GOP Jewish group compares Obama to Buchanan

WASHINGTON — A Republican group has launched a new effort to turn Jewish voters away from Barack Obama: an ad campaign that compares the Democratic presidential candidate to Pat Buchanan but offers scant evidence of their similarities.

The Republican Jewish Coalition is running an ad in dozens of Jewish newspapers that says Obama and Buchanan have views on Israel that are “dangerous, reckless and wrong.” It quotes Buchanan as saying his views on Israel are a lot closer to Obama’s than they are to those of GOP presidential nominee John McCain.

“Concerned about Barack Obama?” the ad says over a photo of Buchanan giving a thumbs up toward a photo of Obama. “You should be. His dangerous views on Israel have just been endorsed by Pat Buchanan.”

Asked for examples of how they are the same, RJC Executive Director Matt Brooks suggested a call to Buchanan to ask the conservative commentator what he thinks. “All we’re doing is printing Buchanan’s words,” he said. Brooks declined to reveal the cost of the ad campaign.

The ad follows on the group’s backing of a negative poll in which the questions tied Obama to Palestinian causes.

Brooks said the RJC called 750 Jewish voters in five swing states and asked them questions like whether they were aware Obama was praised by a leader of the Palestinian terror group Hamas and had once said that nobody has suffered more than the Palestinian people. The group doesn’t note that Obama made the statement in the context of saying that he’d like to provide more aid to those people in response to peace negotiations by Palestinian leaders.

The ad notes Buchanan has said Obama is right when he says the United States should negotiate with Iran and quotes Buchanan as saying he agrees with Obama that Palestinian suffering should be recognized. But while Buchanan has criticized Israel’s influence over U.S. foreign policy, Obama has said his commitment to Israeli security is “nonnegotiable.”

Obama also has called on Palestinian leaders to recognize Israel, renounce violence and get serious about negotiating peace and security for the region. Those are views also voiced by the Bush administration, which has been criticized for a pro-Israel tilt in its Middle East policies.

Pro-Jerusalem PAC: Both candidates pro-Israel

Josh Block, a spokesman for the nonpartisan American Israel Public Affairs Committee declined to comment on the ad, but said Obama, McCain and their running mates are all pro-Israel candidates. Block praised Obama’s voting record and said he is a strong supporter of the U.S.-Israel relationship.

The Obama campaign referred inquiries on the RJC’s actions to Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a Democrat who represents a largely Jewish district in south Florida. She accused Republicans of acting out in desperation to scare Jewish voters into supporting McCain.

“Barack Obama strongly supports Israel,” she said. “The Jewish people are not going to be duped by these lies.”

Obama held a conference call Wednesday with hundreds of rabbis in advance of the upcoming Jewish holidays.

Nathan Diament, director of public policy at the Orthodox Union who was a classmate of Obama’s at Harvard Law School, said Obama didn’t discuss the RJC’s attacks during the call.

Diament said Obama was asked whether his education plan would support religious schools. He said Obama replied that funding would likely go through public school districts, and that he opposes vouchers for private schools but is open to the possibility of private, faith-based organizations providing early childhood education and after-school programs.