Joo Rip Gwa Rhhee
Joined: 25 May 2003
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 Posted: Thu Jun 05, 2008 6:17 am Post subject: Obama changes his mind about Iran's Revolutionary Guards |
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You don't say?
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Obama, Seeking To Ease Jewish Fears, Now Calls Iran's Guards A Terror Group
BY SEAN HIGGINS
INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY
Posted 6/4/2008
Just hours after clinching the Democratic nomination, Barack Obama sought to reassure Jewish voters Wednesday that his administration would reaffirm strong ties between the U.S. and Israel.
Mindful that his standing among Jewish Americans may be soft, Obama told the American Israel Public Affairs Committee that "I will never compromise when it comes to Israel's security."
So adamant was the Illinois senator that he would stand up for Israel that he hailed labeling the Iranian Revolutionary Guard as a terror group. He had voted against a Senate bill to that effect last year and ripped Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., for backing it.
He also endorsed boosting military aid to Israel and a two-state solution to the Palestinian issue with Jerusalem as the "undivided" capital of Israel. He also urged a halt to settlements and defended his calls to negotiate with Iran.
Clinton Implicitly Concedes
Meanwhile, Clinton appeared to concede the nomination to Obama. She told the AIPAC audience that support for Israel was one of the party's "most cherished" values.
"I know that will continue under the next Democratic president. I know, I know, that Sen. Obama understands what is at stake here," she said. She made no reference to herself becoming president.
The appearance of both candidates at AIPAC's gathering right after the primaries ended was largely a coincidence. Hardly anybody expected the race to last until June.
Yet both candidates kept the date, underscoring the importance of the Jewish vote and Obama's need to shore up support.
AIPAC is America's largest pro-Israel lobby and a highly influential voice among Jewish Americans. Its annual D.C. conference drew more than 7,000 people this year.
Jews have tended to vote 4-1 to 5-1 for Democrats in presidential elections. Reagan won 40% of the Jewish vote in 1980. No Republican since has come close to that.
But Obama leads McCain among Jews by just 61%-32% in a recent Gallup poll. That could tip swing states with big Jewish populations like Florida.
McCain has sought to exploit that opening. He told AIPAC Monday that Obama was wrong to agree to speak to Iran's leaders without preconditions and warned his Iraq troop withdrawal plan could destabilize the region.
Obama Then Vs. Now
The GOP nominee hit Obama for refusing last September to support a bill that would have designated the Iranian Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization.
"Over three-quarters of the Senate supported this obvious step, but not Senator Obama," McCain said.
At the time, Obama claimed the bill would have opened the door to military action vs. Iran, something its backers strongly denied. He attacked Clinton for voting for it.
"Voters want a leader who won't repeat the mistakes of Iraq," Obama spokesman Reid Cherlin told the Concord (N.H.) Monitor last October.
But before AIPAC Wednesday, Obama called for isolating Iran via financial sanctions and boycotting firms tied to the Revolutionary Guard, "whose Quds force has rightly been labeled a terrorist organization."
McCain labeled that a flip-flop in a conference call with bloggers.
"(Obama) was very categorical about his position, and now he goes before AIPAC and tries to change his position," McCain said. "He's going through a lot of evolutions here, and I don't think the American people will buy it."
Obama sought to address other concerns, most notably his call to speak with Iran.
"I have no interest in sitting down with our adversaries just for the sake of talking," he said. "But . . . I would be willing to lead tough and principled diplomacy with the appropriate Iranian leader at a time and place of my choosing, if and, only if, it can advance the interests of the United States."
He also addressed e-mails that have circulated suggesting he was a closeted Muslim among other charges, calling them "tall tales."
Reaction to Obama's speech was positive and he exited to a standing ovation, though some at the conference felt lingering concerns.
"He's saying all the right things. That being said, he'll have to prove it with actions," said Aaron Sokol, a Vermont student. "I think that people are very concerned that while we'd be engaged in talks with Iran they'd be exploiting that time to work on their bombs."
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