Sick. Just plain Sick. Amd Obama’s fellow congregants cheer and applaud.

MORE:

http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0508/Mocking_Hillary_at_Trinity.html

http://wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=65625

5/19/2008
MEMO: Mission Accomplished? Not so fast.
To: Interested Parties
From: Howard Wolfson, Communications Director
Date: Monday, May 19, 2008
Re: Mission Accomplished? Not so fast.

Senator Obama’s plan to declare himself the Democratic nominee tomorrow night in Iowa (http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0508/10184.html) is a slap in the face to the millions of voters in the remaining primary states and to Senator Clinton’s 17 million supporters.
There is no scenario under the rules of the Democratic National Committee by which Senator Obama will be able to claim the nomination tomorrow night. He will not have 2210 delegates, the number needed with Florida and Michigan included in the process, nor will he have 2025 delegates, the number needed to secure the nomination without Florida and Michigan.
Premature victory laps and false declarations of victory are unwarranted. Declaring mission accomplished does not make it so.
While Senator Obama inaccurately declares himself the nominee, Senator Clinton will continue to work hard, campaigning for every vote in the upcoming states and making the case that she will be the best nominee to take on John McCain and be our next President.

Allard and Clinton Introduce “National Childhood Cancer Awareness Day” Resolution

“We have made tremendous strides in the fight against childhood cancer, but far too many children still suffer and lose their lives to this illness. The more we know as a nation the better able we will be to prevent and treat the disease and help those who are battling and surviving pediatric cancers. National Childhood Cancer Awareness Day is an opportunity to reach out to all Americans with the facts about childhood cancer, and this day will be an important symbol of our commitment on all days to find a cure,” said Senator Clinton.

Allard and Clinton Introduce “National Childhood Cancer Awareness Day” Resolution

…and you can thank her back!

Hillary Clinton for President Widget

When asked how she would react if Iran waged a nuclear attack on Israel, Senator Clinton replied that she would obliterate Iran. (Indiana senator Evan Bayh Bayh agrees). Former New York City Mayor Ed Koch here defends senator Clinton against crticism by Obama for her response.

Ed Koch Commentary May 10, 2008

Senator Barack Obama won the North Carolina primary by 14 percentage points. Senator Hillary Clinton won the Indiana primary by a narrower margin of two percent. Neither candidate scored a knockout punch, but Obama came out ahead.

Clearly Senator Obama who had the most to lose – it would have been considered a huge loss if Indiana went big for Hillary – also had the most to gain. The race goes on and will go on until a decision is made at the Democratic National Convention in Denver. The fat lady here is Hillary, and she won’t sing. I’m part of her primary campaign until she wins or withdraws. I simply do not trust Senator Obama’s judgment.

Obama’s actions in not standing up to Rev. Jeremiah Wright and protest the minister’s attacks on white America, the United States government and the State of Israel, and his support of Minister Louis Farrakhan, are important matters. No one accuses Obama of adopting any of Rev. Wright’s positions as his own. Indeed, he has denounced them. But his denouncement comes 20 years too late and only after Rev. Wright denounced his heretofore devoted congregant as a hypocrite for conveying his disagreement with his minister, stating at the National Press Club on April 28th, “We both know that, if Senator Obama did not say what he said, he would never get elected. Politicians say what they say and do what they do based on electability, based on sound bites, based on polls, Huffington, whoever’s doing the polls. Preachers say what they say because they’re pastors.”

Yes, it is true that not many people would stand up in a church or synagogue and publicly argue with their minister, but surely, there are some who would argue privately – which was not done here – and even more who would leave a church or synagogue that was led by someone spouting hateful speech.

In any event, we expect more courage from a candidate for president of this great country. We are now engaged in a war against Islamic terrorism and are in need of someone who can be trusted to advocate on behalf of the United States. Senator Obama, regrettably, was silent for too long.

An even more telling incident recently occurred. Hillary Clinton responded to the threats of the president of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who has stated, “The annihilation of the Zionist regime will come…Israel must be wiped off the map…And God willing…we shall soon experience a world without the United States and Zionism.”

This week, according to The New York Times, “Ahmadinejad called Israel ‘a stinking corpse’ that was doomed to fail, and warned countries that they would ‘burn in the fire of their people’s hatred’ if they helped Israel, the news agency IRNA reported. ‘Today the reason for Zionist regime’s existence is questioned, and this regime is on its way to annihilation,’ he said in a speech on the 60th anniversary of the Jewish state.”

