海角大神

How Obama 'beat' Romney to Israel ... with a White House signing ceremony

The Romney and Obama campaigns both say their guy is the better friend of Israel, which may explain the White House signing of a security cooperation act just before Romney visits.

In what might be called a preemptive strike, President Obama chose to hold a White House ceremony signing into law the US-Israel Enhanced Security Cooperation Act on Friday 鈥� two days before Republican challenger Mitt Romney visits the Jewish state.

Governor Romney will sit down with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders on Sunday, as part of his efforts to juxtapose his own high regard for Israel with what he says has been Mr. Obama鈥檚 鈥渟habby treatment鈥� of America鈥檚 closest Middle East ally.

Romney鈥檚 objective: to cut into the whopping 78 percent of the Jewish vote that Mr. Obama won in 2008, while firming up his own luke-warm support among some evangelical 海角大神s who have questioned his passion for Israel.

But by highlighting his administration鈥檚 commitment to Israel鈥檚 security only hours before Romney arrives in Jerusalem, Obama is signaling that he plans to cede no ground when it comes to Israel and the debate over how his administration has treated it.

What the battle suggests is that, among foreign policy issues, Israel is an emotion-laden topic that both campaigns believe they can turn to their advantage 鈥� and that means this week鈥檚 tit-for-tat over Israel is likely to be only the beginning.

Both Obama and Romney speak of America鈥檚 unshakable friendship with Israel: Obama claiming that no president has done more for Israel鈥檚 security than he has, Romney insisting the president has downgraded the two nations鈥� close links, in particular by not visiting Israel once during his three-plus years in office.

But the one-upmanship over Israel has heated up recently among campaign surrogates 鈥� in part because Romney, who on Wednesday commenced a seven-day international trip, committed to silencing his criticisms of the president while overseas.

After Vice President Joe Biden said this week that Obama 鈥渉as done more for Israel鈥檚 security than any president since Harry Truman,鈥� former US Ambassador to the UN John Bolton called Mr. Biden鈥檚 statement 鈥渞idiculous鈥� 鈥� and offered his own superlative.

鈥淭his is the most hostile president since the state of Israel was created,鈥� Ambassador Bolton said on Fox News.

The sparring over Israel 鈥� and the administration鈥檚 record on it 鈥� spilled over into a foreign policy 鈥渄iscussion鈥� the Brookings Institution held in Washington on Wednesday with representatives of the two campaigns.

Rich Williamson, a senior Romney foreign policy and defense adviser who served in the George W. Bush administration, skirted the evidence of Obama鈥檚 security commitment to Israel by zeroing in on what he called a lack of close ties, saying 鈥減olitical cooperation has not existed.鈥�

Not only has Obama not visited Israel as president, he said, but he reminded the audience that Biden had shown 鈥渄isrespect鈥� for Israel when he delayed his arrival at a March 2010 dinner meeting at Mr. Netanyahu鈥檚 residence to protest an announcement of new settlement construction.

鈥淭he vice president of the United States kept the Israeli head of state [sic] waiting 90 minutes for dinner because he was having a temper tantrum,鈥� Mr. Williamson said. 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 treat any head of state that way, let alone your friend.鈥� [As prime minister, Netanyahu is head of government.]

In response, Michele Flournoy, a former under secretary of Defense for policy and now co-chair of the Obama campaign鈥檚 national security advisory committee, said it is more important to look at what Obama has done for Israel 鈥� for example, the Iron Dome anti-missile system to protect from incoming rockets from Gaza 鈥� than whether or not he has traveled there.

鈥淲hen you judge a president鈥檚 commitment to Israel, you have to look beyond the itinerary,鈥� Ms. Flournoy said, noting that Ronald Reagan never visited Israel and that George W. Bush only visited as president in his second term.

Any discussion of Israel sooner or later leads to the topic of Iran and its nuclear program 鈥� and on that topic the two camps are just as hotly divided.

Bolton scoffs at administration claims that Obama has been good for Israel鈥檚 security, countering that the president鈥檚 focus on 鈥渄ialogue鈥� with Tehran has allowed the Iranian program to advance and thus to increase the danger not just to Israel鈥檚 security, but the world鈥檚.

At Brookings, Flournoy said the administration鈥檚 Iran diplomacy had resulted in 鈥渢he toughest sanctions ever on Iran,鈥� but she also noted that Obama has repeatedly warned Iran that all options remain on the table if diplomacy does not curtail what the West believes is its march toward the bomb.

As for the military option, Flournoy said, 鈥淧entagon planning for this is incredibly robust. It鈥檚 there.鈥�

Romney is certain to discuss all of these issues while in Israel, but given his pledge, any criticism of Obama will at most come behind closed doors.

That will hold true for Netanyahu as well, who 鈥� despite his longtime personal friendship with Romney 鈥� would be loath to openly criticize a US president, especially one who might be around for another four years.

To paint a harmonious picture of Obama-Israel relations, Flournoy cited Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders praising the president鈥檚 commitment to Israel. Not giving an inch, Williamson said reading a list of quotes showed 鈥渢he defensiveness of the administration鈥� on the topic of Israel.

Despite undeniable tensions between Obama and Netanyahu, analysts in both countries say the working relationship between the two is better than what might meet the eye. Netanyahu has repeatedly spoken of how he called on Obama last year when Israeli citizens were under threat at their country鈥檚 consulate in Cairo 鈥� and Obama got on it with Egyptian leaders and resolved the problem.