Obama Faces Tough Questions by Jewish Voters

By: Maria Gavrilovic
Topics: Barack Obama

(CBS)

From CBS News' Maria Gavrilovic:

MIAMI -- Barack Obama was grilled at a Boca Raton synagogue tonight as he tried to win over Jewish voters. Although he was well received by the crowd, he was asked some of the toughest questions to date. Amidst chatter that his relationship with the Jewish community has been strained, Obama made a strong effort to dispel rumors about his biography and that he does not support Israel. "If my policies are wrong, then vote against me because my policies are wrong," Obama said. "If I'm not honest, if I'm not truthful, don't vote for me for that reason but don't vote against me because of who I am."

He linked the African-American community to the Jewish community several times through out his remarks, saying that they share a historical bound. "I know that Dr. King could not have done everything that he did had it not been for the support of the Jewish community," he said. "There was a time when we saw a common cause."

Obama also defended his position on Iran, telling the crowd that diplomacy may be a favorable for both the United States and Israel. "If we don't free ourselves from this, we are going to continue down a road in which we are internationally isolated," Obama said. "We are in a weaker position in terms of helping Israel. We are on the sidelines."

Some of the voters pressed Obama on his background, alluding to rumors that he is Muslim; Obama, however, appeared prepared for the questions and was open to answering them. "Let's be honest: part of what raises concerns, you've got a black guy named Barack Obama," he said to a voter who asked him why he does not go back to being called Barry. "I thought it was important to acknowledge this other side of my heritage, and so I was called Barack."

Another voter asked about his relationships with individuals who have taken a strong stance against Israel, such as Columbia Professor Rashid Khalidi. "To pluck out one person who I know and who I've had a conversation with who has very different views than 900 of my friends and then to suggest that somehow that shows that maybe I'm not sufficiently pro-Israel, I think is a very problematic stand to take." Obama said as the crowd applauded. "We've got to be careful about guilt by association."

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by l00ker May 23, 2008 5:39 PM EDT: Jewish voters seem more concerned with the welfare of Israel than the Uninted States.

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Posted by prudentvoter at 12:04 AM : May 23, 2008

You are so right, and for those who are, then they should pack up immediately and go kibbutzing, like yesterday, and as quickly as the planes will fly them, or the boats will sail them, or their feet even, who in the hell needs them, parasites.; Reply to this comment


by kenbomc May 23, 2008 5:37 PM EDT: Bush''s protege ''Johnny McSame''
doesn''t stand a chance. McSame''s policies are simply an extension of President Bush.; Reply to this comment


by DCropp May 23, 2008 2:06 PM EDT: News flash...
RealClearPolitics now shows Obama leading McCain in Ohio.

RealClearPolitics averages multiple polls to receive it''s results.; Reply to this comment


by pmcat-2009 May 23, 2008 1:43 PM EDT: What is really good for Jews and Israel is not a president who supports extreme anti-Arab, anti-Islamic policies like Hillary or McCain in order to "get the Jewish vote, e.g. McCain singing Bomb Iran, Bomb Iran." It is impossible to destroy the Muslims (they will be 4 billion in number). In this light, Machiavelli states "Men should be embraced or destroyed."
Help Obama to work out a sustainable relation with the reality of Islamic existence. The Jewish citizen of US and Israel need a sane president in the White house who can bring peace to the Middle East- not the one like Bush who goes to Middle East just to see Israeli''s and US agents like Abbas.

Love, Shalom, salam to all; Reply to this comment


by greenfun May 23, 2008 1:26 PM EDT: Obama says-We''ve got to be careful of guilt by association. We are trying dude, but you sure don''t make it easy.

* Rabidly anti-Israel Columbia University professor Rashid Khalidi. The Obamas were regular dinner guests at Khalidi%u2019s Hyde Park home for years.
* Terrorist sympathizer Ali Abunimah, who runs the viciously anti-Israel web site Electronic Intifada.
* Unrepentant Weather Underground terrorists William Ayers and Bernadine Dohrn.
* Reverend Jeremiah Wright. What more needs to be said?
* Anti-Israel foreign policy adviser Samantha Power %u2014 fired after calling Hillary Clinton a %u201Cmonster.%u201D
* Anti-Israel foreign policy adviser Robert Malley %u2014 fired when it was revealed he has been holding talks with Hamas.
* Hatem El-Hady, former official of the Hamas-linked charity Kindhearts, closed by the Justice Department. El-Hady%u2019s web page suddenly vanished from the Obama campaign site with no explanation, after being exposed by LGF and others.
* Tony Rezko %u2014 a Chicago fixer currently in a whole lot of legal trouble.; Reply to this comment


by jack3213 May 23, 2008 12:28 PM EDT: Obama is not going win. Asking Clinton to join his ticket shows no crediblity to all that he and she have said to others and themselves for the last year- it shows how insincere and deceitful they are to people- and how "desperate" they are to win. And you thought Bush was a liar! LOL.; Reply to this comment


by halnine000 May 23, 2008 5:06 AM EDT: What do the late John Gotti and Barack Obama have in common? They both utter cries of "guilt by association" (albeit one from the grave). And both have so many, many unsavory associations to cry about.; Reply to this comment


by texaslj May 23, 2008 3:59 AM EDT: Senator Obama and Rashid Khalidi:

From National Online Review:

Ayers and Obama served three years on the board of the Woods Fund, a Chicago charitable organization. Together, they voted to donate $75K to the Arab American Action Network, co-founded by Rashid Khalidi, a longtime supporter of Palestinian %u201Cresistance%u201D attacks against Israel. Despite considerable evidence to the contrary, Khalidi denies having been a PLO operative or having directed its official press agency for six years (1976 to 1982). He was an influential apologist for Yasser Arafat.

Khalidi landed at the University of Chicago where he ran in the same circles as Associate Dean Michelle Obama, Law Professor Barack Obama, University of Illinois-Chicago Education Professor Bill Ayers, and his wife, Bernadine Dohrn.

Khalidi then became the professor of Arab Studies at Columbia University where he directs Columbia%u2019s notoriously Israel-bashing Middle East Institute.

Barack Obama, with Ayers and Dohrn, attended a farewell bash when Khalidi left Chicago for New York.

Khalidi hosted a fundraiser for Obama in 2000 when Obama unsuccessfully campaigned for the US House of Representatives. Khalidi told worldnetdaily.com he supports Obama%u2019s presidential run %u201Cbecause he is the only candidate who has expressed sympathy for the Palestinian cause,%u201D and promises negotiations with Iran.; Reply to this comment


by prudentvoter May 23, 2008 3:04 AM EDT: Jewish voters seem more concerned with the welfare of Israel than the Uninted States.; Reply to this comment


by khalsars May 23, 2008 2:22 AM EDT: You need to know / meet your enemy/opponent to see and judge his strength or ability to conquer him , what I think B.Obama wants to do; Reply to this comment