Dean, Pelosi Find Agreement on Israel

[Rose Siding]

Presidential Candidate Dean, Rep. Nancy Pelosi Find They Agree on U.S. Role in Middle East

House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi and Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean have cleared the air and decided they agree about the United States' role in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Dean, a former Vermont governor, called Pelosi Thursday after hearing that she had signed a letter objecting to his comment that the United States should "not take sides" in the Middle East dispute. Pelosi spokesman Brendan Daly said the two agreed that the United States should be an honest broker, but must remain committed to Israel's right to exist.

snip>

Dean sent a response Friday to the signers, thanking them for their letter. He said he is committed to Israel's peace and its special relationship with the United States, but U.S. leaders must earn the Palestinians' trust to negotiate peace.

Dean said he would follow in President Clinton's footsteps and make every effort to bring peace to the region from his first day in office.

"I will not allow a split to emerge in our party on this critical issue, and I am sure you share my commitment to that goal," he wrote.

http://abcnews.go.com/wire/Politics/ap20030912_1901.html

[poskonig]

1. Spread the love!

I'm so glad the rumor is false! :beer:

[arcos]

11. you'll see...

Dean bashers will again say he is "too pro-Israel". He was "anti-Israel" for a few days, but now they'll go back to the old label.

Remember: the only important thing is to criticize Dean.

[DrFunkenstein]

2. Well, I'm Convinced Dean Isn't Anti-Israeli

No particular reason. Just a gut feeling of mine.

[Mairead]

8. Now if we could only feel confident that he's not anti-Palestinian

[virtualobserver]

12. considering the fact that his wife is Jewish.......

and his children were brought up in the Jewish faith, it's just possible that he isn't anti-Israel.

[DrFunkenstein]

14. I Didn't Realize!

Say, isn't the co-chairman of his campaign Jewish as well? Steve Grossman, or something like that? Didn't that guy used to be the head of some group? Now, what was their name again?

[Cha]

3. Oh Jolly! Glad they came out "shaking hands" and their

feathers have been smoothed!

[w13rd0]

4. Haha...

...suck that Lieb. Gets right out there and stamps that pretend "made by Joe" "controversy" right out...I wonder how long it was after having been on Blitzers that he called?

[Rose Siding]

7. "Neutralization"

Classic! :bounce:

[RevolutionStartsNow]

5. Good move, Dean

But...I thought he was out to destroy the Democratic party? Heh.

[w13rd0]

9. Mending fences with Terry...

...patching it up with Pelosi, talking to Wes...no, anything but...he's a real uniter...

[Rose Siding]

10. No kidding

And it isn't just Capital Hill glad handing. The message just resonates.

[blm]

6. Dean finally settled on a position...Clinton's.

Finally.

[w4rma]

13. That's always been his position, blm.

BURLINGTON, Vt., Sept. 11 — It was at the end of an animated session with supporters at a crowded Santa Fe coffeehouse last week when someone asked Howard Dean how he would make peace in the Mideast.

Eyes alighting, Dr. Dean, the former governor of Vermont who has become the hottest of the nine Democratic presidential hopefuls, at first suggested he had something new to say on the subject that might just make headlines. Then he switched gears and said he would save the announcement for a larger audience, instead offering what he considered his standard line, that he had recently visited the region, believed in a two-state solution and was horrified by the violence among Palestinians and Israelis alike.

Little did he know his comments that "it's not our place to take sides" and that "enormous numbers of the settlements that are there are going to have to come out" would soon create the messiest controversy so far in his campaign.
…
In his CNN appearance on Wednesday, Dr. Dean did not apologize for his comments on the Mideast but said he regretted using of the phrase "even-handed" in referring to the talks between the Israelis and Palestinians. He explained that he had "since learned that is a sensitive word to use in certain communities" and that he "could have used a different euphemism." Then he went ahead with the long-forgotten news he never made back at the Santa Fe coffeehouse, suggesting former President Bill Clinton be tapped as a peace emissary.

Nobody paid much attention to that.
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/12/politics/campaigns/12DEAN.html

[blm]

15. Sorry, I've been paying attention a LONG time.

He had no policy then asserted the hardline position after meeting with Sharon, then recently tacked left to accomodate those supporters who were uncomfortable with his I/P position. Now he decides to split the difference and stay safe with the old Clinton position. He is clever to smooth it over finally, but, those who are paying attention know better. He HAD no policy.

Why would Gary Hart lie? Dean: "Gary, what do I do?"

[w4rma]

16. blm, I'm sorry, but you are spinning.

