Obama Asks Jewish Voters to Judge Him on His Policies [View All]

[JimGinPA]

BOCA RATON, Fla. — Senator Barack Obama sought to assure Jewish voters here on Thursday of his commitment to the security of Israel and implored them to disregard the false stories and rumors about his beliefs, background and foreign policy views toward the Middle East.

“We must not negotiate with a terrorist group that’s intent on Israel’s destruction,” said Mr. Obama, of Illinois. “We should only sit down with Hamas if they renounce terror, recognize Israel’s right to exist and abide by past agreements.”

For nearly two hours, Mr. Obama tried to work through a deep-seated skepticism of his candidacy by some Jews. He was welcomed by warm applause that seemed to grow throughout the afternoon session at a synagogue.

Mr. Obama had sharp words for his Republican critics, singling out President Bush and Senator John McCain of Arizona as “counting on fear” and what he called a distortion of his stance on Israel and his plan to meet with foreign leaders. He said he would not negotiate with Hamas or Hezbollah unless they renounced ties to terrorism.

More at link

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/23/us/politics/23obama.html?ref=us

The more people get to know him, the more they like him.