President Sarah Palin

A special contribution from Senior Jewish Correspondant Julie Tilson Stanley

By Mik Moore

In the waning days of August, as Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain were getting ready to accept their party's nomination for President, each was faced with a decision that would shape their administration: choosing a Vice President.

The U.S. Constitution requires the election of a Vice President to ensure a clear and peaceful succession of office if the President should, for any reason, become unable to serve. This occurs more often than we might think. In the 20th Century, five Vice Presidents assumed the Presidency in this fashion. Four presidents died in office and Richard Nixon resigned. Another two presidents used the position of Vice President as a stepping stone to the Presidency; first Nixon, then George H.W. Bush.

In recent years, the Vice President has taken on additional responsibilities. Our current Vice President, Dick Cheney, is known to have tremendous influence over White House policy.
So in addition to choosing their successor, the nominees for President were making their first selection of a member of their Cabinet, the inner circle of decision makers in any administration.

Sen.Obama chose Sen. Joe Biden as his Vice President, cabinet member, and possible successor. Sen. Biden is among the most highly respected foreign policy experts in the United States, serving as the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He is known as tough and often blunt, willing to stand up to dictators like Slobodan Milosevic, whom he called "a war criminal" to his face.4 Biden's knowledge of Middle East affairs and his decades of strong support for Israel are well documented.

Sen. McCain chose Gov. Sarah Palin as his Vice President, cabinet member, and possible successor. Gov. Palin has no foreign policy experience whatsoever. She didn't even have a passport in 2007 when she was preparing to take a trip to visit troops from Alaska's National Guard. She got her start in politics as an ardent anti-choice activist and member of the Alaska Independence Party, which advocates voting on Alaska's secession from the United States.
In 1999 she attended a fundraiser for Pat Buchanan who was running for President.. The same Pat Buchanan who praised Hitler and blames Jews for turning Congress into "Israeli occupied territory;" the same Pat Buchanan who merits seven separate pages on the Anti-Defamation League's website. Buchanan has described Palin as a "[pitchfork] brigader for me in 1996, as was her husband. They were at a fundraiser for me. She is a terrific gal." Like many on the Christian Right, Palin believes that the earth is 6000 years old and has supported the teaching of creationism in the classroom. As the editor of the L.A. Jewish Journal noted, a search for "Palin" in the AIPAC database produces no matches. That is because Palin has no record on Israel, one of many countries she has never visited.

Among Jews who take seriously American foreign policy generally, and particularly our nation's approach to the Middle East and Israel, the choice of Sarah Palin is deeply disturbing. At this moment of international crisis and ongoing instability in the Middle East, why would John McCain choose as his successor and running mate a governor with absolutely no background in this area? With the future of Israel hanging in the balance, can we take a chance on John McCain, who chose Sarah Palin despite being told by many of his supporters that the choice was a bad idea?

Palin is also a life-long activist of the Christian Right.. After eight years of a Bush Administration that at times appeared to exist solely to do the bidding of this powerful voting bloc, many Jews shudder at the idea that we could be in for another four years of the same with McCain/Palin. Yet according to the New York Times, McCain felt he had to ask Palin, and not his close friend Sen. Joe Lieberman or former Gov. Tom Ridge, because he feared the wrath of the Christian Right. This has left us with some important questions to consider. Will McCain serve out his term and not be forced to turn the White House over to President Palin? Will McCain continue to be controlled by the Christian Right? Will McCain's decision making change once he is elected to take into account the needs other communities, including the Jewish community?

It was obvious that when Barack Obama selected Joe Biden to be Vice President, he placed the interests of the United States and our allies first. Unfortunately, when John McCain selected Sarah Palin to be Vice President, he placed the interests of the Christian Right and their allies first.

A McCain/Palin administration would combine the recklessness of McCain with the inexperience of Palin. It is now very clear that we need the steady hand of Obama/Biden during these challenging times for America, for Israel, and for our other allies abroad.

Mik Moore is co-Executive Director of the Jewish Council for Education & Research. He has worked in the Jewish community for more than five years and studied in Israel for three years. Moore is a published writer and a respected speaker on a range of Jewish issues.