And that line from Gary Hart is stale, don'tcha think? I think you need new material.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

19. Still waiting for a link to that line, too.

6 months and counting....

[blm]

22. I posted it the other day and bumped it twice for you RIF.

Funny how you manage to miss it.

>>>>>>>>
While resisting a request to handicap the remaining contenders for the White House, the former Colorado senator offered these observations about some still in the field:

>>>
Howard Dean, former governor of Vermont, lacks crucial defense or foreign policy experience.
Joe Lieberman, U.S. senator and former vice presidential candidate, is making a futile appeal to the "amorphous middle" by parroting Bush policies.
>>>>>
Dean, the former Vermont governor, is so inexperienced on defense and foreign relations that before his first trip to Israel in January, he called Hart and said, "Gary, what do I do?" Hart said.
>>>>
http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36%257E64%257E1373786,00.html

[blm]

24. Here...I'll bump it again.

Amazing that you keep missing it since you seem to keep tabs on me.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

25. "Hart said."

Who does Hart advise? Not exactly a non-partisan source.



on edit to add- What if I had a "Joe Trippi says" quote? Would it work fer ya?

[blm]

23. Bush found Hart's warnings to be "stale" too.

Didn't he?

Ignore what Hart says. You'll find plenty of company in the Bush administration who do the same.

[sandnsea]

17. Israel has a right to exist

Glad he realizes that's why he can't say we won't take sides, we already have. Everybody in the ME already knows we've taken that side. It would be a lie.

Being an honest broker is a whole different thing. Dean does not continue to 'evolve', but he does continue to learn. He needs a diplomacy expert on his campaign in a hurry.

[UnapologeticLiberal]

18. This is a major relief

I really like Nancy Pelosi and I was upset that she signed the letter, though I understand why she did. So I am glad that while she is understandably supporting Gephardt, she and Dean have, as the article said, "cleared the air."

Mousepads, Shoe Leather, and Hope: The Great Grassroots Campaign

[tedoll78]

20. As soon as I heard about that letter..

I sent her a very cordially-worded email of my own. I suspect that many other Dean supporters did the same thing, and I suspect that it may have played a role in this sudden patch-up.

Both sides win in this scenario. Very nice!

[RevolutionStartsNow]

21. I did the same thing

I am not going to praise her, but I did thank her for responding to the Governor, and I reminded her that people like myself -- who went from simply not caring about national politics to working every day for Howard Dean -- are going to make a difference in this election.

[babzilla]

26. here is the actual letter if anyone is interested

September 10, 2003

The Honorable Howard Dean
P.O. Box 1228
Burlington, VT 05402



Dear Governor Dean:


We are writing to respond to your comments on the Middle East at a recent campaign event and in Tuesday's candidate debate and explain why we believe it is wrong to say the U.S. should "not take sides" in the Israeli-Palestinian dispute.

American foreign policy has been - and must continue to be - based on unequivocal support for Israel's right to exist and to be free from terror. The Palestinians have at best been ambivalent about their willingness to accept Israel's existence and from Yasir Arafat on down they have promoted or acquiesced in the use of terrorism as a tactic in their struggle. It is unacceptable for the U.S. to be "evenhanded" on these fundamental issues.

All of us want a genuine peace process to succeed, and all of us accept the legitimacy of a Palestinian state once the Palestinian leadership and people recognize Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state and not only renounce the use of violence but at last take action to dismantle the terrorist infrastructure inside the Palestinian Authority. Time and time again, the Israeli people have shown their willingness to take risks for peace. But they will only do so with the knowledge that U.S. support for Israel will not waver.

It is important for America to help facilitate a peaceful resolution of the conflict, but in playing this role we must be true to our values and make sure that all parties clearly understand our policies. This is not a time to be sending mixed messages; on the contrary, in these difficult times we must reaffirm our unyielding commitment to Israel's survival and raise our voices against all forms of terrorism and incitement.

Sincerely,

Howard L. Berman
Nancy Pelosi
Robert Matsui
Steny Hoyer
Martin Frost
Nita Lowey
Tom Lantos
Edward Markey
Chet Edwards
Ben Cardin
Steve Rothman
Steve Israel
Gary Ackerman
Barney Frank
Rahn Emanuel
Adam Smith
Anthony Weiner
Chris Bell
Adam Schiff
Hilda Solis
Robert Menendez
Shelley Berkley
Robert Andrews
Joseph Crowley
Jose Serrano
John Larson
Ellen Tauscher
Dennis Cardoza
Patrick Kennedy
Linda Sanchez
Harold Ford Jr.
Brad Sherman
C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger
Alcee Hastings