We know that were Iran, which is on the verge of creating nuclear weapons and already has the capacity to deliver them, ever to launch such missiles at the United States or any NATO ally, it could expect immediate oblivion as the result of the U.S. response. Hillary recently attempted to warn Iran that were it to launch nuclear weapons against Israel, the U.S. “would be able to totally obliterate them.” Hillary’s comments were totally in keeping with the doctrine of Mutually Assured Destruction which kept the Soviet Union at bay during the Cold War when it threatened its European neighbors and members of NATO.

Instead of joining Hillary in a similar warning to Iran, Senator Obama on “Meet The Press” criticized Hillary stating, “It’s language reflective of George Bush…This kind of language is not helpful.”

Hillary’s language is exactly what was warranted. The Soviet Union understood the meaning of mutually assured destruction and consequently refrained from using its nuclear inventory. Lesser language conveying not destruction or obliteration, but simply lesser punishment encourages fanatical countries like Iran to believe they can attack our allies and survive.

Hillary’s statement regarding Iran and Israel was consistent with U.S. policy towards Israel. As Vice President Dick Cheney has said, “America’s commitment to Israel’s security is enduring and unshakable, as is our commitment to Israel’s right to defend itself always against terrorism, rocket attacks and other threats from forces dedicated to Israel’s destruction. The United States will never pressure Israel to take steps that threaten its security.”

We now know just how far Senator Obama is prepared to go to defend our friends and allies. It is not far enough.

Statement by Senator Hillary Clinton on the Occasion of Israel’s 60th Anniversary

I offer my heartfelt congratulations to the people of Israel on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the establishment as a state and homeland for the Jewish people, and I join all the friends of Israel who celebrate today with joy and pride.

Emerging after the tragedy of the Holocaust, the Jewish State was reborn after two thousand years, fulfilling the biblical prophecy of a return to Zion. Since then, in just three score years, Israel has welcomed Jewish exiles from Europe, the Arab world, Africa, and the former Soviet Union.

From my first trip to Israel in 1982 to my most recent visit in 2005, I have seen for myself Israel’s achievements – and its challenges. The people of Israel, proud and free and always triumphing in the face of adversity, have built a strong and vibrant democracy, a diverse and rich society, and an innovative and thriving economy.

Yet today, even as we celebrate all that Israel has achieved, we know that the Jewish state is still not safe. In every generation, Israel faces serious challenges to its security and threats to its existence. And just as the United States recognized Israel at birth, and has always stood by Israel when its survival and well-being were challenged, so too do the American people stand by Israel today, united by shared values and strong bonds of friendship.

As President of the United States, I will be proud to continue and strengthen these bonds, so that the State of Israel will continue to grow, from generation to generation, in security and peace.

Am Yisrael Chai! (the people of Israel live!)

Hillary Clinton Statement on Holocaust Remembrance Day

“This week, we remember the millions of men, women, and children who perished during the Holocaust; and as we do, we ask, ‘What must we do to ensure that this kind of destruction will never happen again?’

“We reflect on the lives that were lost, the courage of those who stood up to the Nazis, like the heroes of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising; and those of all faiths who risked everything to save lives. On this somber day, I am also reminded of the Holocaust survivors that came to this country, and who have greatly enriched our nation with their talent, energy, and dreams. Their stories and their willingness to share them will guarantee that future generations will never forget.

“The lessons of the Holocaust call us to act. As my friend, Elie Wiesel, said, ‘…to remain silent and indifferent is the greatest sin of all…’ Let us today renew our pledge that we will not be indifferent to moral injustice in the world; that we will not remain silent; and that we will speak out against crimes against humanity, threats of extermination, and genocide, such as that now being perpetuated in Darfur. We must act so that we may truly say to the world, ‘Never again.’”

Senator Clinton Hails Opening of Holocaust Archives

WASHINGTON, DC Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton today hailed the opening of the Holocaust archives in Bad Arolsen, Germany.  The archives hold an estimated 50 million records that disclose the fate of 17.5 million victims, and for the first time the archives are fully open to the public.

At last, Holocaust survivors and their families may find answers they’ve been seeking for six decades.  The archive’s opening will unearth long-buried information about so many who perished, and learning about their tragic fates is a part of our commitment to never forget.  As we near Holocaust Remembrance Day, I welcome the opening of the archives at Bad Arolsen and hope that its holdings will shed some light on one of the darkest chapters of the last century,” said Senator Clinton.

