Friday, June 06, 2008

BARACK OBAMA

Obama's AIPAC Speech, Sounding Too Good To Be True

When I saw this line in Obama's speech at AIPAC...

That is why I opposed holding elections in 2006 with Hamas on the ballot.

...it sounded odd, but it paled in comparison to everything else in the speech. Jen Rubin says there's no evidence to be found of Obama publicly opposing holding the elections with Hamas in the ballot; in fact, in an article that Obama's Senate office features on his web site, we learn:

At a meeting with Palestinian students Thursday, Obama said the US will never recognize winning Hamas candidates unless the group renounces its fundamental mission to eliminate Israel, and Obama told ABC7 he delivered that message to the Palestinian president.

"Part of the opportunity here with this upcoming election is to consolidate behind a single government with a single authority that can then negotiate as a reliable partner with Israel," said Obama.

But many Palestinian officials say the US should respect whoever wins in a democratic election.

"They must accept the results. This is democracy," said Anton Salman, Fatah party member.

"We won't recognize Hamas if they win" is not quite the same as "don't hold the election if Hamas is on the ballot."

But the bigger issue is his back-and-forth on "an undivided Jerusalem." The good folks at AIPAC seemed to appreciate Obama's speech, and are way to classy to boo, groan, hiss, or murmur for any line in a speech they find implausible.

But they ought to make note when a visiting politician's applause lines have an expiration date.

06/06 08:19 AMShare