Hi Deb, it's been a while since you posted this, so I'm hoping it's just thee & me here.
Personally, and based on my reading of Jewish newspapers (especially my mother-in-law's) -- most Jews seem to expect and hope that e.g. Lieberman *has* "divided loyalties" with regard to the State of Israel. That is, that he would be a "good friend" to Israel, argue in favor of support to Israel, and see the needs and policies of the State of Israel as being necessarily in line with those of the US. I don't think it would be a matter of knowingly acting against the US's best interests, it would be not perceiving a difference between the US's interests and those of Israel. It is IMHO very difficult (and rare) for an American Jew to be able to think about Israel as a complete outsider -- rarer than it is for Irish-Americans to think about Ireland as an outsider, and more crucial.
But it's not just Jews: I think the dual-loyalty thing would cut even deeper for Muslim, ethnic Indian, Pakistani, Korean, Japanese, or Chinese candidates.
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Date: 2003-02-06 08:18 pm (UTC)Personally, and based on my reading of Jewish newspapers (especially my mother-in-law's) -- most Jews seem to expect and hope that e.g. Lieberman *has* "divided loyalties" with regard to the State of Israel. That is, that he would be a "good friend" to Israel, argue in favor of support to Israel, and see the needs and policies of the State of Israel as being necessarily in line with those of the US. I don't think it would be a matter of knowingly acting against the US's best interests, it would be not perceiving a difference between the US's interests and those of Israel. It is IMHO very difficult (and rare) for an American Jew to be able to think about Israel as a complete outsider -- rarer than it is for Irish-Americans to think about Ireland as an outsider, and more crucial.
But it's not just Jews: I think the dual-loyalty thing would cut even deeper for Muslim, ethnic Indian, Pakistani, Korean, Japanese, or Chinese candidates.