Obama, Palin issue joint statement: Pat, shtum

Just days after Pat Buchanan helped perpetuate absurd claims that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (also, the Republican VP pick) was once an acolyte, now he’s “helping” Obama.

Democrats jumped the gun and attempted to link Palin to Buchanan, a Holocaust diminisher and an acknowledged non-fan of Israel. For Republicans, it’s turnabout is fair play. Danny Diaz, a Republican National Committee spokesman, eagerly put this out Tuesday:

In light of the smearing of Governor Palin by Obama surrogate Robert Wexler and Obama spokesman Mark Bubriski, both of whom alleged Palin was a supporter of Patrick Buchanan and
therefore a “Nazi sympathizer,” this statement from Buchanan today seems noteworthy:

“Let me say about Israel here. My position on Israel is frankly awful. It is like Mika [Brzezinski]’s father’s, it’s a lot closer to Barack Obama’s than it is John McCain. I think Barack is right, we ought to talk to the Iranians, he’s right to oppose the war and, frankly, he’s right to say the Palestinian people have got a terrible deal over there and their suffering ought to be recognized. That’s Obama’s position. It’s my position. I don’t think it is a Nazi position.”

Governor Palin never supported Pat Buchanan, having supported Steve Forbes in both 1996 and 2000. Still, it must give great comfort to Wexler and Bubriski that Pat Buchanan does support Obama’s position on Israel.

To set the record straight, Obama has recognized Palestinian suffering – but blames the Palestinian leadership. And he’s bullish on confronting Iran, saying his first priority when elected will be to ramp up pressure on the Islamic Republic to end its suspected nuclear program and recognizing the probablity that if it does not, Israel will strike.

Still, you can’t entirely blame the GOP for wanting to kick back a little.