The Bad Arolsen archives long remained the largest closed World War II-era archives in the world, holding an estimated 50 million records that disclose the fate of some 17.5 million victims. Opening the archives to the public required each of the 11 member countries of the International Commission of the International Tracing Service (ITS) to ratify the May 2006 amendments to the 1955 Bonn Accords. On November 28, 2007, the final country ratified the agreement.

Senator Clinton has long supported allowing unfettered public access to the Holocaust archive.  In May 2007, the Senate passed a resolution introduced by Senator Clinton urging these ITS countries to complete the process and open the archives.  Last December Senator Clinton along with Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL) and Representative Alcee Hastings (D-FL) introduced resolutions praising the ITS countries’ ratification of the of the May 2006 amendments.

Senator Clinton Condemns Republican Obstruction of Key Breast Cancer Research
- Urges Passage of Legislation to Spur Life-Saving Research

Washington, DC – Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton today condemned Republican efforts to block debate and passage of the Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Act, of which Senator Clinton is an original co-sponsor. She urged her colleagues to join her in supporting this important legislation.

“This legislation will spur pioneering research into the links between environmental hazards and chronic conditions such as breast cancer. Greater federal investment in breast cancer research could hold the key to prevention or survival for millions of women across our country. This could not be a more critical issue,” Senator Clinton said. “It is outrageous that this vital life-saving effort is being held up by petty procedural politics here in the Senate. I strongly urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to come together to support this legislation.”

Breast Cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death for women in the United States. Three million women in the United States are currently living with breast cancer, one million of whom have not yet been diagnosed. On average, over 13,000 new cases of breast cancer are diagnosed each year in New York State, with about 3,000 annual deaths caused by this disease.

The Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Act would establish Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Centers of Excellence in order to conduct collaborative research on environmental factors that are linked to breast cancer. It would also establish a panel of experts, including patient advocates, to develop a comprehensive strategy for research in this area. Senator Clinton welcomed approval of the bill by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee in February. She previously called for passage of the legislation in 2007 and 2006.

Several New York universities are already engaging in innovative research in this area. In 2006, Senator Clinton visited Cornell University’s Sprecher Institute for Comparative Cancer Research and met with researchers from their program on Breast Cancer and Environmental Risk Factors, who are working to translate this research to help women understand and minimize their environmentally-connected risks.

Senator Clinton has long been active in promoting increased research into links between health and the environment. In 2001, she worked with her colleagues on the Environment and Public Works Committee to hold a field hearing in Long Island on the possible links between the environment and breast cancer. She has also introduced the Coordinated Environmental Health Network Act, which would establish a nationwide tracking network to help identify connections between disease and environment, develop a response system for addressing public health threats, and expand the biomonitoring work of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Natalie Portman Defends Hillary Clinton
Huffpo: Natalie Portman graces the April cover of Elle magazine to promote her period flick “The Other Boleyn Girl.” Whole interview here.

On Hillary Clinton:

A lot of the stuff people say about her, I hear it and my stomach falls because it’s so sexist. You ask people why they don’t like her and it’s because her husband cheated on her! That was obviously not her choice. She’s so much more polished and experienced than anyone else. Last night, a friend, a social worker in L.A. who works with underprivileged kids, was saying how these girls who have never been interested in politics before are so excited that a woman might be president. I mean, look how many women are in government…Hillary’s one of, what, [a handful of] female senators?

I also like Obama. I even like McCain. I disagree with his war stance–which is a really big deal–but I think he’s a very moral person. I met him and Hillary on the same day, actually, when I went to Washington with Finca [a nonprofit that gives loans to businesswomen in developing countries]. Hillary was by far the smartest person I met that day. Just totally focused, and knew more about the issues than anyone else, and was so able to go from one thing to the other.

Statement of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton on Terrorist Attack in Jerusalem

Washington, DC – “My thoughts and prayers are with the victims and families who are suffering the loss and horror of this despicable act of terrorism. The United States and the international community must make clear that such deplorable acts of terrorism will not be tolerated and we must continue to stand with Israel in its fight against terror.”

