Political tidbits: Jews for Jesus head says he was misinterpreted

• The head of Jews for Jesus in Israel tells NBC’s First Read his speech at Sarah Palin’s church last month was misinterpreted. The ADL points out he made a similar remark in March.
• Writing in the Wall Street Journal, noted Middle East scholar Fouad Ajami says Barack Obama’s candidacy is “the sharpest break yet with the national consensus over American foreign policy after World War II.”
• Sarah Palin used the biblical Queen Esther as a role model when she became Alaska governor. The Huffington Post’s Jon Wienter says this gives a hint as to what Palin’s policy might be on Iran.
• Lynn Sweet of the Chicago Sun-Times blogs about Michelle Obama’s rabbi cousin, Capers Funnye. An Obama spokeswoman says the two are “not close.”
• Jewish conservative blogger Debbie Schlussel says she doesn’t care about Michelle Obama’s cousin or any other Jewish family member of the candidates – and is tired of hearing about them.
• Beliefnet’s Steven Waldman says Ed Koch’s endorsement of Obama yesterday is evidence that Sarah Palin is hurting McCain among Jews, and speculates he could lose Florida because of it.
• Abe Greenwald of Commentary says Koch’s endorsement was “meaningless” since he doesn’t name one policy position where he disagrees with McCain, nor does he give any specific evidence why Palin would “scare” him.
• Writing in the New York Times, Jeffrey Goldberg argues that the next president’s most important job is to keep Al Qaeda from detonating a nuclear device in the United States, and compares the candidates’ views. Max Boot at Commentary takes exception to Goldberg’s critique of McCain’s position.
• Ultra-Orthodox rabbis are getting out the expatriate vote in Israel, according to the Forward.
• Robin Maxwell of The Huffington Post is shocked and outraged that elderly Jews may not be voting for Obama because he’s black.
• A Jewish high-schooler says media coverage has been too favorable to Obama during a teen panel at the University of Mississippi, reports the Memphis Commercial-Appeal.
• Jonathan Mark of The Jewish Week blogs that Sarah Palin reminds him of Chabad.
• And a photo of some Republican Jews davening Mincha at last week’s convention in St. Paul.