NYC Letter: Hope Vs. Calculus

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Here is a curious juxtaposition.

POLLS SHOW US JEWS PREFER OBAMA

WASHINGTON October 25, 2008 (JPost) - Two polls out Thursday show Barack Obama restoring his lead among Jewish voters to their historic Democratic levels, even in the crucial swing state of Florida where the candidate has come under much criticism from the Jewish community.

A Quinnipiac University poll released Thursday found Floridian Jews back Obama over Republican rival John McCain by a rate of 77 percent to 20%. And a Gallup survey found that nationwide, Jews prefer Obama by 74% to McCain's 22%.

POLL: ISRAEL VOTES McCAIN IN US ELECTIONS

October 27, 2008 (Ynet) - The survey found that given the right to vote in the US, 46.4% of Israelis would vote for the Republican nominee, John McCain. Thirty-four percent would vote for Democratic nominee Barack Obama, and 18.6% remain undecided.

Almost half of those polled (48.6%) believe McCain would better impact Israel, while 31.5% thought the country would better benefit from Obama's leadership. Just over 5% believe the candidates would have the same effect on Israel, while 14.2% remain undecided.

... Alon Pinkas, the former consul general of Israel in New York who currently heads the Rabin Center's institute for Israel-US relations, explained the results of the poll:

What we see here is a significant difference in positions between Jews in the US and Jews in Israel.

Israel is one of just three countries that prefer McCain over Obama. The other two are Georgia and the Philippines.

There is a vast ocean between Israeli Jews and American Jews, but there is one common concern, the defense of Israel. Isolated among hostile or regressive Arab governments, our guess is that Israelis have a keener insight than stateside Jews into which American candidate would make the better guarantor of Israel's security.

Just as Israel's enemies have a keen insight into who best advances their interests.

HAMAS ENDORSES OBAMA

April 16, 2008 (Powerline/WABC) - On Sunday, Aaron Klein and John Batchelor interviewed Ahmed Yousef, chief political adviser to the Prime Minister of Hamas, on WABC radio. Mr. Yousef:

We like Mr. Obama and we hope he will win the election. He has a vision to change America.

Yousef was asked about Obama's condemnation of Carter's visit with Hamas, but didn't seem troubled by it. Hamas, he says, understands American politics; this is the election season, and everyone wants to sound like a friend of Israel. Nevertheless, he hopes that the Democrats will change American policies when they take office.

LARIJANI: IRAN PREFERS OBAMA

October 22, 2008 (Ynet/AFP) - Iranian parliament Speaker Ali Larijani said Wednesday that Iran would prefer Democrat Barack Obama in the White House next year. Larijani also dismissed any idea that the US would attack Iran. Mr. Larijani:

We are leaning more in favor of Barack Obama because he is more flexible and rational, even though we know American policy will not change that much.

The American Jewish vote is traditionally Democratic. So it is not too surprising to see Mr. Obama hold Mr. Kerry's 2004 take of the Jewish vote. [Pause.] We wonder though if Mr. Obama would still command the Jewish vote if the MSM pressed him to explain himself.

THE L.A. TIMES SUPPRESSES OBAMA’S KHALIDI BASH TAPE
Obama, Ayers, And PLO Supporters Toast Edward Said’s Successor,
But The Press Doesn’t Think It’s Quite As Newsworthy
As Sarah Palin’s Wardrobe.

October 27, 2008 (NRO) - Why is the Los Angeles Times sitting on a videotape of the 2003 farewell bash in Chicago at which Barack Obama lavished praise on the guest of honor, Rashid Khalidi — former mouthpiece for master terrorist Yasser Arafat?

At the time Khalidi, a PLO adviser turned University of Chicago professor, was headed east to Columbia. There he would take over the University’s Middle East-studies program (which he has since maintained as a bubbling cauldron of anti-Semitism) and assume the professorship endowed in honor of Edward Sayyid, another notorious terror apologist.

The party featured encomiums by many of Khalidi’s allies, colleagues, and friends, including Barack Obama, then an Illinois state senator, and Bill Ayers, the terrorist turned education professor. It was sponsored by the Arab American Action Network (AAAN), which had been founded by Khalidi and his wife, Mona, formerly a top English translator for Arafat’s press agency.

Is there just a teeny-weenie chance that this was an evening of Israel-bashing Obama would find very difficult to explain? Could it be that the Times, a pillar of the Obamedia, is covering for its guy?

Earlier this year Mr. Obama minimized his relationship with Mr. Khalidi.

Now it would be nice if he explained the relationship.