Historic U.S. Presidential Debate to be Held--in Jerusalem

From an email:

Historic U.S. Presidential Debate to be Held in Jerusalem

(September 20, 2008) In an historic first, the American Israeli Action Coalition (AIAC) has organized and is sponsoring a U.S. Presidential Style debate to be held in Jerusalem on Thursday evening, 25th September.

At the debate, Senator John McCain, the Republican Presidential nominee, will be represented by Marc Zell, co-chair of Republicans Abroad - Israel. Senator Barack Obama will be represented by Sheldon Schorer, counsel to Democrats Abroad - Israel. Harvey Schwartz, AIAC's Chairman, will act as Moderator.

"This is the first time that an event such as this has been held in Israel", said Schwartz. "It is truly an historic first".

"There are more than 250,000 Americans currently residing in Israel", continued Schwartz. "They are vitally interested in the upcoming U.S. election, which will be one of the most significant elections in recent memory. They recognize the impact which this election may have on U.S.-Israel relations".

Aaron Tirschwell, AIAC's Director, noted that "unlike Israeli law, American law permits American citizens residing anywhere in the world to vote by absentee ballot. The more than 250,000 American citizens in Israel come from many of the most important "swing" states - such as New York, New Jersey, Florida, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan and California - and, together with their friends, relatives and supporters in the United States, may have a significant impact on the outcome of the election".

"In order to make the debate as authentic and meaningful as possible, AIAC has drafted questions -many of which were suggested by its members - about matters relating to Israel and American society, which it has presented to Messrs. Zell and Schorer who, in turn, have forwarded them to the candidates for their responses", Schwartz stated. "At the debate, it is anticipated that Zell and Schorer will report their respective candidate's actual responses to those questions. Thus, it will be as close as possible to having Sens. Obama and McCain actually present and answering questions in person at the debate. This is a further historic innovation to this format".

As a further innovation, questions from audience members will be entertained.

The debate will take place on Thursday, September 25, 2008 at 7:30 PM (doors open at 6:45 PM) at Heichal Shlomo, 58 King George Street, Jerusalem. "The auditorium can seat approximately 1,000 people", noted Tirschwell. "Early indications are that there should be a full house, so people are encouraged to come early".

AIAC Chairman Schwartz noted that Senators McCain and Obama will hold their first debate in the U.S. the next day, September 26. "It is significant that under our format, Israelis will have an opportunity to hear the candidates' positions a full day before the American electorate does", he said.

At the location, Americans who have not yet done so will have an opportunity to register for absentee ballots, in an effort which AIAC is sponsoring in cooperation with www.votefromisrael.org.

AIAC is a non-partisan, non-political, issue-oriented NGO which is devoted to effectively recruiting and activating the more than 250,000 expatriate American citizens living in Israel in order to create a united voice that will be heard by the governments of the United States and Israel on issues that pertain to the continued safety and security of Israel and the Jewish people worldwide.
www.aiacoalition.org

Venue: Heichal Shlomo, 58 King George St., Jerusalem
Date: Thursday, September 25th 2008, at 7:30 PM (doors open at 6:45PM)

# # #

For additional information, of if you would like to RSVP, please contact:

Mr. Ashley Perry, Media Relations
American Israel Action Coalition
Email: presidentialstyledebate@gmail.com
Phone: +972 54 555 1974

Technorati Tag: Israel and Election 2008.

You Almost Want To Pity Putin

It seems that the invasion of Georgia has had some unforeseen consequences:

“Today marks 18 years since the Republic of South Ossetia was proclaimed,” said Eduard Kokoity as his breakaway region celebrated its independence with a military parade in Tskhinvali yesterday. ”For 18 years, the people of South Ossetia have been proving their right to an equal place among other nations.”Prime Minister Putin must have been studying the Ossetian leader’s words with confusion, because in the last two weeks Kokoity has alternatively advocated that his region unify with Russia and maintain its claimed status as an independent state. Now, Putin is undoubtedly alarmed as well: on Thursday the breakaway leader said that South Ossetia would retain its independence and seek to unify with North Ossetia. North Ossetia is within the Russian Federation.

Moscow, it appears, has backed itself into a corner. It has just fought a war for self-determination and recognized the independence of South Ossetia. What could the Kremlin possibly say when Kokoity asks for a statehood referendum of all Ossetians?

