While diplomats and Jewish leaders celebrated Israel’s 60th in Jerusalem at Shimon Peres’ “Facing Tomorrow” conference, a rocket strike in Ashkelon served as a stark reminder that war is never far away.
President Bush enjoyed a love fest in Israel but was rebuked back home by the Barack Obama campaign for remarks about the dangers of appeasing extremists.
A speech by President Bush that was supposed to have been the apotheosis of U.S.-Israel solidarity instead sparked a toxic political exchange in the partisan battle for votes.