Time for a quiz

Did you pay attention during the course of this campaign season?

By SHELDON SCHORER
us special 2 224 (photo credit: )
us special 2 224
(photo credit: )
All right, trivia fans, time for a quiz. Time to see if you have been paying attention during the course of this campaign season. I will give you 10 quotes and your job is to decide who said what. Take a crayon and mark on your computer screen, next to each quote, the initial H for Hillary Clinton, B for Barack Obama or J for John McCain. Answers, with a comment, follow below. ___ 1. Israel 's right to exist, and exist in safety, should never be put into question. Israel is confronting many of the toughest challenges in its history, in a neighborhood that is less secure than ever. It is vital that we stand by our friend and our ally and that we stand by our own values. We need to continue to insist that any Palestinian government renounce terrorism and recognize Israel's right to exist. ___ 2. I have also introduced and helped to pass a resolution in the Senate calling for the opening of the largest closed Holocaust Archives in the world, located in Bad Arolsen, Germany, and I have pushed hard for the adoption of Magen David Adom and its Red Crystal emblem into the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. Magen David Adom deserves recognition for the selfless and desperately needed humanitarian service it provides without bias. I was delighted in June 2006 when the International Red Cross movement decided to accept Magen David Adom as a full member. ___ 3. For my part, I will continue to work in the Senate on measures that demonstrate support for Israel. In April 2007, I helped to pass a resolution that condemns Hamas and Hezbollah for kidnapping three Israeli soldiers and demands their unconditional and immediate release. ___ 4. Unfortunately, the Administration continues to pursue the same broken policy in Iraq. Our troops have done everything we have asked of them and more. I believe it is time to start bringing them home. … I will continue to be a strong advocate for such efforts to end the war. ___ 5. The Administration's failed policies in Iraq, in a war that never should have been authorized, have strengthened Iran and emboldened Hamas and Hezbollah. That makes it more important than ever that the United States live up to its commitment to ensure Israel's qualitative military edge in a dangerous region. For that reason, I support the agreement on military assistance reached today. ___ 6. That effort begins with a clear and strong commitment to the security of Israel: our strongest ally in the region and its only established democracy. That will always be my starting point. And when we see all of the growing threats in the region: from Iran to Iraq to the resurgence of al-Qaeda to the reinvigoration of Hamas and Hizbullah, that loyalty and that friendship will guide me as we begin to lay the stones that will build the road that takes us from the current instability to lasting peace and security. ___ 7.Iran's President Ahmadinejad's regime is a threat to all of us. His words contain a chilling echo of some of the world's most tragic history….In the 21st century, it is unacceptable that a member state of the United Nations would openly call for the elimination of another member state. But that is exactly what he has done. Neither Israel nor the United States has the luxury of dismissing these outrages as mere rhetoric. ___ 8. Unfortunately, history has a terrible way of repeating itself. President Ahmadinejad has denied the Holocaust. He held a conference in his country, claiming it was a myth. But we know the Holocaust was as real as the 6 million who died in mass graves at Buchenwald, or the cattle cars to Dachau or whose ashes clouded the sky at Auschwitz. We have seen the pictures. We have walked the halls of the Holocaust museum in Washington and Yad Vashem. We have touched the tattoos on loved-ones arms. After 60 years, it is time to deny the deniers. ___ 9. Today, we are here once again to release a report that is deeply disturbing, particularly for the denial of Israel's existence and the historical omissions of the Holocaust, to cite just two examples. These textbooks do not give Palestinian children an education; they give them an indoctrination. …Hate has no place in the curriculum of schools, and the glorification of violence has no place in the education of children. ___ 10. But in the end, we also know that we should never seek to dictate what is best for the Israelis and their security interests. No Israeli Prime Minister should ever feel dragged to or blocked from the negotiating table by the United States. We must be partners - we must be active partners. Diplomacy in the Middle East cannot be done on the cheap. Diplomacy is measured by patience and effort. We cannot continue to have trips consisting of little more than photo-ops with little movement in between. Neither Israel nor the US is served by this approach. A comment before I reveal the answers: none of the quotes were made by John McCain. This was not done for the sake of trickery, but to make a point: if you are a McCain supporter and have attributed a quote that you approve of to McCain, then think again. You might be biased in favor of a Republican and prejudiced against Democrats without a proper foundation. Think again. The same goes for Obama and Clinton supporters - if you did not identify the quote correctly, maybe you should give the other candidate a second look. The answers: Hillary Clinton said numbers 1-4 and 9; Barrack Obama said numbers 5 -8 and 10. With the Pennsylvania primary behind us, it is clear that the Democratic nomination race is far from over, and will almost certainly be settled only at the convention in late August. Both Clinton and Obama have demonstrated voter appeal. Good news for Israel supporters: either candidate would be a welcome friend in the White House. One more prediction: until now, the two Democratic candidates have directed their attacks mainly against each other. Now that a convention fight seems likely, and the need for party unity has been openly expressed, I expect that the intramural rivalry will be fought largely behind the scenes. John McCain has gotten a free ride until now from the Democrats: he has not undergone serious examination or comment. I expect that with the campaign running into a new gear, you may expect to hear disquieting things about John McCain: enough to make even a die-hard Republican supporter take a second look and think again.