[Shadow_Group] Fw: Rice

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http://www.fpp.co.uk/online/04/10/Bush_AIPAC.html<http://www.fpp.co.uk/online/04/10/Bush_AIPAC.html>

[images added by this website]
 

 [Isn't it curious that the American press does not repeat these great
quotations from American statesmen and politicians?]


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Israel, Monday, October 25, 2004

 

Bush courts Jewish votes, sends Rice to address AIPAC 

By Reuters

WASHINGTON -- A speech by U.S. President George W. Bush's national
security adviser to a powerful pro-Israel lobbying group in Florida eight
days before the election caps a concerted Republican drive for Jewish
votes that has so far yielded minimal results.

Seemingly undeterred by a probe into whether the AIPAC lobbying group
passed classified information to Israel -- an allegation it denies -- the
White House has given the organization almost unparalleled access to top
officials, from Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney on down. Bush
addressed the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC, in May,
and declared that it was "serving the cause of America." [Website: He
also described Ariel Sharon as a man of peace.]

Now his national security adviser Condoleezza Rice, (right), who
described AIPAC as "a great asset to our country," will address the group
on Monday in Hollywood, Florida, in one of the most hotly contested
battleground states in the November 2 race. Though Jewish-Americans, who
make up about 2 percent of the population, overwhelmingly backed Democrat
Al Gore in 2000, polls show support for Republicans is slowly growing.
That could have an impact in states like Florida -- where roughly 4
percent of the population is Jewish -- as well as Pennsylvania and
Arizona, all won by slim margins in the last presidential election,
pollsters say.

Jews could also make a difference in an unexpectedly close race for the
traditionally Democratic-leaning state of New Jersey, where they
represent close to 6 percent of the population. Administration officials
say Rice will not mention Democratic presidential rival Massachusetts
Senator John Kerry by name. But she is expected to tout the president's
steadfast support for Israel and the policies of Prime Minister Ariel
Sharon, while defending the invasion of Iraq as a boost to the security
of the United States and Israel.

Democrats have criticized Rice for making speeches in battleground
states, accusing her of compromising the traditionally non-political role
of national security adviser. The White House insists Rice's speeches are
not campaign events and are appropriate due to the importance of security
matters.
AIPAC does not rate or endorse candidates, and says it is a bipartisan
organization. But when Bush addressed the group in May, the audience
cheered on the Republican president, chanting: "Four more years." Rice
and other White House officials were informed more than two years ago of
the investigation into whether AIPAC was relaying information collected
from the administration and Congress to Israel, officials said.

Since then, nearly 40 high-level administration officials and top Bush
advisers -- among them campaign manager Ken Mehlman -- have spoken at
AIPAC meetings, not including informal sessions and briefings by phone.
Undersecretary of State John Bolton recently spoke to its members about
threats from Iran and Syria.

Asked why Rice was addressing the group so close to the election, a
senior administration official said: "AIPAC is a well-known and
well-established organization with a wide membership that attracts
speakers from both political parties and across the political spectrum."
Kerry is sending his foreign policy adviser, former United Nations
Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, [Website note: who is also Jewish] to the
AIPAC meeting. Like Bush, Kerry has been reaching out to Jews in Florida,
even sprinkling a few words of Hebrew into a stump speech last week.

'Very important voting bloc'
Bush campaign spokesman Brian Jones declined to comment on Rice's speech
at AIPAC, but said of Florida's Jewish vote, "It's a very important
voting bloc for us." The Bush campaign has set up a "Jewish Team." Its
Web site features photos of Bush at an AIPAC conference and (left)
meeting with rabbis in the Oval Office.

Republican Jewish Coalition Executive Director Matthew Brooks is also
rallying Jews for Bush -- noting that Kerry has the support of Arab and
Muslim groups. "You can judge political candidates by who their friends
are," he said. While publicly optimistic, administration officials are
realistic about what they can achieve. In spite of outreach efforts, 69
percent of Jews are still expected to vote for Kerry and only 24 percent
for Bush, according to an American Jewish Committee survey. This would
compare with near 20 percent for Bush in 2000, but Republicans say they
still hope to win more than 30 percent of the Jewish vote.

 Right: A touching scene in Jerusalem

 
 

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on the Pentagon's Israeli spies: A Mole called Mega

 
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