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August 13, 2004/Av 26 5763, Vol. 55, No. 47
Friendly Bush draws friendly fire
MATTHEW E. BERGER
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
WASHINGTON - A White House booklet called "President George W. Bush: A Friend of the American Jewish Community" has some of the Jews quoted and pictured inside feeling less than friendly.
Several of those quoted represent nonpartisan organizations and are concerned the booklet implies an endorsement from them or their group.
Others believe the material crosses the line into overt campaigning for Jewish support by the White House less than four months ahead of the election.
The booklet raised a stir among Jewish officials in Washington this week. Several Jewish leaders said they were not contacted before their names appeared, and that it does not accurately reflect their group's sentiment on the administration's track record.
The Bush administration and re-election campaign have been overtly courting Jewish voters for more than a year now, portraying Bush as a strong defender of Israel and a fighter against terrorism.
Those qualities have drawn praise from a diverse array of Jewish leaders for Bush's international leadership - but many Jewish community leaders remain opposed to his domestic policy and other decisions he has made since taking office.
Jewish leaders privately said the booklet, which includes praise from leaders of several Jewish organizations that frequently have challenged the Bush administration, could be misconstrued to reflect endorsements from a wide gamut of influential Jews.
Mailed Aug. 8 to Jewish leaders, the booklet touts Bush's efforts against anti-Semitism and terrorism, and his work supporting Israel and providing mechanisms for federal funding for Jewish sites and organizations.
It includes commentary taken from numerous Jewish officials and political leaders, as well as a timeline of significant events in the administration of interest to the Jewish community.
The White House says the document is a follow-up to a similar, all-text pamphlet produced two years ago. The latest booklet also was e-mailed to Jewish leaders in a PDF file.
Of note, the booklet includes comments from several Jewish leaders in battleground states for the 2004 presidential election, including a rabbi in Iowa, the Democratic mayor of Miami Beach, and rabbis from St. Petersburg, Fla. and Seattle.
Photos show Bush meeting with rabbis, touring Jewish sites in Europe and lighting Hanukkah candles with children at the White House.
White House spokeswoman Maria Tambouri defended the booklet as part of the responsibilities of the Office of White House Public Liaison.
"This is an official document and it catalogues the president's achievement on issues of importance to the Jewish community," Tambouri said.
She said all the quotes used were taken from the public record.
Most striking was the use of quotations by several leading Jewish organizational leaders that the White House has at times circumvented - choosing other Jewish officials seen as more in keeping with Bush administration views - for meetings and receptions with the president.
Some Jewish leaders have complained about a lack of access and influence in this administration, and have said White House officials told them that more frequent praise for the president would win them greater access.
Now those compliments have been compiled in a booklet some see as an attempt to court Jewish voters.
Rabbi David Saperstein, director of the Religious Action Center for Reform Judaism, is quoted in the report praising Bush's statements against former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammed, who told Islamist heads of state last year that Jews "rule the world by proxy."
Saperstein has been highly critical of administration policy on faith-based initiatives, civil liberties and other domestic policy issues, but said he believed the White House had the right to use the praise it receives from Jewish leaders on other issues.
"I do not think that a reasonable reading of this thing suggests that anyone whose quotes they use necessarily endorses or opposes the president," Saperstein said.
JTA Washington Bureau Chief Ron Kampeas contributed to this report.
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