism was much, much
of the other Democratic candidates is
greater than the reality of anti-
Semitism in America. That is certainly going to be a better president than I
what I found in the 2000 campaign in am, or George Bush will be, then
that's their right. But don't be against
reaction to my candidacy in the non-
me because of my religion.
Jewish community.
Once it happened, I think there was
Being an Orthodox Jew, how could
this burst of pride and support from
you gain the trust of the Arab rulers?
the Jewish community, and I hope

I've spent a lot of time traveling the
Arab world. I found that every time
I'm there, I'm treated with great
respect, warmth and openness. They
know I'm Jewish, of course, but they
see me as an American. I think some-
times they think I'm more engaged in
the process because of my religion.
But this is the Kennedy question —
the oath you take is to the
United States and the
Constitution to faithfully
execute the laws associated
with the office of the presi-
dent. Leaders will judge me
more in the world and in
the Middle East based on
my policies, not on my reli-
gion.

How do you think
President Bush is han-
dling things with the road
map to peace in the
Middle East? How could
you be more effective
than he?
The best part of the road
map is the destination, -
which is peace according to
a two-state solution. Some
of the specific lines on this
road map are not going to
get these two parties to their
destination. They clearly
have a very different under-
standing of it and that's
where 'the negotiations
come in.
The Bush administration
has had some good policy
statements in the Middle
East, most important of all the effort
to remove [Palestinian Authority
President] Yasser Arafat from the
process. It hasn't been totally success-
ful; he's still there but it's the right
policy. But the problem up until this
very day is that the [Bush] administra-
tion hasn't been on the ground.
They've had good policies, but no
action. Nothing good is going to hap-
pen between the Israelis and the
INSIGHT on page 20

From the pages of the Jewish News
from this week 10, 20, 30, 40, 50
and 60 years ago.

The Congregate Housing Services
Department of the U.S.
Department of Housing and Urban
Development awards the, Jewish
Federation Apartments $1.5 million
for bus service, cleaning services
and weekend meals.

. .

..4 6 t

At Congregation Shaarey Zedek in
Southfield, Hebrew University
Chancellor Avraham Harman pres-
ents the S.Y. Gold Medal Award to
Dr. and Mrs. William Haber for
services to the Israel school.

* )4.
•4,

.

A call to the community to join in
a protest against the closing of two
United Hebrew Schools branches
— the Borman Branch in Detroit
and the Cohn Branch in Livonia —
is issued by the Hebrew School
Parents Advisory Committee.

ittiorw n,

4wa ay
4
At a Jewish War Veterans dinner in
San Francisco, Robert B. Frankel,
San Francisco businessman and
grandson of the Rev. Jacob Frankel,
displays the framed commission
given his grandfather on Sept. 18,
1862, when the Philadelphian
became the first rabbi to serve as a
Jewish military chaplain.

A.-
Vt:4-4.`,MNtRipsff"\W?
'A1/4
The Probus Club, an organization
of 90 Jewish business and profes-
sional men in Detroit, elects Sol
Stein as its president.

Benno Levi, a member of the Jewish
News circulation staff, leaves for
Fort Custer for active service with
the U.S. Army.
Dr. Abraham L. Sachar, national
director of the B'nai Kith Hillel
Foundation, receives the honorary
degree of doctor of humanities from
Illinois Wesleyan University — the
first non-Methodist to be so honored.

— Compiled by Holly Teasdle,
archivist, the Rabbi Leo M. Franklin
Archives of Temple Beth El

;IN

6/13

2003

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