McCain's Plan To Cut Earmarks Would Eliminate Aid To Israel

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) has long portrayed himself as a staunch supporter of Israel. "Obvioiusly," McCain has said, "I have been a very strong proponent to the State of Israel." He recently told the Jewish Journal that if elected president, he would "hit the ground running" and immediately get involved in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.

It is astounding then that McCain has essentially vowed to eliminate U.S. funding assistance for Israel. In a speech yesterday on the economy, McCain said that as president, he will eliminate pork barrel spending, otherwise known as "earmarks":

Read the whole story here.

Comments

[jhNY]

Golly, it's not like this one will blow over in notime, or anything, is it? Poor McSame misspoke hisself, and by this evening's news broadcast will have effusively praised little Israel beyond the limits of idolatry, and will doubtless have committed an even greater portion of the nation's revenues to the endless cause of her aid. WAKE UP!

[chuckgraner]

Too bad McCain didn't say the same for welfare and food stamps.

[Caroway]

Wow. Can't believe that comments are actually open on an article that talks about Israel. Usually comments are closed to make sure that no one speaks ill of the zionists.

[mrdontplay]

Here is a better question.

WHY SHOULD THE US HELP EITHER ONE OF THEM FIGHT?

Palestine or Isreal?

I would wash my hands of both of them. Do to each other what you wish, leave us out of it.

We cannot take care of our country if we continue to prioritize everyone elses problems in the world.

PALESTINE, ISREAL, AFGANISTAN, IRAQ? Screw that.

...I'm more concerned about the 50 STATES and PUERTO RICO and the Virgin islands.


AMERICANS HAVE TO START PUTTING AMERICA FIRST. Time is not on our side.

[mrdontplay]

I hate to say this but Isreal is like that friend that everytime you go out them you end up in a bar fight.

If ISREAL were a person you would not want to hang out with them.

They are always in a fight with somebody over something and its always so so so serious.

My mom always taught me to avoid people who for one reason or another always seemed to find themselves in trouble.

The truth is you do have a choice and YOU DO PLAY A ROLE IN THE OUTCOME.

These are lessons I learned as a child growing up why hasn't our country learned?

What ISREAL does is participate in the "BLOOD & CRIPS" gang war with PALESTINE and then drag us in it.

I don't know if any HUMAN knows who is right or who is wrong in their conflict.

Both sides have killed maimed and committed attrocites to each other.

I think they both are equally to blame and I actually blame their religious leadership for perpetuating the issues. As the story goes the children of ISREAL and PALESTINE are from the same family, WHY FIGHT? If religion is of any use why caint it resolve this problem?

[mommadona]

Good.

About time.

I wouldn't want a 50-year-old kid on the dole to the parents either.

And, if it eliminates the power of the AIPAC, Zionists, etc...the VERY entities that create the problems in the area...more power to him.

NOW - think OBAMA or CLINTON would like to chime in with a similar statement?

[Weathermaker]

I don't understand the rationale for this aid. Israel is a modern country and in all fairness it doesn't really need this aid. It's a like putting Bill Gates on food stamps. Israel's GDP/person is higher than New Zealand's and South Korea's. Do they really need this aid that amounts to about 1% of their GDP? Probably this aid is more detrimental to both the US and Israel.

[rollingdivision]

This would force everyone in congress to go on record on their position on direct aid to Israel and not hide money to Israel in unvoted earmarks. So the congress would have to actually vote and pass legislation which specifically identified the aid to Israel. And this is a bad thing? Why would anyone think not having on the record up or down votes on direct aid to Israel is bad?

[2liveNdie]

Over J. Lieberman's dead body!!!!!!!!!!

[truelie]

Now this is interesting. There's no reason to keep sending money and weapon to a country that ignores the UN Resolution and oppresses the Palestinians for decades now. China is pale in comparison. I actually applaud McCain's view on this if it's true. For this alone, he gets my vote over Clinton should she be the nominee (Na! Never. Not a chance.)

[strifeknot]

I would seriously consider voting for anyone willing to cut off all funding for the terrorist nation of Israel. Unfortunately, McCain would never do it, nor would Obama or Clinton.

[MetalCanuck]

Me too, that would be a winner right there.

[compassionone]

It's Teflon John.

Cut him some slack, he was Tortured in Vietnam. He is still recovering from PTSD.

Ever wonder why they won't release his medical records so we can know if he is fit to be The New Decider.

Who else will he take that temper out on, or have a flashback and push the wrong button.

[julieeiluj]

Oh sure, he is going to be cutting off aid to israel....sure. When bush and cheney, or himself, attack Iran, Israel will never stop all the missiles Iran is going to unleash on it. If anything, he will be increasing their so called benchmark.

[Counterglow]

Like Obama on NAFTA, then Hillary on NAFTA, this is pure political posturing. McCain will NEVER cut aid to Israel.

But you can bet his buddies in the broadcast news media won't cry bullshytte on him the way they did on the Democrats.

[hugs4u]

There is no way McCain ole buddy lieberman would let him cut aid.

[MetalCanuck]

Yes thats true, unfortunetely for the rest of the World AIPAC Lieberman is on the case spreading the blood of American and Arab Children all over the middle east.

[aaronburr]

This story is pretty much bullshit. The term "earmarks" is ambiguously used in a number of different contexts depending upon how the spending is authorized. This article conflates all of them into a single lump. The "earmarks" that McCain is talking about canceling are the local spending projects attached to spending bills by Congress beyond the budget to circumvent the normal budget process. The vast majority of them are for local projects in the home district of the Congressman - read, "Bridge to No Where". They get passed on a "you vote for mine, I'll vote for yours" basis and the process is pretty much totally corrupt; McCain could cancel the whole slimy collection of them with no problems.

