Opinion
VICE PRESIDENTIAL SWEEPSTAKES
Biden: Strong
Senate Record
Michael Adler
Special Commentary
Miami Beach/JTA
I
returned from the Democratic
National Convention in Denver with
the announcement of
Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., as
the Democratic vice presi-
dential nominee, the mem-
orable acceptance speech by
Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill.,
and the announcement of
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as
the Republican vice presi-
dential nominee.
Yet, I am disappointed
Sen. Biden
with our level of political
discourse — particularly
in the Jewish community.
When the Biden vice-presidential
nomination was announced on Aug. 23,
Republican voices in the Jewish commu-
nity called his selection by Sen. Obama
"risky" and talked about his inconsistent
support for Israel and his "wrong" views
on Iran.
I have known and
worked closely with Sen.
Biden for more than 36
years, and the caricature
that is being painted of
him by some who value
partisanship over truth is
truly astounding. Perhaps
even more distressing
than the attacks on a good
friend of the Jewish community is the
use of the U.S.-Israel relationship as a
partisan wedge issue.
Joe Biden publicly labels himself a
Zionist. He has stated, "I do not accept
the notion of linkage between Iraq and
the Arab-Israeli conflict;'
According to the Jewish Telegraphic
Agency, "[Biden] has a sterling voting
record on pro-Israel issues and as chair-
man of the Senate Foreign Relations
Committee has helped shepherd through
key pro-Israel legislation."
He has worked cooperatively with
every Israeli prime minister since Golda
Meir. His knowledge of the wider Middle
East, as well as the Arab-Israeli conflict,
is unsurpassed by any other member of
Congress.
Republicans have used votes not
related to Israel in an effort to besmirch
Biden in the Jewish community.
Supporters of Sen. Biden can readily go
to the voting record files and see that he
has a significantly higher percentage of
pro-Israel votes than Sen. John McCain.
But, the fact of the matter is that John
McCain is pro-Israel. Barack Obama is
pro-Israel. Joe Biden is pro-Israel. These
attempts to use the U.S.-
Israel relationship for
partisan purposes distorts
the truth and weakens
the bipartisan consensus
behind support for Israel
in this country.
Moreover, it is not
just Israel upon which
we should judge Sen.
Joe Biden. Perhaps no
politician in America, Jew
or non-Jew, has a bet-
ter rapport with Jewish
leadership and Jewish audiences. He is
a strong supporter of the separation of
church and state, and he has opposed
Republican attempts to return prayer
to the public schools. Biden also has
opposed teaching intelligent design
alongside evolution in the
public schools and is pro-
choice.
Biden's profile in the
Jewish community is
starkly different from
that of McCain's nominee
for vice president. Sarah
Palin has no foreign
policy experience and has
never visited Israel. She is
against a woman's right to choose, even
in cases of rape and incest. She favors
teaching intelligent design in the public
schools and believes climate change is
not caused by human activity.
I have long believed that the game
of trying to show that friends of Israel
are really enemies is destructive to our
community's interest. But it really hits
home when a close friend like Joe Biden
is villified.
It would be far healthier for American
democracy as well as for our community
if we would reject the use of Israel as
a partisan issue and look at the policy
areas where candidates from the two
major parties truly differ. ❑
Sen. Biden
publicly labels
himself a
Zionist.
A40 September 18 • 2008
jN
Michael Adler is immediate past chair of the
National Jewish Democratic Council. He was
national finance chair of Sen. Biden's 2008
presidential campaign.
Palin: Long
On Leadership
Linda Lingle
Special Commentary
Honolulu/JTA
I
f there was any doubt that Sen. John
McCain will shake up Washington
and institute real
change, the selection of
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as
the Republican vice-presi-
dential nominee has put
that question to rest. Few
people can match McCain's
maverick spirit and biparti-
san nature like Gov. Palin.
At the Republican
National Convention, I stat-
ed,"As a fellow Republican Gov. Penn
governor, I have had the
chance to get to know Gov.
Sarah Palin. She is a terrific individual
and an outstanding governor. Sarah is a
person with proven leadership skills and
strong moral character"
Rep. Eric Cantor, R-Va., the only Jewish
Republican in the House
of Representatives, wrote
that he was "excited" by
the choice. "Sarah brings
a wealth of experience to
the campaign and will
pose a formidable chal-
lenge to the Democratic
nominees:' he said. "Sarah
Palin is a smart woman
who represents change'
Gov. Palin brings numerous strengths
and qualities to the position of vice presi-
dent. She has been a mayor, a governor
and the head of the Alaska Oil and Gas
Conservation Commission. While serving
in these positions, she has built a reputa-
tion as a leader willing to work across
party lines to bring about real reform and
to better the lives of her constituents.
Gov. Palin has cut taxes and curtailed
budgetary spending. Rooting out cor-
ruption and establishing ethics reform
have been hallmarks of her career.
Gov. Palin has also shown that she is
not wedded to party politics, nor does
she play politics as usual. She has said
that the function of a politician is not
to serve one's self-interest but rather to
serve with a "servant's hearty'
Perhaps one of Gov. Palin's greatest
assets is her firm grasp on one of our
country's greatest security issues —
how to tackle our dependence on foreign
oil and our growing need for energy
independence. On this critical issue, she
has a depth of experience and firsthand
knowledge that will prove invaluable to
a McCain-Palin administration.
As governor, she challenged the influ-
ence of big oil companies and fought for
the development of new
energy resources in her
state. And as an outdoors-
woman and naturalist, she
understands and cares
deeply about the impact of
climate change.
Gov. Palin has advocated
that environmental issues
be weighed against eco-
nomic and social needs,
and that meaningful dis-
cussion take place in order
for policymakers to make
the best decisions for our country.
During her tenure as commander-in-
chief of Alaska's National Guard, she made
it a priority to visit the troops from her
state deployed to Kuwait and Germany.
Finally on Iran — an
issue that is critically
important to readers of this
publication — Gov. Palin
gets it. She recognizes the
importance of preventing
Iran from acquiring nuclear
weapons while advocating
for strengthening the strate-
gic U.S.-Israel relationship.
It is also dear that Gov.
Palin is a woman of deep personal faith.
She has established a good relation-
ship with the Jewish communities of
Alaska, supported the residents' desire
to create the Alaska Jewish Historical
Museum and was present at the reading
of Alaska's resolution commemorating
Israel's 60th anniversary.
In her office in Juneau, Gov. Palin has
hung an Israeli flag. She displays the flag
because Israel is in her heart.
One of the finest qualities Gov. Palin has
demonstrated recently is her tremendous
grace under fire. Since the announcement
of her selection as our vice presidential
nominee, she has faced an onslaught of
rumor, smear and innuendo. Yet Gov. Palin
has remained strong and resolute. She has
let the truth speak for itself. ❑
Gov. Palin has
shown she is
not wedded to
party politics.
Linda Lingle, a Jewish Republican, is governor
of Hawaii. She has known Sarah Plain since her
election as governor of Alaska in 2006.