McCain Hits Hard

Body blows to Barack from Senator McCain, who is blocking Barack's attempt to run from his promise to meet personally with foreign leaders like Ahmadinejad during his first year in office:

Obama has called for direct talks with the Iranian regime, an option McCain, R-Ariz., told the annual Washington conference of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee would be fruitless. “Rather than sitting down unconditionally with the Iranian president or supreme leader in the hope that we can talk sense into them, we must create the real-world pressures that will peacefully but decisively change the path they are on,’’ he told the 7,500 AIPAC delegates from across the country.

The Iran debate provides a great opportunity to attempt to drive a wedge between Barack and Jewish voters, who generally favor the Dems.

At stake for all the candidates is the loyalty of Jewish voters, who often judge candidates at least in part by the fervor of their support for the Jewish state. Though McCain was well received, drawing applause more than 30 times during his half-hour speech, he faces an uphill climb among traditionally Democratic Jewish voters.

Kerry beat Bush among Jewish voters by 3 to 1:

Facing such odds, McCain tried to picture Obama as weak on issues vital to Israel’s security and unwilling to confront Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who has called for Israel’s destruction.

As if working in tandem with McCain, Ahmadinejad reiterated his threats in a speech today:

"I must announce that the Zionist regime (Israel), with a 60-year record of genocide, plunder, invasion and betrayal is about to die and will soon be erased from the geographical scene," he said.

"Today, the time for the fall of the satanic power of the United States has come and the countdown to the annihilation of the emperor of power and wealth has started."