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Monday, November 05, 2012

The truth about President Obama's relationship with Israel

The Republican Jewish Coalition sponsored an evening with former Bush press secretary Ari Fleischer and former Minnesota Senator (and current Romney foreign policy adviser) Norm Coleman in Philadelphia on Sunday night. The evening was moderated by RJC chairman Matt Brooks.

Lori Lowenthal Marcus was there and filed a lengthy report. I just want to highlight one of the many, many lies the Hussein Obama campaign is telling, namely that the President increased military aid to Israel.
One reason why so many Jewish supporters of President Obama have stuck with their 2008 choice is that the Democrats’ talking points are so reassuring, and because the Republican officials are so out of touch with what lay people know about how our government works.
Top talking points from the Jews for Obama playbook are that under Obama, Israel has received more financial and military assistance from the U.S. than under any other U.S. president, ever.
Of course that is nonsense, first, because Congress is primarily in charge of passing the budget.  It is in Congressional committees that the numbers get crunched – the President gets to submit a proposed budget, but Congress decides on the final budget, subject only to a presidential veto.

...

But at least as importantly, in this year, when President Obama and the Democrats have crowed so loudly about the enormous funding for Israel’s Arrow systems — two medium- and long-range anti-ballistic missile systems — and David’s Sling, a short-range anti-missile system, President Obama’s proposed budget actually decreased funding for that line item.  Congress ignored the President’s effort to reduce funding for Israel’s defense and instead practically doubled the amount requested by the Administration.  It was because of Congress that Israel received more “financial and military assistance” during this time period – although it was, indeed, technically, a time period during which Barrack Obama was the president – than ever before

...

At least one other point that bears discussion is the funding for Israel’s Iron Dome mobile defense system.  This system, which uses an interceptor to detonate incoming rockets and artillery shells, is largely credited with protecting much of southern Israel from its’ neighbors’ escalating aggression.   It is a project developed in and produced in Israel, but financed, in large part, by the U.S.  The financial agreement was part of a $30 billion 10-year military-aid agreement signed by the Bush administration back in 2007.
President Obama has not attempted to derail the Iron Dome aid project, but as a binding 10-year agreement, it is not clear that he even has the power to do so. But the project was neither developed during the Obama administration, nor did financial support for it originate with President Obama.
Lowenthal Marcus believes that the public doesn't understand how funding works and the Democrats are taking advantage of that knowledge gap. 
Unfortunately, the RJC trio gave short shrift to those major Democratic talking points that serve to allay the concerns of so many Jewish Americans who might otherwise be apprehensive about voting again for President Obama. Apparently they think “everyone knows” that it is Congress, the stalwart friend of Israel, that is the holder of the purse, and is the source for all U.S. aid, and they likewise think that “everyone knows” the Iron Dome defense system was a project agreed to during President Bush’s tenure in the White House, one which, as with virtually all military spending projects, is shepherded by hawks in Congress, in concert with the U.S. military – almost always a reliable friend to Israel.
But this is where the RJC and so many other political surrogates have lost touch with their audience, and it is a critical gap in comprehension which gives the edge to the Democratic party, when it comes to messaging to Jews and other pro-Israel supporters.
 Read the whole thing.

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1 Comments:

At 9:01 PM, Blogger Sunlight said...

Do the RJC people know about the green slush? Because really the Obami have diminished Israel's future security prospects by overturning apple carts in favor of the Muslim Bros, al Qaeda, and al Shabaab on every side of Israel, while drawing Israel technology interests into $Billions of non-congressional green slush spending. It's like food stamps they've used to pacify urbanites. I don't know about RJC, but I did track some involvement back to some East Coast Federation people. When Israel goes along and doesn't speak a single peep about this, no one knows what to do or say.

 

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