Putin apparently had no idea what he was letting loose.

Read the whole thing.

Technorati Tag: Russia.

Will Olmert Resign Today? (Updated: It's Official)

From Arutz Sheva:

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said he would announce, at the Cabinet meeting Sunday morning, his plans to submit his letter of resignation. He left open the actual time of his resignation until early this afternoon, when he announced that he would hand in the letter of resignation to President Shimon Peres Sunday evening at 7:30 p.m.

The Prime Minister said in July that he would resign "when a new [Kadima] party leader is chosen... in order to enable him/her to form a new government." Though the implication was that he would resign before or as the efforts to form a new government begin, no date was specified.

When Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni was chosen last week to head the Kadima party and began efforts to form a new government, Olmert went one step further. He informed his fellow Cabinet ministers in Kadima that he will announce in the Cabinet meeting his decision to resign from the position of Prime Minister - but again, did not say when he would hand in the letter.

Around 2 p.m., Olmert finally agreed to pin himself down, and stated that at 7:30 p.m., he would arrive at the President's Residence and give the letter to President Shimon Peres. The resignation will take effect 48 hours later.

Read the whole thing.

A classic case of 'I won't believe it until I see it.'

Updated: Now it's reported that it is official, but as we already knew--that doesn't mean that Olmert is actually out:

Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni wasted no time Sunday working to put together a new government, meeting with potential coalition partners even as outgoing Prime Minister Ehud Olmert formally resigned. Her ability to move fast in her first task could have far-reaching effects on Mideast peace talks.

Livni, who has gained respect for favoring peace deals with the Palestinians and Syria while distancing herself from the unpopular Olmert, would become Israel's second female prime minister after Golda Meir, who served from 1969-1974.

A former lawyer and one-time agent in the Mossad spy agency, Livni has 42 days to form a government.

Olmert remains in office until a new government is approved by the parliament, and he has pledged to press ahead with peace efforts as long as he is premier. That in itself might push reluctant Israeli politicians to deal quickly with Livni.

Has their ever been a greater incentive for Israeli politicians to get their act together?

[Hat tip: Outside The Beltway]

Technorati Tag: Israel and Olmert.

New Rally Protesting Ahmadinejad on September 25 (Palin Is invited) [Updated]

From a comment left on one of my posts:

New Rally Protesting Ahmadinejad on September 25 (Palin invited)
Jewish Action Alliance | September 18, 2008 | Beth Gilinsky

Posted on Friday, September 19, 2008 10:32:54 AM by Ziva

On Thursday, Sept 25, at 6pm in Manhattan, The American Friends Service Committee, Mennonite Central Committee, Quaker UN Office, Religions for Peace, World Council of Churches-UN Liaison Office will be honoring Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at an Iftar (dinner to break the day’s Ramadan fast).

At the same time, The Jewish Action Alliance, Stand With Us, the Israel Project, Americans for a Safe Israel, The Center for Security Policy, the Catholic League, Rabbi Potasnik from NY Board of Rabbis, the Traditional Values Coalition, and the Alliance of Iranian Women will hold an interfaith counter-rally to protest Ahmadinejad’s presence at the United Nations, and to oppose his nuclear weapons program and his outrageous threats against America’s ally, Israel.

Republican Vice-Presidential candidate Sarah Palin has been invited to speak along with other politicians, Democrats and Republicans.

Please join us at the Hyatt Hotel, East 42nd St, near Lexington Ave and Grand Central Station, in Manhattan, at 5:30pm.

Send a message to the Mullahs in Iran!

For more information, or to bring your organization on board, call 212-726-1124

Updated: You can read a copy of the speech Sarah Palin was going to give at the rally.

Technorati Tag: Anti-Ahmadinejad Rally.

Sharing The Blame For The Rally Fiasco

Eric Trager puts the focus back on the organizers of the rally. True, the Democratic shenanigans have crippled the effectiveness of the rally--

But the organizations behind the National Coalition to Stop Iran Now deserve far greater condemnation–not only for giving in to the Obama-Biden campaign’s petty political demands, but for staging a rally that presents concerns regarding Iran as a strictly Jewish issue. Indeed, this rally is now the exclusive enterprise of Jewish groups–The Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, UJC, UJA, The Jewish Council for Public Affairs, and the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York. Meanwhile, the fact that the only public figure speaking at the rally is an Israeli parliamentarian–Knesset Speaker Dalia Itzik–compounds this issue.

