Vice President Joe Biden vowed Tuesday in Atlanta that the United States would "prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons," and said President Barack Obama's commitment to Israel is unwavering.
Biden spoke to The Rabbinical Assembly, an international body of 1,600 conservative rabbis, at its national convention at the Westin Perimeter Hotel.
"Our policy [toward] Iran is not one of containment," Biden said. "It is straightforward."
The assembled rabbis responded with thunderous applause.
But Obama administration policy toward Israel is not limited to blocking Iran's nuclear future, Biden said. It also involves supporting the Jewish state.
"I'm more worried today about Israel than I have at any time in my career," said Biden, a long-time foreign policy expert in the U.S. Senate.
There is an international effort to "de-legitimize" Israel, Biden said. Yet, he said, "There is only one nation, only one nation in the world that has unequivocally confronted this effort, which is conscience as well as unconscious. At every point in our administration , at every juncture, we have stood up for the legitimacy of the state of Israel."
Biden did not speak to reporters.
Obama has been criticized in the past by some, particularly Republicans, for suggesting Israel cede territory back to Palestine in pursuit of a two-state solution to their on-going conflicts. The president was also criticized for publicly urging Israel to return to negotiations with Palestine.
Biden is the latest in a series of Obama administration officials to visit the state in recent weeks. President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama were at Fort Stewart on April 27. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta addressed troops at Fort Benning last week and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack was the commencement speaker at Albany State University on Saturday.
That level of attention has led to speculation about whether Obama's campaign will make a push for Georgia in November. The Democrat won 47 percent of the vote to Republican John McCain's 52 percent in 2008.
Republicans, however, call such thoughts a pipe dream. Obama's 47 percent came after a historic voter registration effort that saw African-American registration increase by 25 percent in Georgia. Black voter registration from November 2008 through March of this year is actually down slightly, as is white voter registration.
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