“Concerned about Barack Obama? You should be.” That’s the tagline for a new ad campaign just unveiled by the Republican Jewish Coalition.
The word “naive” is a common theme of the two ads, which started running in Jewish newspapers last week. One calls the Democrat’s foreign policy “weak and naive,” while the other calls his position on Iran “naive and dangerous.”
Both ads mention Obama’s opposition to legislation that would have declared Iran’s Revolutionary Guard a terrorist organization, saying in the Iran ad that the “no” vote raises “real questions about his judgement and experience.”
McCain is also not invulnerable when it comes to Senate votes; he has yet to endorse Obama’s Iran Sanctions Enabling Act, which would protect organizations divesting from the Islamic Republic from lawsuits and would facilitate such divestment. Pro-Israel insiders attribute Republican lethargy on the bill in part to not wanting to give Obama a legislative victory during an election in which Republicans are trying to Obama as thin in accomplishments.
Speaking at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee policy conference in May, Obama slammed McCain for not joining the bill. RJC director Matt Brooks, speaking at a press conference in Minneapolis during the Republican Party convention last week, dismissed concerns about McCain’s failure to back the sanctions legislation. “In order for it to work, it’s got to be credible,” he said. “I don’t think they can credibly make that argument about John. McCain.” (Of course, the same could be said about Biden, who has led major pro-Israel initiatives, including the Palestinian Anti-Terrorism Act in 2006).