There can be no doubt that Iran is a source of special concern for Jews. Ahmadinejad has made Holocaust denial more politically acceptable across the Muslim world than ever before; he has threatened Israel with destruction; and his regime has historically oppressed its Jewish community. Yet these issues are a mere subset of the concerns relevant to Iranian ascendancy, and Iran’s pursuit of nuclear capabilities has encouraged a diverse group of states–including the United States, European Union, and a number of key Arab states–to unite as a (admittedly, somewhat shaky) coalition against its ambitions.

Given this reality, how has the National Coalition to Stop Iran Now failed so miserably to assemble a diverse front for protesting Ahmadinejad this week? How could they fail to understand the extent to which excluding American political leaders from this demonstration would send the wrong message?

Not our greatest moment.

Technorati Tag: Anti-Ahmadinejad Rally.

The Palin Disinviation Is Part Of A Pattern

CBS reports that the sponsors of the anti-Ahmadinejad rally were threatened that if they insisted on having Palin at the rally without either Clinton or Biden, "it could jeopardize their tax exempt status." Assemblyman Dov Hikind, D-Brooklyn went ont to say:

"This is insulting. This is embarrassing, especially to Gov. Palin, to me and I think it should be to every single New Yorker"

It's an absolute shame that this has happened. To threaten organizations … to threaten the Conference of Presidents that if you don't withdraw the invitation to Gov. Palin we're going to look into your tax exempt status … that's McCarthyism.

As for Hillary Clinton, her people told CBS news that "She is also expected to attack Ahmadinejad's pro-nuke, anti-Israel stance."

No doubt Ahmadinejad will be quaking in his shoes.

Meryl Yourish has it exactly right:

That’s not a political party pressuring groups to do something. That’s outright break-your-kneecap, Mafia-style blackmail threats.

In fact, those are precisely the kinds of tactics that the Jewish groups will be protesting on Monday. We just never expected them from the Democrats.

Meanwhile, Jennifer Rubin thinks that this incident will hurt Obama in the context of: 

o Obama's affiliation with Palestinian groups

o His flip-flop on Jerusalem in his speech to AIPAC

o The flap over his anti-Israel advisers and their troubling comments about Israel

She notes that Obama--who brags of the experience he gainsed as a community organizer--ended up destroying the unity necessary to make the upcoming rally a success.

Meanwhile, we have seen other strongarm tactics--these directly from the Obama camp:

Much of Barack Obama's political success can be traced to a database listing contact information for millions of people, a tool that has proved invaluable in raising record sums of money and organizing a national volunteer network.

Now Obama's presidential campaign is increasingly using the list to beat back media messages it does not like, calling on supporters to flood radio and television stations when those opposed to him run anti-Obama ads or appear on talk shows.

It did so as recently as Monday night, when it orchestrated a massive stream of complaints on the phone lines of Tribune Co.-owned WGN-AM in Chicago when the radio station hosted author David Freddoso, who has written a controversial book about the Illinois Democrat.

So let's get this straight: in dealing with Ahmandinejad, Obama prefers unconditional negotiation and talk. When dealing with critics, talk is not an option--but strongarm tactics are:

Last night, WGN’s studio lines were bombarded with irate calls from Obama supporters in response to yet another interview on “Extension 720,” hosted by the venerable Milt Rosenberg. This time the offending “card-carrying member of the right-wing smear machine” was National Review’s own David Freddoso, author of The Case Against Barack Obama.

...During the August fiasco, outraged pro-Obama callers fumed that WGN had offered Kurtz an unchallenged forum, despite the fact that Team Obama had declined an invitation to appear alongside Kurtz for the duration of the program. This time, however, Freddoso was actually paired up with an Obama-supporting counterpart. This wasn’t good enough for the Obama thought police, who blasted out marching orders to shut down the discussion. Once again, the phones melted down. The Obama campaign should be proud.

This is the second time that the Obama campaign has been offended by free speech:

Stanley Kurtz's appearance on the Milt Rosenberg radio program in Chicago last night provided an unsettling look into the authoritarian tactics being employed by the Obama campaign to stifle and intimidate its critics.

I happened to be in the WGN studios for the entire affair because my friend, Zack Christenson, produces the show in question. He was aware of my previous reporting on the Obama-Ayers connection and kindly invited me to sit in on the two-hour interview...

