McCain, Obama camps clash over NY City rally against Iran

Jewish groups sponsoring event rescind politicians' invitations to 'focus on Iranian threats.'

By HILARY LEILA KRIEGER, JPOST CORRESPONDENT IN WASHINGTON
Neither Sarah Palin nor Hillary Clinton will be appearing at a New York City rally Monday sponsored by Jewish organizations, as politics overshadowed an event intended to present a united stand against Iran. The organizers of The Rally to Stop Iran Now, slated for the day ahead of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's speech at the United Nation's General Assembly, decided Thursday to rescind Palin's invitation and those to other elected officials amid complaints that the event was being used to promote partisan politics. Clinton had withdrawn earlier in the week after learning of Palin's planned appearance, while left-learning Jewish groups protested the Republican vice presidential nominee's participation. Even after the decision was announced, the McCain and Obama campaigns continued to exchange barbs over the event. "In order to keep the focus on Iranian threats and to ensure that this critical message not be obscured, the organizers of the rally have decided not to have any American political personalities appear," read a statement put out Thursday by The Coalition to Stop Iran Now, which includes the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, the United Jewish Communities, the UJA-Federation New York and the Jewish Council for Public Affairs. Palin told supporters in Minnesota on Friday that "Democrat partisans" had pressured organizers of the New York rally to withdraw the invitation for her to appear. "This should be an issue that unites all Americans. Iran should not be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons, period," Palin said. "Unfortunately, some Democrat partisans put politics first and now no elected official can appear. This should not be a matter of partisan politics." Palin told the rally she and McCain were steadfast in their intention to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. "John McCain and I are committed to drawing attention to the dangers posed by Iran's nuclear program," she said, "and we will not waver in our commitment. I will continue to call for sustained action to prevent Iranian president Ahmadinejad from getting these weapons to launch a second Holocaust." McCain said in a statement issued Thursday that "Governor Palin was pleased to accept an invitation to address this rally and show her resolve on this grave national security issue, regrettably that invitation has since been withdrawn under pressure from Democratic partisans." "We stand shoulder to shoulder with Republicans, Democrats and independents alike to oppose Ahmadinejad's goal of a nuclear armed Iran. Senator Obama's campaign had the opportunity to join us. Senator Obama chose politics rather than the national interest," the statement added. The Obama campaign, however, said that it had been invited to participate only on Wednesday, the day after Clinton pulled out. By that time, Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Biden already had a speaking commitment, but top Jewish surrogate Robert Wexler was designated to attend. The campaign has strenuously denied any connection to Clinton's withdrawal or the organizers' decision not to feature American politicians. Clinton dropped out after learning through the media of Palin's appearance, according to aides, a move which left them furious. "This was never billed to us as a partisan political event," Clinton spokesman Philippe Reines had said after learning that Palin was due to appear. "Sen. Clinton will therefore not be attending." Palin has been trying to woo women who had once supported Clinton, and the joint appearance would have drawn major attention to an event that some suggested would advance Palin's efforts on that front. In addition, some Democrats feared the event would be used by Palin, who has few foreign policy credentials, to burnish her image on international issues. The Obama camp also used the fiasco to hit McCain on Iran, calling McCain's attack on Obama "another dishonorable lie from John McCain," since the campaign had planned to send Wexler. "The truth is, John McCain had a real opportunity to stand up for Israel's security yesterday, but he refused to stand up to his allies in Congress who blocked Barack Obama's bipartisan divestment bill that would have increased pressure on Iran," the campaign said in a statement put out later in the day. "So while Senator McCain uses the 'Stop Iran' rally to issue dishonest political attacks, he has refused to join with Barack Obama in supporting the kind of sanctions that could actually stop Iran from getting a nuclear weapon." The Obama campaign continued to charge Friday that political motives lay behind what it labeled as a Republican effort to block Obama's legislation to facilitate Iran divestment to keep the Illinois senator from racking up an accomplishment amidst the presidential campaign. A McCain spokesman didn't return a call requesting comment on the subject. In a conference call with reporters Friday afternoon, Democratic Illinois Senator and Obama ally Dick Durbin said that despite the failure of Obama's legislation, Congress would continue to push for tightened sanctions on Iran. He also said in response to a question from The Jerusalem Post that while "there were some basic mistakes made by the organizers of the rally," particularly in the way invitations were issued, "after this rally and after this election, the resolve of both political parties to stop Iran will continue." Several sponsoring organizations were also disgruntled by how things developed, saying they hadn't been properly consulted on the invitation to Palin and that her participation as a vice presidential nominee threatened their non-profit status. The groups held a heated conference call Thursday with Conference of Presidents executive director Malcolm Hoenlein about his outreach to the McCain campaign and to push for Palin and other elected officials to be barred. Many sources on the call said that their concern of violating the rigid requirements about equal time for candidates, which include adhering to a formal invitation processes for both campaigns, was the main force in rescinding the invitation to Palin when it became clear Biden wouldn't be attending. The Israel Project, an event sponsor that did not participate in the call since it was not a party to deciding who was invited, took its name off the event after receiving scores of angry calls and e-mails from both sides of the aisle, citing its non-profit status. But the phone conversation also followed an outcry from some Jewish political entities about Palin's inclusion, including the National Jewish Democratic Council. And news of her being disinvited was warmly greeted by the J Street lobby, which said nearly 20,000 people had signed its petition calling on the Conference of Presidents to rescind the invitation to her. A source at the Conference of Presidents said the J Street petition had no effect on the decision taken - a move that also provoked criticism on the Right, with some Republicans blaming Clinton for dropping out and turning what would have been a bipartisan event into a political one. Knesset Speaker Dalia Itzik is still slated to appear, however, as is Nobel Peace Prize laureate Elie Wiesel, organizers said. Itzik spent part of last week in Washington, meeting with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Thursday morning and holding a reception with US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi later in the day where she praised America's bipartisan commitment to Israel. AP contributed to this report.