Cantor -- Poor Judgment Abroad

Last week, Representative Eric Cantor (R-VA), the only Jewish Republican in Congress, led a trip of GOP Members to Israel. This week, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) is leading a larger trip of House Democrats to the Jewish state. Unfortunately, Cantor took the opportunity of foreign travel to criticize U.S. foreign policy in the print edition of The Jerusalem Post.

We are concerned about what the White House has been signaling of late in their desire to push through in terms of a Middle East peace plan.... That's very troubling. (The Jerusalem Post, August 7, 2009)

There is nothing inherently inappropriate for a member of the opposition party to debate a president's foreign policy. However, there is a very old and venerated tradition in this country that criticism of American foreign policy not be debated while overseas and that "Politics stops at the water's edge."

Cantor's break with the tradition of bipartisanship is all the more objectionable not only because he criticized his President's policies overseas but he voiced the criticism in the context of speculating about the rise of Jewish Republican voting. Does Cantor have any sense of limits when it comes to using his congressional position to practice rank partisan politics?

We at NJDC respectfully have a few pieces of advice for Cantor:

1. Keep the partisan politics confined to home;
2. Before you predict any meaningful gains for Republicans among Jewish voters it would be advisable for you to review similar false predictions you and other Jewish Republicans have been making over the last 25 years;
3. Focus your "pro-Israel" energies on "converting" the majority of your own GOP caucus that has been voting against the critical foreign aid bill -- a significant portion of which goes to the State of Israel.

Follow Ira Forman on Twitter: www.twitter.com/NJDC

Comments

[athina2009]

10:52 AM on 08/14/2009

Instead of encouraging Cantor to focus his "pro-Israel" energies on getting more U.S. taxpayer funds to support the illegal occupation, you should suggest that Cantor start demonstrating that he has some "pro-U.S." energies.

[Robbycicco]

02:39 PM on 08/13/2009

**However, there is a very old and venerated tradition in this country that criticism of American foreign policy not be debated while overseas and that "Politics stops at the water's edge."**

Ira:

Did this policy apply a couple of years ago when Nancy Pelosi went to Syria in complete disregard of the President's wishes in an attempt at rogue politics? ..or does it only apply to Republicans?

"WASHINGTON — An apparently botched message during a widely discouraged visit by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Syria this week has U.S. officials criticizing rogue efforts at diplomacy among U.S. politicians.
State Department officials said Thursday they made it quite clear they did not want Pelosi to visit Syria, a nation that is listed as a state sponsor of terror and is home to terror group Hezbollah, which started a low-grade war with Israel last summer."

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,264334,00.html

Seems to me that your comments are pretty one-sided, Ira!

Robby Cicco

[Aussieposter]

06:35 PM on 08/13/2009

"Seems to me that your comments are pretty one-sided, Ira!"
And to back up that ellegation ........a link to fox news

How is the GOP going these days?

[nhlazl]

02:20 PM on 08/13/2009

It's a bit disingenuous to denounce Congressman Cantor for his statements in Israel critical of the Obama Administration's foreign policy approach, while ignoring the President's repeated denounciations of the Bush Administration's foreign policy. Just look back at his speeches to overseas audiences throughout his apology tour the past few months.

[laylahb]

05:55 PM on 08/12/2009

AP quoted Cantor last week that the "administration is misguided..puts too little emphasis on the existential threat that Iran poses to the State of Israel as well as the US.. and is concerned about what the White House has been signaling of late."

Misguided? Who's misguided, Eric? Do you really think that you'll have company in Congress next year, or nine more Repubs for your minyan?