McCain vs Obama regarding support for Israel
Reader comment on item: Obama vs. McCain on the Middle East

Submitted by Maurice (Israel), Jun 7, 2008 at 02:32

I think there really isn't much doubt as to which of these two men would be in Israel's corner in a crisis situation. McCain knows what it means to be under threat by tyrants as his 7 years as a POW taught him a lot about this subject. He also realizes that Israel is the only realiable - and stable entity in the entire region; and the only country the U.S. can really rely on.

Obama, on the other hand, has much to prove as far as his sincerity and willingness to continue with present U.S. policies. Obama has little foreign policy experience and his desire to invite various questionable world leaders to Washington for discussions indicates his apparant naieveness that these "discussions" will bear any fruit. Will he invite such people as Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Bashar Assad, Maumoud Qhadafi , Hassan Nasrallah, Khaled Mashal and Ismail Haneyeh to a peace conference?

Trying to do what former President Bill Clinton tried to do (in 1993) may not bring any better results, as there are simply too many complicated issues at stake. It may be better to do as Mc Cain has suggested, and that is to have a similar policy as another Republican president, Theodore Roosevelt , did : "walk softly, but carry a big stick".

These days, a really "big stick" needs to be carried!

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