The presidential candidates were at the AIPAC conference in Washington yesterday, as Hillary and Obama jousted about Israel, and how much they support it (yes, both of them do.) Obama, though, ran into some trouble for his comment Sunday that "nobody is suffering more than the Palestinian people" in the Middle East.
This drew a rebuke from a rabbi with a rather interesting name:
"Awarding first place in the suffering matrix is odious and infelicitous,” said Rabbi Steven Silver of Redondo Beach, Calif., after listening to Mrs. Clinton speak at a reception at the Aipac conference. “I think a lot of Americans would find that comment offensive, too.”Who knew there was a Rabbi Steven Silver? How had I not heard of him until now? If he's like most rabbis I know, being quoted in the New York Times is one of the five greatest things that has ever happened to him in his life.
Is Obama right? Joe Klein has some thoughts. The question is really only important if you believe -and I don't- that the party that suffers most wins. The Palestinian suffering is real, but it doesn't mean they're right, it doesn't mean they deserve everything they ask for, and it doesn't mean it's the Israelis' fault. They've suffered because Arafat stole from them for decades, because they've embraced noxious ideologies from Marxism to jihadism to a mixture of the two, and because (as we all know) they "never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity." And until all that changes, the suffering won't end, occupation or no occupation.
Posted by Stephen Silver at March 14, 2007 05:44 PMYeah, but that was not the spirit of the comment. He said it in the context of providing more aid to them even with the Hamas as the head. This demonstrates a certain "world community" world view, which does in fact blame Israel for oppression and humiliation. Read between the lines like your namesake.
While words devoid of context can take any meaning you want, does this sound like a man who is going to take a tough line on Palestinian terrorism and hold them accountable. It is one thing to say you are pro-Israel, it is another thing to engage in policy, that actually promotes that.
BTW - that organ of Kark Rove, the LA Times joins your percieved VRWC against Obama:
http://hillaryspot.nationalreview.com/post/?q=OWI4MDRlMDZiM2ZmMDgwYWE4YWJjM2NiMmZiMTM1OWM=
Yep, only the Right Wing is after him.
Posted by: J. Lichty at March 15, 2007 06:15 PM