Candidates seek audience with Arab-Americans
Originally published in the Washington Post
Candidates Seek Audience With Arab Americans
Lieberman's Mideast Remarks Criticized At Meeting in Michigan
By David S. Broder
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, October 18, 2003; Page A07
DEARBORN, Mich., Oct. 17 -- Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (D-Conn.) was booed and heckled Friday by an audience of Arab Americans as a parade of presidential hopefuls made their appeals to a constituency that is gaining recognition as an increasingly important swing vote in the 2004 campaign.
Lieberman, an Orthodox Jew, drew shouts of disagreement from many of the 300 or so people attending the Arab American Institute leadership conference in this Detroit suburb when he attempted to defend the security fence under construction by the Israeli government in the West Bank as a temporary nuisance that would be removed once the Palestinian leadership makes "a 100 percent effort" to end terrorism.
His reception was in marked contrast to the applause given rivals Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich (Ohio), Sens. John F. Kerry (Mass.) and John Edwards (N.C.), and a spokesman for retired Gen. Wesley K. Clark, who canceled because of illness. Marc Racicot, former chairman of the Republican National Committee and now chairman of President Bush's reelection campaign, was heard in silence and criticized afterward for his response to questions about administration policy in the Middle East and the anti-terrorism USA Patriot Act, both of which are highly unpopular with this audience.
The turnout of candidates and campaign officials -- with three other Democratic hopefuls still to come Friday night and Saturday -- was hailed by meeting sponsors as a clear sign that Arab Americans, who are believed to number nearly 3 million, have overcome prejudice and are being recognized as a legitimate and even important voting bloc.
In Michigan, where more of the recent immigrants from the Middle East have settled than anywhere else, Bush and his potential rivals have courted support. Those attending the meeting said similar outreach can be found from both parties everywhere from California to New Jersey, although some Californians in attendance were critical of Gov.-elect Arnold Schwarzenegger for refusing to meet with them during the recall campaign.
For Lieberman, who recently criticized former Vermont governor Howard Dean for suggesting a more "even handed" approach by the United States to the Israelis and Palestinians, the decision to come here was a calculated risk. All the other Washington-based candidates chose to appear by satellite, citing the need to be at the Capitol to vote on the $87 billion administration request for financing military operations and reconstruction in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Lieberman, who in 2000 became the first Jew nominated for the national ticket by either major party, was given a warm introduction by James Zogby, head of the Arab American Institute and an active player in Democratic politics. Zogby told the audience that when Arab Americans were being excluded from the 1992 Clinton campaign, it was Lieberman who "was outraged" and called the Little Rock headquarters to have the policy changed.
Lieberman began his speech by calling himself, "Joseph, your brother . . . children of the same father, Abraham." He was applauded when he criticized the Bush administration for mass arrests of Middle Eastern immigrants after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and said that holding illegal immigrants incommunicado for long periods "is an affront to basic American freedoms." There were murmurs of approval when he said that "the only acceptable solution" to the Middle East fighting is "two states living side by side in peace -- Israel and Palestine."
But the audience reaction became hostile when Lieberman recalled his criticism of Dean for suggesting "it's not our place to take sides" in the Middle East conflict. During a Democratic debate last month, Lieberman argued that Dean's comment reversed 50 years of bipartisan support for Israel -- a charge Dean heatedly denied. Friday, Lieberman said he might have implied much the same thing himself when he said, "Surely, Americans can be both pro-Israel and pro-Palestine." But members of the audience began shouting at him, "The wall. Talk about the wall."
Instead, Lieberman said the first step toward peace in the Middle East must be for the Palestinian Authority to find leadership that "will make a 100 percent effort to stop terrorism," and then Israel can be expected to withdraw settlements in the West Bank and take other steps outlined in the "road map" supported by the Bush administration.
The first question from the audience demanded his position on the security fence being constructed to separate Israel from Palestinian territory. Lieberman said, "I regret the separation," but said it was understandable because "we have been victims of terrorism, as the Israelis have." There were shouts of "No" and "Tell the truth." The protests continued as Lieberman argued that the wall was temporary and would come down as soon as suicide attacks and other acts of terrorism ended.
In a comment to reporters later, Lieberman said he was glad he had come to the meeting and said the reactions were "understandable, because the emotions are so strong on both sides."
By contrast, Kucinich drew cheers when he identified himself as the only candidate who had voted against both the Patriot Act and the resolution authorizing use of military force against Iraq. Kucinich explicitly called on Israel to "stop building walls and stop building new settlements," and Kerry, in an apparent reference to the wall, said, "We do not need another barrier to peace."
Racicot faced an audience that had heard hour after hour of criticism of Bush for not devoting enough personal attention to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and condemnation of Attorney General John D. Ashcroft and the Patriot Act. Treading lightly as one "who does not make policy for the president," he urged the audience to remember Bush's frequent statements that he views Islam as "a religion of hope and of peace." Racicot said that if there are problems with the Patriot Act, he expects "refinements from Congress that will assure we do not invade the rights of any Americans."
Afterward, Sami Merhi of New Jersey, who identified himself as a Bush supporter in 2000, said Racicot's performance convinced him that "if Bush got 50 percent of the Arab American vote last time, he'll be lucky to get 5 percent next year."
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