10 February 2008 - Donate to John McCain

I've set up a site for "pro-Israel" donors to contribute to John McCain's presidential campaign: http://israel.johnmccain.com/

My fund-raising goal is only $200 right now; hopefully I can beat that.

Shmuel Rosner happens to have an article in today's Ha'aretz in which he explains how McCain is using his support for Israel to woo conservatives. I think it should be an important selling point for liberals, too.

Here are a few reasons why McCain's the best bet for Israel--and for human rights, democracy and peace in the region.

1 - Peace in the Middle East depends, more than anything, on projecting a credible threat to Iran. The U.S. needs to restrain the Islamic Republic's geopolitical ambitions and strengthen the hand of the regime's internal democratic opponents. McCain has vowed not to let Iran go nuclear. Both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are weak on Iran; Obama went so far as to ridicule John McCain's strong stance on Iran last night. That's a clear indication that Obama intends to back down, placing Israel and the region in potential danger.

2 - Peace, human rights and democracy in the Middle East depend on a stable, sustainable Iraq. Both Clinton and Obama have vowed to pull troops out in the near term. (I met a Democrat recently who said he wouldn't vote for Obama because he believed Obama meant what he said on Iraq, and that he wouldn't vote for Clinton because he didn't believe her.) This will cause Iraq to implode, leading to a civil war with hundreds of thousands of people killed. The end result could be an Iranian-dominated Iraq, and Iranian troops, via Syria, on Israel's borders. McCain backed the surge when it was unpopular. Now it's proved to have worked. He's the only candidate to trust to get the job done right.

3 - McCain understands that Hamas needs to move first. He has stated, unequivocally, that Hamas has to recognize Israel, stop terror and support a two-state solution before it can join peace talks. Obama's advising team includes folks like Zbigniew Brezinski and Robert Malley--both respected commentators--who unfortunately advocate greater inclusion of Hamas in the peace process. Clinton's views on this have hardened over the years but she was far less sensitive to Israel's position.

4 - Only McCain will cover Israel's concessions. Israel needs to make concessions to the Palestinians, but it will only do so to the extent that it feels protected by the U.S. The lukewarm support of Obama and Clinton for American prerogatives in the Middle East means that Israel will be more exposed and hence less likely to make concessions for peace. If you believe that a two-state solution is something of an urgent priority for Israel, you ought to back McCain in the White House.

5 - Only McCain has the experience to fight terror. McCain is the only candidate with any military experience whatsoever. He's the most qualified commander-in-chief and the best person to lead the war against terror. Obama and Clinton are unknown quantities in that role; in either case they'd have to learn on the job. America, Israel and the world can ill afford the risk.

Those are a few of my thoughts. Please share your comments, your criticisms, and your money at http://israel.johnmccain.com/