Arab terrorists entered the library in a jewish seminary in Jerusalem and sprayed the place with what some report to have been between five and siz hundred bullets. Eight young students were murdered and over a dozen more injured. [See here and here]

It seems as though thus far, several hours after the attack, that Senator Clinton is the only one of the three people hoping to become the next US president that has even bothered to or cared to say anything or to take a stand regarding this horrific event.

UPDATE: 116 Photos of the carnage and aftermath | More

My generation’s short attention span By Ori Raphael [Texas Jewish Post]

I recall watching Obama’s stump speech late one Saturday night after he had swept the Potomac primaries. After 30 minutes or so, I was beginning to believe him. I was, to put it simply, inspired. But, as he continued to speak, I understood why I could never vote for this man. I still do not know anything about him.

For the past few months I have been running a political campaign for a state race. I have been able to see and hear more than one presidential candidate along the way. I noticed, after conversing with different demographics, that young Jewish voters were the most out of touch and misinformed.

Why is Paris Hilton famous? She fulfills two main criteria for a movie star: good looks and the media spotlight. Therefore it would make sense to put in her the movies, wouldn’t it? No, not at all.

So why do so many young Jews love Obama? Ask any of his followers and they will give you the same answers. “He is new.” “We need a change.” “Anything but Bush.” “End the war.” Etcetera, etcetera. I am ashamed and frankly worried that so many young Jews are infatuated with this man. Why is Obama the “best” option? Maybe he fulfills the two criteria for a great politician: an amazing ability to speak and the media spotlight. But what is missing, as for the infamous Paris, is why that makes him the best candidate.

Obama began his political grab for the most powerful position on earth in 2004 during the Democratic convention, when he wooed the masses, and the minority vote, to stump for the Democratic Party. I do not think his young followers know that, nor the old. He used that forum to springboard into the Illinois senate seat. Did we hear anything of his time serving as senator? Did Obama author or pass legislation? Did he vote for most bills presented to him? Do most of the young voters who love him know or care? The truth is, he didn’t even have time to make an impact; he was too busy preparing for his presidential bid.

I am not telling people not to vote for him. I am asking young Jews to do the most Jewish of things: Ask questions. I want a president who will finally make a positive difference like anyone else, but I am afraid of what can come of someone who has absolutely no track record. Realizing that the president always has a leather briefcase containing a button to activate nuclear weapons, it is important to know more about whoever holds it.

There are many problems a young Jew should have with Obama. For one, he says he wants to repair our image in the Muslim world. Shouldn’t they be repairing their image? What do the majority of Israel- and America-haters across the Muslim world have in common? They have never met a Jew and want us dead. Yet many young Jewish voters want a president who will appease their interests. We are taught to be competitive, get into good schools and get great jobs, yet why are we ashamed of our country that is just as competitive? Striving to be the best has made our lives in this country great. I do not know why we would be ashamed of it.

If you were a football coach and a kid came out of nowhere and told you to put him in as the quarterback, would you listen? What if it was for the Super Bowl? Chances are no. But it is the same with Obama. He comes out of nowhere and tells us all his ideas and hopes, but there is no true way of knowing what he can or will do. Too many times in history, people — especially young Jews — have gotten onto the bandwagon because it was different and the times needed “a-changing.” The lessons are still felt today. It is a matter of education. I would never make a decision without studying the facts. I know what the other candidates can and will try to do, but I do not know what to expect from Obama. When it comes to the most powerful position on earth, it is sad to say that young Jews are voting for one person because he seems, like Paris Hilton, “hot.”

Too many young Jews are busy watching their TiVo-ed shows or worrying about where they are going out that night. All I ask is that you get informed and get involved. I do not think we all understand the impact of this election. Young and old, make sure to ask questions, because if not, the consequences could be dire. Get informed and vote wisely.

Great piece…

His Eloquence, The Would-Be President
Posted February 27, 2008 | 02:31 PM (EST) SYLVIA WELSH

In the past several weeks, as the democratic race for the nomination comes to its dramatic conclusion, a consistent theme voiced by supporters of each of the two candidates has increasingly revolved around a “war of words.” The argument, on both sides, is that the other candidate is the one whose words cannot be trusted. In this war, the consensus appears to be that Barack Obama is the clear winner, the poet, the “man of words.” This is alternately cited as either his greatest strength or his biggest weakness.

