More Lies in Latest Republican Jewish Ad
Listed in: Israel, Other Foreign Policy, GOP Hypocrisies, Stop the Smears, NJDC News, Press Releases
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Ira N. Forman, Executive Director of the National Jewish Democratic Council (NJDC), released the following statement:
The Republican Jewish Coalition’s (RJC) latest print ad, "Compare the Records," contain two blatant lies.
The first lie concerns Senator Barack Obama’s stance on Jerusalem. The second lie is the false claim that Obama opposes labeling Iran's Revolutionary Guard as a terrorists organization. These two lies, along with a host of others, have been a staple of the RJC advertising campaign as well as mantras that RJC speakers have repeated throughout this campaign season.
The RJC's newest ad compares Senators John McCain, Hillary Clinton, and Obama on a handful of “issues” but the RJC appears to be genetically incapable of telling the truth. First, they claim that McCain support a united Jerusalem while Obama does not. This is simply not true. As JTA has pointed out, McCain and Obama have the exact same positions on a united Jerusalem ( "Attacking Obama for having the same position as McCain," JTA, September 4, 2008 ).
Second, the RJC claims that Obama opposes labeling Iran's Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist group. The RJC cites the vote on the Kyl-Lieberman amendment as proof of this claim. However, the Revolutionary Guard provision of the Kyl-Lieberman amendment was only one part of that bill - and not the major part. Obama opposed this legislation because, “he does not agree with the President that the best way to counter that threat is to keep large numbers of troops in Iraq, and he does not think that now is the time for saber-rattling towards Iran” (Obama Statement, September 26, 2007). Obama had previously co-sponsored legislation that designated the Iranian Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization and subsequently has reiterated, on numerous occasions, his continued support for declaring the Iranian Revolutionary Guard a terrorist organization.
