March 19, 2007
Obama Working to Boost Jewish Support
by Ben Smith
The Politico
Barack Obama's presidential campaign is moving to tamp down concerns among Democratic supporters of Israel with an e-mail from a Florida congressman to Jewish leaders singing the senator's praises.
"What has always struck me about Senator Obama - and this is one of the reasons that I have endorsed his candidacy for president - is that a love for Israel and a desire to keep the Jewish people secure is evident not just in his work, but also in his heart," wrote Rep. Robert Wexler (D) in the e-mail, which was sent to a list of Jewish community leaders.
The endorsement, which laid it on thick even by the standards of political communications, reflects a frustration that, despite Obama's staunch support of the Israeli government in his words and votes, he has been dogged by questions from some of the most vocal and focused representatives of the pro-Israel community.
The root of the matter, as some observers of American Jewish politics see it, may be that Obama's rhetoric and themes of reconciliation and common ground – the heart of his national popularity – sound off-key and even naïve in the context of a grim, confrontational moment in the Middle East.
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