While His Eloquence is undisputed, his authorship has been. Ignoring the doubters of His Eloquence, just yesterday Alec MacGillis in the Washington Post declared that Obama’s most “powerful weapon has been the oldest [of weapons] - words.” Adding to His Eloquence’s aura, Arianna Huffington definitively stated that it was, in fact, Hillary, and not Barack, who should be compared to Bush in her use of words.

Here are some examples of what MacGillis and Huffington would no doubt agree are the “powerful weapons” of eloquent words:

[The greatest generation] “was a generation of Americans who stormed beaches, liberated concentration camps and delivered us from evil. Some never came home.Those who put their medals in drawers went to work and built, on a heroic scale, highways and universities, suburbs and factories, great cities and grand alliances — the strong foundations of an American Century.

Now the question comes to the sons and daughters of this achievement: What is asked of us?

This is a remarkable moment in the life of our nation. Never has the promise of prosperity been so vivid. But times of plenty, likes times of crisis, are tests of American character.

Prosperity can be a tool in our hands, used to build and better our country. Or it can be a drug in our system — dulling our sense of urgency, of empathy, of duty.

Our opportunities are too great, our lives too short, to waste this moment….We will seize this moment of American promise.

We will confront the hard issues — threats to our national security, threats to our health and retirement security — before the challenges of our time become crises for our children…

This nation is daring and decent and ready for change…

But this administration, during eight years of increasing need, did nothing. They had their moment. They have not led. I will.

Our generation has a chance to reclaim some essential values, to show we have grown up before we grow old…

But when the moment for leadership came, this administration did not teach our children, it disillusioned them….

We must teach our children the values that defeat violence. I will lead our nation toward a culture that values life, the life of the elderly and the sick, and the life of the young…

A hundred years from now, this must not be remembered as an age rich in possessions and poor in ideals…

Should I become President, I will work to call upon the best of the nation. A leader’s responsibility is to understand that the great armies of compassion, which exist all across America, must be rallied to make sure no one gets left behind.

It is the role of a leader to share wisdom, to share experience with people who are looking for someone to lead.

I understand the awesome responsibility of this job. I understand the serious undertaking of answering to the calls of mothers and fathers who I see all the time around America, who come to my rallies and hold a picture of their child and look me in the eye and say, ‘Never let us down again.’ I hear those calls.

This country is ready for change. It’s ready for bipartisan leadership. It’s ready for a leader who will bring this great country together. This country wants a leader who understands how to lead, how to bring folks together.

I stand squarely with the people. There’s a big difference in philosophy in this campaign. I’m running against a candidate of Washington, by Washington and for Washington. Mine is a campaign that stands squarely on the side of the people and the families and the workers of America.

It’s time for a leader to bring Republicans and Democrats together. After eight years of partisan bickering and name-calling, it’s time for new leadership to bring Republicans and Democrats together, to be able to say that a promise made is a promise kept, to reject old-style politics that tries to frighten folks, to reject the old business of trying to tear someone down while the issues still remain.

Now is the time for new leadership that understands we must trust younger people…

Now is the time, now is the time, for Republicans and Democrats to end the politics of fear…

On principle, those in the greatest need should receive the greatest help. The world needs America’s strength and leadership.

Thus spoke His Eloquence. However, in the words cited above, His Eloquence is not, as one would suspect, Barack Obama. His Eloquence was a candidate running for President in 2000. His Eloquence was George W. Bush, speaking at the Republican National Convention.

His Eloquence won. And the world lost.

(For yesterday) Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz of Florida to The New York Sun:

“The main reason she wins and will continue to win the majority of the Jewish vote is this is a community very much about ‘Show me, don’t tell me,’”
“With Senator Obama, although he says all the right things, he just doesn’t have that longevity to prove to Jewish voters that he will be there like Hillary Clinton.”

Asked if there was anything specific in Mr. Obama’s record that should give Jewish voters pause, the congresswoman said, “There’s no pause. It’s just that he’s starting completely from scratch.”

Brian Williams’ introductions…

BW asks Clinton about the difference between the tone of her remarks over two days, shows clips of her closing at the last debate and harsh words on the trail for Obama.

She responds that its a contested race…mentions fliers and mailers that have been disturbing, and that she must stand up for herself for informed decision making of voters. She cites a line he used about her health care proposals…she met people in the rain without healtchare, and says they should have an accurate debate in facts about her plan for affordable healthcare that covers everyone and that his plan does not cover everyone. debates should cover actual factual accurate information.

