Rep. Berman Criticizes McCain’s Possible Elimination Of Aid To Israel.

[Purveyor]

Today, House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Howard Berman (D-CA) released a statement responding to ThinkProgress’s report that McCain’s promise to “veto every bill with earmarks” may eliminate U.S. aid to Israel. Berman sharply criticized McCain for putting attempts to “please certain parts of the electorate” above “indispensable security programs”:

For many years, Congress has earmarked critical military aid for Israel, our closest ally in the volatile Middle East. Confronted with this fact, Senator McCain last evening hastily issued what purported to be a clarifying statement indicating that he will ‘ensure America remains committed to the security of Israel, including maintaining America’s assistance levels.’ Unfortunately, this did little to explain his intentions.

It is absolutely essential that Congress continue to require full funding for Israel. In the absence of an earmark, it is easy to imagine a situation in which funds that are vital to Israel’s self-defense are diverted to the crisis of the moment or distributed to others based on political whims. Vague commitments to ‘maintaining … assistance levels’ offer cold comfort.

---EOE---

http://thinkprogress.org/2008/04/17/rep-berman-criticizes-mccains-possible-elimination-of-aid-to-israel/

[NJmaverick]

1. If he did that, I would think better of McCain

Our nation gives Israel entirely too much money.