DC Notes: more Factor, my stupid mistake, favorite email

Factor

The print edition version of The Israel Factor came out today. It's a long article about the 2008 election and, yet again, the whole ranking hula-bula. You can read the full version, or just look at these couple of paragraphs:

"What in fact constitutes a 'good-for-Israel' president? Is it a president who will try to dictate a political agreement between Israel and the Palestinians, or one who will leave the region to its own devices and let Israel do what it wants? Is it preferable for Israel that the president try a dialogue with Damascus and reach understandings, or move to topple the regime of Bashar Assad? Is it better for Israel for the U.S. president to believe that the time has come for the democratization of the Middle East, or that he emphasize regional 'stability' and espouse a less ideological and more 'realistic' policy?

The answers to these questions depend on the prior attitudes of the panel members, so we collected background material about them, which will help interpret their choice. The 'weighted average' will be processed from all the responses, but Haaretz will also be able to explain the variables that comprise the average (with the proficient assistance of Prof. Camil Fuchs, from Tel Aviv University, Haaretz's regular pollster, who is also at present in the United States). In the end each reader will choose his preferred candidate, but the panel, which reflects opinions across the political spectrum, will be able to provide indications about the desirable result for Israel, or at least to spark a debate on the subject.

Nearly two years ago, on the eve of the 2004 elections, Haaretz conducted a readers' poll as part of an international project which sought to examine the attitude of various countries toward the Bush administration and the American election system. The most pronounced fact, and the one most quoted internationally, could not be blurred: Israel loved President Bush and esteemed his support more than any other country. Only the country's Arab citizens took a negative view of his presidency.

Yet this is a deceptive outcome, because Israelis reacted with the same warmth to the very different presidency of Bill Clinton. Policy, then, is not always the keystone, but a feeling that the president is interested in Israel's good. The circumstances had changed, too: Clinton was popular in the decade in which Israel strove for peace agreements, Bush has been in power in a decade in which Israel has been at war. The needs changed but the popularity remains intact - for the past 14 years Israel has enjoyed the presidency of two of its greatest supporters ever. It's not certain whether we can expect the same attitude in the future."

Again, the full version is here, but before you read it, take a look at the next item here.

Mistake

My mistake of the week is also taken from the print edition version of The Israel Factor: "This is actually the first time since the 1968 elections in which no serving president or vice president will be among the candidates." Believe me (and I know some of you will not) that I know Hubert Humphrey was the Vice President, and that the last time in which no candidate was President or Vice was actually in 1952. Let's just say it was a very busy week. Please accept my apology.

Letter

The "reaction of the day" to The Israel Factor (people keep sending reactions, and after two days of mostly angry readers, now is the time for support) is the one Eric Osterweil sent me:

"Your readers should understand that the best U.S. president must necessarily be a leader who is, first and foremost, good for America. A strong, confident, and wise United States president, who adopts sound domestic and foreign policies, is in the interests of the entire free world. Those policies may not always be viewed as being in the best interests of Israel. On the other hand, policies that demonstrably weaken America, even if viewed as being favorable to Israel will, in the long run, hurt rather than help Israel.

Those of us who vote in U.S. elections will hopefully have a meaningful choice based on many criteria. Almost all of the possible presidential candidates have voiced their support for Israel - and that is a good thing. However, there are plenty of problems confronting the American electorate that will also be factors in determining who ultimately is elected president. Examples of significant issues, to name a few, include the environment, global warming, the growing gap between rich and poor, and civil liberties."