BW asks about the Drudge photos of Obama in the OSmali garb and asks if it came from the Clinton Campaign. She says no evidence, she doesn’t know and if it was she would dismiss the perpetrator.

Obama says he takes her at her word about the photo.

He goes to the inacurate mailer about her healthcare plan. He says their 2 plans are 95% similar.  He sites her negative mailers. he disputes her assertions that she would cover more people than he, he says it is a mandate that everyone should purchase healthcare. he says the mailer says she would force people to get purchase hc even if they couldnt aford it.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22425001/vp/23255540#23255540International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers president Tom Buffenbarger blasts Obama hype…it’s a doozy.

Hillary Clinton’s Economic Blueprint for the 21st Century (pdf, 8 pages)
[File under: Substance over Hype]

http://hillaryspeaksforme.com/

Clinton backs call for OSCE funding

Hillary Clinton backed a call by the American Jewish Committee to fund training for foreign police to combat hate crime.

In congressional testimony earlier this month, Andrew Baker, the AJC’s director of international Jewish affairs, said the U.S. State Department had stopped funding for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s Law Enforcement Officer’s Program.
The program is headed by Paul Goldenberg, an AJC consultant.
In a statement Friday, Sen. Clinton (D-N.Y.), who is vying with Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) for the Democratic presidential nomination, said she joined congressional colleagues in writing a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice urging further funding for such programs.
“Now is not the time to reduce our commitment to this important issue or to send the signal that combating anti-Semitism is no longer a top priority for the United States,” Clinton’s statement said. “I urge the administration to reconsider these reductions in support for the OSCE and work with the Congress to keep the United States at the forefront of the fight against anti-Semitism.”

The Clintons’ official statement on the passing of Congressman Tom Lantos (D-CA) A great American leader and champion for human rights and Humanitarian causes who was the only survivor of the Holocaust ever to be elected to serve in congress.

Statement of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and Former President William Jefferson Clinton on the Death of Congressman Tom Lantos

Washington, DC – “We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Congressman Tom Lantos. The courageous and improbable journey of his life was an inspiration to his constituents and to all of us who knew him. Tom was just sixteen years old when the Nazis occupied his native Hungary and he lost much of his family to the Holocaust. In those dark days, Tom bore witness to the worst of human cruelty and devoted his life to stopping it. And so he came to America with nothing but the clothes on his back and the ideals he described in an essay that won him a college scholarship. Those ideals, combined with his optimism, intelligence, and hard work, would eventually lead this self-described ‘penniless immigrant’ to the halls of the United States Congress. Despite all that Tom experienced - or perhaps because of it - he understood in his bones that we have a profound duty to one another. Tom taught us to stand up for what’s right especially when it was hard. We will always cherish our memories of him and our thoughts are with his wife, Annette, his daughters, and all those who knew and loved him.”

Obama, Hillary step up outreach efforts to Jews

Clinton and McCain win N.H., raising the stakes in Florida

“It is very exciting,” Ann Lewis, a senior adviser to the Clinton campaign with a key role in outreach to the Jewish community, told JTA. “We got a lot of happy volunteers. Now they’re celebrating. This is a pretty good moment.”
…

The emphasis in the Obama camp of inspiration over issues provided an opening for Clinton to recast the decision facing voters in more favorable terms.

In her victory speech Tuesday night, she said she had listened to New Hampshire voters and “found my own voice.” She also framed the choice in the campaign as one between talk and action, speaking of the need to “deliver” on the American dream — a subtle but pointed slap at Obama’s lofty rhetoric.

Clinton’s emphasis on experience would seem to have the potential of playing well among American Jews, who according to a survey conducted in November by the American Jewish Committee find her to be the most favorable candidate.

Clinton held an especially commanding lead among Jewish Democrats, with a 70 percent rating. Obama ranked third at 45 percent, slightly behind John Edwards at 48 percent.

Some political observers speculate that the wide margin is attributable to strong Jewish support for the Bill Clinton administration and to Hillary Clinton’s seven years as a New York senator, during which she has invested a great deal of time reaching out to Jewish organizations.

“As the campaign field narrows, it is easier and easier to make that comparison” between Clinton and Obama, said Lewis. “More and more people see the strong differences between what these candidates offer. We’re really in a two-person race at this point.”

