Jewish Republicans, Alaskans praise McCain's VP choice
HILARY LEILA KRIEGER, JPost correspondent in DENVER , THE JERUSALEM POST
Aug. 30, 2008
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Skipping over two Jewish politicians under consideration as vice
presidential running mates, John McCain selected first-term Alaska Governor
Sarah Palin Friday.

Palin, who has a reputation a reformer and high approval ratings but a low
national profile, is the first female vice presidential nominee for the
Republican party. Presumptive Republican presidential candidate John McCain
announced his selection the day after Barack Obama accepted the Democratic
presidential nomination, shifting attention to the GOP ahead of its
convention opening in Minneapolis Monday.

Palin's background corresponds to McCain's image as a maverick, both by his
making a surprise selection and by choosing someone who was willing to buck
powerful members of her own local party to clean up government. Her lack of
foreign policy or national security credentials, however, contrast with
McCain¹s own record of military service and government focus in those
arenas.

The choice left the two Jewish congressman reported to be on the list of
possible VPs - Virginia Rep. Eric Cantor and Connecticut Senator Joe
Lieberman - out of luck, but several politically active Alaskan Jews praised
Palin's ties to the community.

"The Jewish community should be very excited that Sarah was selected. She
has been very conscious of the Jewish community here in Alaska and now with
the opportunity of her new position, she'll have the opportunity to look at
the Jewish community globally," said Alaskan Republican Jewish Coalition
member Terry Gorlick, who knows Palin well and has worked with her on
several issues.

"Sarah's absolutely pro-Israel," he said, referring to conversations with
her and comments she's made about Israel's security and its importance to
the United States. He noted that as governor she signed a resolution
honoring Israel for its 60th birthday.

Alaska¹s AIPAC chairman, David Gottstein, said that he had spoken to the
governor about arranging a trip to Israel, but scheduling conflicts had kept
it from happening to date.

"She has ties and interests in the Holy Land," said Gottstein, and also
described her as someone who could be effective across party lines, noting
that he worked well with her despite being a Democrat.

But the National Jewish Democratic Coalition used the fact that Palin hasn't
been to Israel to attack her familiarity with the country and the crucial
foreign policy issues connected to the region.

"In Governor Sarah Palin, McCain chooses a running mate with zero foreign
policy experience," said NJDC executive director Ira Forman.

"For a party which claims it is trying to reach out to the Jewish community,
McCain's pick is particularly strange. Prior to today's selection Palin
apparently has never spoken publicly about Israel."

And Obama surrogate Robert Wexler, a Jewish US representative from Florida,
lambasted her for endorsing Pat Buchanan in 2000.

But in a letter she wrote to the editor of a local newspaper at the time,
she explained that she was willing to wear a Buchanan button "as a polite
gesture of respect" during a visit, as she would for any visiting
presidential candidate, but that it shouldn¹t be seen as an endorsement.

Another news report from then lists her as serving on the leadership team
for Steve Forbes, a free market conservative who ran along with Buchanan as
well as McCain for the presidential nomination.

Her conservative credentials have drawn plaudits from many on the Right,
including many religious constituencies who were pleased that McCain chose a
staunch opponent of abortion after suggesting he might tap someone who is
pro-choice.

Many analysts have argued that Palin¹s selection, perceived as stemming in
part from an effort to attract voters who backed Hillary Clinton in the
Democratic primary away from Obama, wouldn¹t succeed because of Palin¹s
stance on abortion.

Clinton herself issued a statement on the historic occasion.

"We should all be proud of Governor Sarah Palin's historic nomination, and I
congratulate her and Senator McCain," she said. "While their policies would
take America in the wrong direction, Governor Palin will add an important
new voice to the debate."

Jewish Democratic political operative Steve Rabinowitz said that "wrong
direction" would alienate Jewish voters.

"Sarah Palin is completely unknown to the American Jewish community. There
is no Jew outside of Alaska who has a relationship with her," he charged.
"They supposedly vetted Eric Cantor, pretended Joe Lieberman was on the
short list, and in the end chose someone who could not be more different
from them."

But the Republican Jewish Coalition defended the pick. "Senator Lieberman
and Representative Cantor would also have been excellent choices," said RJC
spokeswoman Suzanne Kurtz, but stressed that McCain¹s nominee was just a
good.

"They¹ll make a great team," she said.

The RJC put out a statement on Friday saying that, "Palin has a proven track
record of experienced and principled leadership. Palin has been a leader on
the critical issue of energy independence and lessening our need to buy oil
from nations not sharing America and Israel's foreign policy interests."

And she received praise from other Jewish quarters, including from Anchorage
Chabad Rabbi Yosef Greenberg. He recalled Palin's support for a Jewish
museum he is building there and her hora lessons at the annual Jewish gala
she has attended the last two years.

He also spoke of her reaction to giving birth to a child with special needs.

"She said, God doesn¹t give you something you can't handle," he said. "It
was straight out of the Lubavitch book."