As I arrived at the downtown Chicago studios a few hours before show time, the phones began ringing off the hook with irate callers demanding Kurtz be axed from the program. It didn't take long to discover that the Obama campaign—which had declined invitations to join the show for its duration to offer rebuttals to Kurtz's points—had sent an "Obama Action Wire" e-mail to its supporters, encouraging them to deluge the station with complaints.

...As Rosenberg repeatedly pointed out that Team Obama had been offered the opportunity to take part in the conversation...

"Irate callers demanding Kurtz axed from the program"--a pattern?

The bigger question is whether Jews will care.

Technorati Tag: Obama.

Obama Said It, Not Me

I am new enough on the national political scene that I serve as a blank screen on which people of vastly different political stripes project their own views. As such, I am bound to disappoint some, if not all, of them. 

Excerpted from The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama

Hat tip to Rex Murphy, who writes about The incredible shrinking Obama, and notes:

There's more than a gap between the "audacity of hope" and "lipstick on a pig." The mouth that spoke the first phrase should not be capable of the second.

Technorati Tag: Obama.

Sarah Palin Disinvited From Rally--And The Games Politicians Play (Updated)

What a mess.

First Hillary Clinton bows out. Now "all politicians" have been disinvited from the rally--which of course means that Sarah Palin will not be there.

I've seen different reasons offered by the pundits--everything from her not wanting to share the spotlight to her somehow undermining Obama. The reason Hillary Clinton herself gave was that it would make the rally seem too political.

After Clinton pulled out, the McCain camp invited Obama to come instead:

we hope Senator Obama will consider lending his own voice to this cause. And if Senator subsequently wishes to clarify any remarks that might be misconstrued, he will have the opportunity to meet with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad without preconditions after he speaks at the UN the following day.

Personally, I wonder if the comment about being able to "meet with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad without preconditions" was a dig at Obama, based on his comments about negotiating with Iran without preconditions. Not the most effective way to invite Obama to come to the rally.

Apparently others were also suggested to fill the void:

The Obama campaign in turn offered to send Congressman Robert Wexler of Florida — who had harshly attacked Palin for slender ties to Pat Buchanan— to the event.

That suggestion had about as much chance of being accepted as McCain's invitation to Obama.
Another possible substitute was Joe Biden:

COMMENTARY has learned that Joe Biden was invited to the event in the wake of Hillary Clinton’s refusal to appear on the same stage as Palin — and he declined. In an e-mail to me, Biden spokesman David Wade said that “we’ve had longstanding commitment to speak at National Guard Convention on Monday in Maryland.”

Biden's excuse seems to parallel what will happen at the Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting later this month:

Both United States presidential candidates will have a role in the Annual Meeting. Senator John McCain will deliver the opening remarks live at the "Integrated Solutions: water, food and energy" plenary session. Senator Barack Obama will address meeting participants via satellite. [emphasis added]

And to think people made fun of my suggestion that if a Democrat and Republican appeared together it would cause a tear in the fabric of the universe.

Joshua Pundit is writing about the fallout from this:

I already know a number of people who were planning to attend who aren't going to bother. Way to hand Ahmadinejad a win on a silver platter.

Those are 2 key points.

In the short term, whatever impact the rally could have had will now be diluted. Any mention of the rally will bring up the topic of the political oneupmanship that took place in the days leading up to the rally, and detract from the supposed unity of the protesters.

In the long term, those who organized the rally and were put into the position of disinviting Sarah Palin will lose support as well. Joshua Pundit has the names and contact info of the organizers of the rally.

Bottom line, it looks like everyone is going to lose from.

Except for Ahmadinejad.

ADMISSION: Funny how easily we are 'set up' to view things in a certain way. I realized afterward that of course McCain's comment on his site was sarcastic. The blog that led me to that page nonchalantly claimed that McCain suggested that Obama come to the rally, and that is how I read the page. Now, considering the swipe at Obama--and how poorly Obama takes criticism--there was no way that Obama was going to cooperate, assuming that the McCain camp was even seriously making the suggestion in the first place.

More on the Disinvitation here.

Crossposted on Soccer Dad

Technorati Tag: Sarah Palin.

Obama's Conference Call With 900 Rabbis

This may be the most novel idea since Napoleon convened a Sanhedrin.