The "earmarks" representing foreign aid to Israel (and other countries) is put forth in regular appropriations bills and approved by the House and Senate. There are also separate authorizations to sell weapons systems, spare parts, etc. No matter what happens to the domestic earmarks, our spending in support of Israel won't miss a beat.

[chinaskee]

Foreign Aid does not come under the category of Pork Barrel spending. Please try again.

[Doofus]

Seems like it might be a technicality, but the Congressional Research Service,
which prepared the cited document, believes that foreign aid to Israel & Egypt
falls into the category of 'earmarks'. Go figure!

'Several special characteristics of the practice of earmarking in Foreign Operations bills
are worth noting. Some observers define earmarks in a more limited way, identifying only
provisions that direct spending for items not requested by the Administration or in excess of
levels proposed for activities or countries. Although many Foreign Operations earmarks fall
within this more narrow definition, congressional directives specifying spending amounts
that are the same as shown in the Administration"s illustrative listing for country
distributions also are regarded as earmarks. Annual earmarks for economic and military aid
to Israel and Egypt are examples of such directives.'

[betz55]

Cut US aid to Israel.The US should stop pandering to Israel and it`s destructive policies.Cut off aid and stop the loan guarantees.Demand peace and fair settlement with the Palestinians and extract the US from Israel`s damaging,harmful,and negative policies.Israel is not a third world country. It is a theocracy that uses US monetary aid, which requires no accountability,to oppress the Palestinians, perpetuate apartheid,and build settlements in the occupied territories.Israeli policies are not longer in line with US policies,and,as a result are making the US more of a target than ever in the Islamic world.If Israel cannot exist without the U.S. giving them billions of dollars every year,then the Israels need to pack their bags and move on. Each year US aid to Israel gives each man, woman, and child the equivalent of over $1500.00 each while cutting programs in the US due to "funding".Why on earth are American taxpayers forced to give 10 billion dollars yearly to Israel when our own people are homeless or soon to be, have no jobs, no healthcare.There is no justification for forcing the U.S. public to pay for health care,education, and housing for the Israelis while our own people go without.

[MetalCanuck]

What you just said makes perfect sense but people call people like you and I anti-Semites. ITs Bullcrap isn't it:)

[TN]

As Ms. Jackson would say, - Israel, What have you done for me lately?

[robeson]

How long will it take before McCain's handlers but a transceiver on his back ala GW Bush? Karen Hughes, can you hear me?

[leftLibertarian]

Though I would not vote for McCain, I see no problem with cutting off aid to Israel or any other country for that matter.

It is their own country, they can solve their own problems, and they would not feel constrained by our purse strings.

[rojo7449]

Well, that with cinch who the Obama's vote for in November.

[SignifyingMonkey]

Wait a minute! If we cut off all foreign aid to Israel where would lobbyists get their money to bribe our senators and representatives?

[tbone99]

You are so right.It would cut presidential donations by half !

[MetalCanuck]

IT will also assure everyone there will be no more wars in the middle east because those are Israeli ideas.

[NABNYC]

Excellent. Let's make it retroactive. Let's cut off all aid to everyone in the middle east, now that we're on a roll. Cut off the funding for the wars of aggression, and get the hell out. Cut off the military aide that props up the corrupt dictators in Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Cut off all military aid for that matter. Why is it that the Israelis have one of the highest standards of living, yet we give them $10 billion/year, while our real neighbors, the Haitians, are rioting because they have no food, and we do nothing for them? Don't we have it kind of backwards? Doesn't charity begin at home?

Come to think of it, why not give aide directly to people? Shut down the IMF and World Bank, agents of destruction, and help people set up their own farms to feed themselves. Like they used to do before the IMF and World Bank forced them off their land.

Or, I guess we can just continue to destroy the world.

[happydayz]

Agreed. Israel doesn't need our help, nor does Egypt (well, actually they have a lot of poor people, but their government, unlike Israels is very corrupt, autocratic, and wasteful). We have a pathological relationship with Israel. They are a sacred cow in American politics - you cannot every criticize them or deal with the middle east in an even handed way or you are crucified and called anti-Semitic. It's so absurd. Yes they are an ally, but they should be treated like any other ally NOT with uncondiitonal support. NOT above criticism. I am so tired of us being on our knees to this country, financially and militarily. They have the 2nd strongest military in the world, why do they need us to prop them up. It's a very, very unhealthy relationship we're in.

[Ramirez]

This is a clever little word game on the term "earmarks" that has nothing to do with foreign aid to anyone, including Israel.

[toby25]

Very True...earmarks have nothing to do with aid to Israel. If aid to Israel shows up as an earmark it will be sent back. So aid to countries only get through as earmarks?? Nonsense. This is just another reach to bash McCain.

[donaldw6]

Oops! The Straight Talk Express spends more of its time in reverse gear than in forward.

[toby25]

Not really I'm afraid. That is a cute little thing Obama and Clinton's camps are trying like hell to get people to believe...just like McCain and Bush are joined at the hip. That isn't true at all. They have differed in policy MANY, MANY times. They are more different than alike. Examples: Stem Cell research, Torture of prisoners, Global warming, The execution of the Iraq war, Rumsfeld, halting addition to the petroleum reserve and several more. Let's be fair