George McGovern, pacifist who wanted to bomb Auschwitz dies at 90

Published on October 24, 2012

George McGovern is widely remembered for advocating immediate American withdrawal from Vietnam and sharp reductions in defense spending. Yet despite his reputation as a pacifist, the former United States senator and 1972 presidential candidate, who died Sunday at 90, did believe there were times when America should use military force abroad.

George McGovern, former U.S. senator and presidential candidate, dies

Published on October 22, 2012

George McGovern, a former U.S. senator and presidential candidate who said the U.S. government sometimes "bowed to pressure" from a powerful Israel lobby, has died.

Make Yom Kippur national holiday, French presidential candidate says

Published on January 12, 2012

The Green Party candidate for the French presidency has called for national holidays on Yom Kippur and the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha.

Perry: I would back Israeli strike on Iran

Published on November 4, 2011

U.S. presidential candidate Rick Perry said he would back an Israeli strike on Iran's nuclear facitilies.

After stumble, Herman Cain stresses pro-Israel bona fides

Published on November 1, 2011

Call Herman Cain the crash-course pro-Israel candidate. Since stumbling in May on a question about Palestinians and the right of return, the one-time pizza executive who recently rocketed to the top of GOP presidential polls has visited Israel and read up about the Jewish state.

Egyptian presidential hopeful Moussa: Treaty with Israel is safe

Published on March 9, 2011

Amr Moussa, the head of the Arab League and an Egyptian presidential candidate, said he would not break his country's peace treaty with Israel. According to several news outlets, Moussa said he would keep the treaty but would plan to renegotiate the deal supplying natural gas to Israel.

Obama tackles the ‘pastor’ question in meeting with Philadelphia Jews

By Lisa Hostein
Published on April 15, 2008

PHILADELPHIA -- It's the question that just won't go away for presidential hopeful Barack Obama.

No matter how many times he addresses it or gives major speeches about it, the 'pastor question' pursues him in the Jewish community -- and beyond.

New U.S. administration won’t mean new Mideast policy

By Michael Young
Published on February 21, 2008

For months, we've been hearing the presidential candidates promise American voters "change." But as the U.S. primaries move beyond their half-way point, here is a prediction: Whoever becomes president in 2008 will pursue the same policies as the Bush administration in the Middle East, because there is little latitude to do otherwise.

John McCain has the ‘right stuff’

By Lloyd Greif
Published on January 31, 2008

As the son of Holocaust survivors, I select my political candidates based on two criteria�"what's best for the country and what's best for Jews everywhere, particularly Israel. In both respects, John McCain is unquestionably the best candidate running for President.

Candidate profle: John McCain

By Beth Young
Published on January 31, 2008

John McCain's reputation as a maverick holds true in the Jewish world, where his list of allies spans the political spectrum.

His long-term support for Israel and human rights issues along with his willingness to cross party lines has won him allies among conservative Republicans, independent Democrats and even some liberal Jews.

Topping his list of Jewish supporters is U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.), the independent Democrat who made headlines by endorsing the presidential bid of his Republican colleague from Arizona.

Candidate profile: Mitt Romney

By Beth Young
Published on January 31, 2008

Mitt Romney's pitch to Jewish voters breaks down into three components: His tough line on Iran; his record as a Republican governor who worked well with Democrats; and his belonging to an oft-misunderstood religious minority.

Romney boasts a master's degree in business from Harvard and enjoyed phenomenal success during his 14-year career orchestrating leveraged buyouts as the chairman of Bain Capital.

As the governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007, he worked with a Democratic Legislature and an overwhelmingly liberal Jewish community to enact a groundbreaking "Health Care for All" law. He has a scion of a famed Mormon family; his father was Michigan's governor.

Candidate profile: Barack Obama

By Ron Kampeas
Published on January 31, 2008

Ask about Barack Obama's natural constituencies and you might hear that he's the first black with a viable shot at the White House, or about his Kenyan father and his childhood in Indonesia, or the youthfulness of his followers, or the millions of Oprah junkies swooning over his candidacy.

What you might not hear is that the Illinois senator has made Jewish leaders an early stop at every stage in his political career.

Candidate profile: Mike Huckabee

By Ben Harris
Published on January 31, 2008

Mike Huckabee was a barely known former governor of Arkansas when he attended an October house party on his behalf at the home of Jason Bedrick, New Hampshire's first Orthodox Jewish state representative.

Which is probably why no major media outlets picked up on the Republican presidential candidate's radical proposal that day for the Middle East: a Palestinian state -- in Egypt or Saudi Arabia.

"He is truly a uniter and not a divider," Bedrick recently told JTA.

Candidate profile: Hillary Clinton

By Ron Kampeas
Published on January 31, 2008

Seven years of hard work cultivating the Jewish leadership in New York and nationally paid off for U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.)

Now she's hoping to capitalize on that support as she engages in a tough battle for the Democratic nomination.

Why I back John Edwards

By Marc Stanley
Published on January 31, 2008

American Jews have always been at the forefront of the fight for social justice, whether in the labor movement or the civil rights movement. We understand the enormous challenges facing this country and our world. We know that what America needs, and what the world needs, is a leader with the courage and strength to lead our great nation forward.

All three Democratic candidates are on the record as strong supporters of Israel. While continued support of Israel is of paramount concern to the American Jewish community, it is not the only issue we consider when choosing which candidate to support for president. Please allow me to offer the other reasons for my unqualified support for my friend, John Edwards.

Why we back Hillary Clinton

By Susie Stern
Published on January 31, 2008

In February 2002, after 9/11 and during the worst of the second intifada, very few visitors were coming to Israel. One who did was Hillary Clinton.

Visiting Magen David Adom, she met an Israeli soldier in his early 20s named Natan, an Ethiopian Jew who had jumped on a terrorist carrying a bag full of explosives. Natan had miraculously survived the explosion that but for his extraordinary heroism would have killed many Israelis.

The few, the proud, the Jews for Ron Paul

By Beth Young
Published on November 15, 2007

Even as Paul makes headway in some circles, organized Jewish support for his Republican presidential bid is nearly nonexistent, thanks to the candidate's longstanding stance against providing foreign aid, including U.S. assistance to Israel. Still, Paul commands a loyal, albeit small, Jewish following. This Jewish support has followed the same pattern as Paul's backing from other groups -- coming from out-of-the way places on the Internet and taking mainstream media and political organizations by surprise.

Candidates make their case at Jewish GOP conference

By Ron Kampeas
Published on October 18, 2007

Each of the leading GOP presidential candidates to some degree has run away from the Bush legacy. But this week they made their case before one of the president's most loyal constituencies: Republican Jews.

Presidential hopefuls scrutinized on Israel

By Bill Boyarsky
Published on May 24, 2007

The Democratic presidential candidates' attitude toward Israel is undergoing the same sort of word-by-word examination that was such an important feature of the 2004 campaign.

Arnold’s Choice

By Rob Eshman
Published on September 18, 2003

If there was a presidential candidate whose father accused "the Jew media" and "Jewish pundits in New York and Los Angeles" of beating the drums for war, and said he had no problem with harassing and punishing the Jews -- but such things shouldn't be done in "a loud clamor" -- would you vote for that candidate?

Can Bush Win the Jewish Vote?

By Michael Shapiro
Published on December 16, 1999

After being vanquished from the White House nearly eight years ago, much of the Republican establishment is putting its faith -- and cash -- behind George W. Bush to lead the party back to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.