One thing I can’t stand personally is people’s failure to allow themselves to think about possibly seeing past the “Suha kiss” and consider potentially acknowleging all the positive good Hillary has done, and in particular for Israel.

Make no mistake. Hilaary understands. She is aware of the real serious threat posed by Iran and Ahmedinejad. This is a fundamental difference between her and Senator Obama.

JTA: “From Suha embrace to Iran hawk, Clinton now most favored by Jews“

Whereas Bill Clinton could name the streets of Jerusalem’s Old City, opine on Zionist history and deliver a persuasive “Shalom chaver” at Yitzhak Rabin’s funeral, Hillary Clinton’s repertoire was limited to introducing an Israeli early childhood education program to Arkansas.

As late as December 1998, during the couple’s visit to Israel, the first lady’s affiliation with the Hebrew University’s Home Instruction Program for Preschool Youngsters, known as HIPPY, was the centerpiece of her leg of the visit.

It didn’t help her profile among Jews that the Clinton administration used her as a stalking horse to advocate for a Palestinian state. Then in 1999, on the eve of her first bid for the U.S. Senate, she embraced Suha Arafat after the Palestinian leader’s wife accused Israel of deliberately poisoning Palestinian children. Clinton said later she hadn’t been paying close attention to the simultaneous translation.

It soon became clear, however, that she was willing to listen. Some of the signals were politics-as-usual horse-trading. President Clinton’s final pardons included four residents of the Chasidic enclave in New Square, N.Y. , who had been convicted of defrauding the government. She received overwhelming support from the town during the election.

Once elected to the Senate, Clinton reached out to Jewish organizational leaders and soon became a staple of the Jewish circuit. Hardly a Washington event run by a national Jewish group does not include an address by Clinton — often on Tuesday morning, just before delegates go to the Capitol to lobby.

On many issues, particularly in the domestic arena, little gap exists between Clinton and the predominantly liberal Jewish organizational community. As first lady, Clinton had an established record promoting universal health care, and as senator she worked hard to stop Bush administration rollbacks on the Medicare program, which is almost universally favored by a Jewish population aging more rapidly than other Americans.

In other areas Clinton exhibited a subtle grasp of issues that concern the community, strongly backing discretionary Homeland Security funds to help protect nonprofits from terrorist attack. The bulk of those funds have gone to Jewish institutions.

She also has adopted as her own a campaign to press Arab governments to remove incitment against Jews and Israel from their textbooks.

Clinton took a hit last fall from her party’s base when she voted in favor of a nonbinding amendment that recommended sanctions against the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps. Bush eventually ordered the sanctions, favored by the pro-Israel lobby as a means of pressing Iran to give up its suspected nuclear weapons program.

That drew sharp criticism from her competitors, who said the vote would embolden the Bush administration into waging war against Iran. She stood her ground.

“Iran is seeking nuclear weapons,” she said in an Oct. 30 MSNBC-sponsored debate. “And the Iranian Revolutionary Guard is in the forefront of that, as they are in the sponsorship of terrorism.”

She added: “I prefer vigorous diplomacy, and I happen to think economic sanctions are part of vigorous diplomacy.”

It was straight from the pro-Israel playbook, and it illustrates what has attracted not only Jewish voter support but, perhaps even more substantively, Jewish fund-raiser support.

Two of her major backers in this campaign supported polar opposites among the Democrats in 2004: Lonnie Kaplan of New Jersey went for Sen. Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut and his tough foreign policy, and Steve Grossman opted for ex-Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, who was fiercely anti-war.

At a National Jewish Democratic Council candidates’ forum last spring, Grossman and Kaplan, both former presidents of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, sat next to each other and conferred occasionally on their favored candidate: Hillary Clinton.

BangItOut presents “Top Ten ‘08 Presidential Candidates’ Jewish Slogans“

10. Macabee, Huckabee - Same difference
9. OyBama in ‘Oy8
8. John McCain: “Yes” is my last name.
7. Mitt Romney: Yaakov had four wives!
6. Chris Ani l’Doddi Li
5. Fred Thompson: Let’s face it, I learned everything I know from Steve Hill
4. Bill Richardson: Cause New Mexico is the next Florida for Pesach
3. My last name is Bloomberg
2. I put the Jew in Guiliani
1. Hillary - A Rebbetzin No Longer

What-ever.
Here is a link to real actual campaign slogans over the last 150 years.

“Obama and the Jews”

Rah, rah.