John Podhoretz writes about the event, which was live-blogged by Danya Ruttenberg. Podhoretz thinks that this idea of Obama's was nothing less than brilliant:

...These are the only days in the year in which one can expect American Jews to attempt, at least, to attend synagogue and listen to a sermon — and in an election year, Obama was offering these rabbis plenty of grist for their mills in convincing their parishioners to vote for him, at least implicitly.

...What Obama’s team has done here is extremely clever. Pulpit rabbis do not go to the lectern and announce that their congregants should vote for someone. But they will be more than happy to do everything but — by attacking the notion that Obama is not a friend of Israel or of the Jews, by talking about the lies told about him, and the like.

By paying court and obeisance to a group of American clergy that actually doesn’t get this all that often, and at a moment of political peril for him, Obama has probably done himself a world of good.

I thought it was interesting that at the end, Obama took questions--one from each of the 4 branches--and as Jake Tapper of ABC's Political Punch notes, the questions seem to reflect the segment of Judaism that each rabbi represents:

Anyone familiar with those branches will not be surprised that the Orthodox rabbi expressed concern that Obama’s K-12 education funding plans exclude private religious schools, the Conservative rabbi asked Obama to talk about his recent trip to Israel where he met with various political leaders, the Reform rabbi asked how one addresses the economic needs of most Americans while not forgetting the poor, and the Reconstructionist rabbi asked, according to Ruttenberg, “how people of all faiths and people of no faiths can both speak from where they are (in their respective belief systems) and also come together.”

The oddest comment seems to come from one rabbi who commented that is support of Obam

“is a case of both ahavat Mordechai and sinat Haman” (love of Mordechai and hate of Haman).

That is the most potentially provocative statement since Obama's comment about lipstick on a pig and dead fish.

At least these 900 rabbis will have something to talk about to their congregations--not that it is usually such a problem.

Exit question: will Muslims feel left out that Obama did not have a similar conference call with 900 imams prior to Ramadan?

Technorati Tag: Obama.

Scorecard On The Israeli Election--For Those Watching At Home

Media Backspin gives the basic procedure:

1. Outgoing Prime Minister Ehud Olmert formally gives his and the cabinet's resignation to President Shimon Peres. Olmert and his cabinet formally take on caretaker status.

2. The president consults with leaders of the political parties in the parliament and chooses one to form a new coalition. As leader of the ruling party, Livni is expected to get the nod for prime minister-designate.

3. The PM-designate will have 28 days to form a new coalition approved by the Knesset. The president customarily gives the PM-designate a 14-day extension, if necessary.

4. If Livni cannot form a coalition, the president can either appoint a new PM-designate from among the leaders of the other parties, or dissolve the the Knesset. The new PM-designate would have the same time frame to form a coalition. If the Knesset is dissolved, a general election is held within 90 days. The winning party is invited to form a new coalition and the process starts all over again.

5. No matter how long it takes, Olmert continues as caretaker prime minister until the Knesset approves a new coalition.

But of course nothing proceeds quite the way you expect--from IMRA:

Israel Radio broadcast the following clarification in its hourly news
bulletin at 6 PM:

"Our state affairs correspondent Shmuel Tal notes that on Wednesday [AL: 24
September] Olmert will convene the Security Cabinet. He will continue to
convene the Government until a different government is formed."

It would appear from Tal's report that he may have infomation that Ehud
Olmert does not intend to exercise 16(b) of Basic Law: The Government, in
tandem with resigning under 19 of the same law. There is nothing in the law
preventing Olmert from causing Livni to immediately be prime minister by both resigning and stating that he is temporarily unable to discharge his duties.

The following is the relevant law:

Basic Law: The Government (2001)
www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/MFAArchive/2000_2009/2001/3/Basic%20Law-%20The%20Government%20-2001-

16. (b) Should the Prime Minister be temporarily unable to discharge his
duties, his place will be filled by the Acting Prime Minister. After the
passage of 100 days upon which the Prime Minister does not resume his
duties, the Prime Minister will be deemed permanently unable to exercise his
office.
...
19. The Prime Minister may, after notifying the Government of his intention
to do so, resign by submitting a letter of resignation to the President of
the State. The resignation of the Prime Minister shall be deemed to be the
resignation of the Government.

Does Olmert really think that the longer he stays the more likely he will find a way to make progress with Abbas and redeem his name?

Technorati Tag: Israel and Olmert.