Government Dirt

By Alan B. Katz

The essential difference between McCain and Obama is one of judgment. Often, judgment comes with experience. Sometimes it does not. For example, Lyndon Johnson was considered to be one of the most qualified VPs to succeed to the White Office. The depth of his experience was profound. And his social programs have no equal. But, his judgment on Viet Nam will forever define his presidency.

Similarly, Joe Biden has experience galore. But I am troubled by his judgments. Even after the experience of Gaza, he and Obama are in favor of turning the West Bank over to the Palestinians. There is little doubt that if done, Hamas would have Abbas assassinated within days. From there, Hamas would stage another violent coup in the West Bank the consequence of which is that Israel would have an Iranian armed-to-the-teeth proxy attacking her on the east and the west. Not to mention that at its narrowest point, only 9 miles separates the West Bank and the Mediterranean Sea. The entire West Bank would be mobilized against Israel and missiles placed only miles from her major population centers and airports.

The concerns of the RJC are real and well-taken. There is nobody advising Obama who doubts the bona fides of Abbas and the PA. The reasons to doubt Abbas's intentions are numerous and go to the nature of the Palestinians. Obama just doesn't get it. He thinks foreign policy can be made by negotiations. He is a fool who suffers from a "messiah" complex. You cannot talk about peace with people who are irrational, as are Ahmadinejad, Khameini and Maashal. Ahmadinejad believes that a 50% casualty figure in a nuclear exchange with Israel would be acceptable. The very fact that he believes this is strong evidence of his fanaticism. As the great Churchill understood, these are not the kinds of people with whom one can reason. As long as Obama clings to "Kumbayah diplomacy," he remains unfit to lead the free world.

McCain on the other hand has his own shortcomings, but foreign policy is not one of them. He learned the nature of an intransigent enemy over the course of five years of torture in Hanoi. I am concerned about his embrace of the right wing evangelicals. On the other hand, remembering his defeat at the hands of the evangelicals in 2000, this is pure posturing for votes and not necessarily indicative of deeply held beliefs. What I do believe is not posturing is his support of Israel. I have had an opportunity to speak with McCain one-on-one and have confidence in his judgment.

As for the VP candidates, I am voting for a president, not an "on deck" batter. It has been almost a half century (1963 to date) since a VP has taken succeeded to the White House. (Not counting Gerald Ford, who was appointed VP by Nixon who resigned instead of being assassinated.) Before that, only Harry Truman and Teddy Roosevelt come to mind in the 20th Century.

Until I see that experience fathers values and good judgment, I must look first for the latter. Obama thinks judgment trumps experience, and to a large extent he is right. But that judgment must be grounded in a morality and ethic that acknowledges that there are right and wrong in this world, that there are times when compromise becomes appeasement and woe betide the people who ignore the distinctions.

Alan B. Katz is expert on Israel, an Attorney & the author of Fighting Back: Letters from the Diaspora (What the Media Aren't Telling You about the Middle East Conflict), which defends Israel and its people in the face of extreme adversity and an onslaught of media inaccuracies and misinformation. He has authored numerous articles on the Middle East conflict & has been featured on national radio & television programs.