Did anybody else hear about Bush saying.....?

Question

that we should befriend more Arab countries even if it means turning our back on Israel. Somebody who heard it also said Bush said that he would not be seen holding a Jews hand.

This is a serious question.

Thanks for clarifiing that Joe. I just caught part of it.

Answer 1

no, its bs. he said something similar, but with a completley different meaning in a totally different context

Answer 2

Diplomacy is a good aspect of government, to have good relations with the Arabs but deep inside, to support Israel in case of conflict.

Answer 3

Did not hear it but if arabs atk Israel even Bush cant do anything so the best thing which comes in his mind is "diplomacy"

Answer 4

No, I didn't, but that doesn't surprise me, now that he doesn't have to be elected to anything. He's an oil man (sort of), he's always had close ties with Arab countries.

But back to the "getting elected" part. Here's a partial trancscript from AIPAC President David Steiner (DS) and New York businessman Haim Katz (HK) recorded 2 weeks before the 1992 US Presidential election.

DS: I'm going to have Seth call you because in the meantime I'm going to be preparing this list, what I'm doing is, I've asked my friends in the various campaigns, I've made about 30 calls, what I'm trying to put together who needs it the most, you know? Because you could dissipate a million dollars, but the point is to put it where it's going to do the most, I know Bob Kasten, who's been an outstanding friend and needs it I know. . .

HK: Excuse my ignorance. Bob Kasten is what state?

DS: From Wisconsin. . .

HK: Okay, is he Jewish?

DS: . . .He's for loan guarantees, he happens to be a Republican.

HK: Okay, and but, he's good? He's. . .

DS: You couldn't have better.

HK: Is Kasten, Kasten's been very, very good and he's in trouble?

DS: He's in big trouble. Les Aspin, who's the Chairman of the Military Appropriations, a Democrat also from Wisconsin is really [unintelligible].

HK: You mean, Les Aspin is in trouble?

DS: In big trouble.

HK: I can't believe it. I mean, I don't, I don't follow . . .

DS: Well see, what happened was, you know ah, when you get to know me, I'll put you on my list and I'll be sending all these things. A wealthy businessman decided to run, using all his own money. Aspin, 'cause they sit on the finance committee for Aspin. . .

HK: Right.

DS: . ..programmed the last two weeks of, well the last month of the campaign, for TV. This guy came in two months early and we didn't have the money budgeted, so we're out scratching around to raise money for him. So we, heck, I told him, I said that I'd go, I'll sign on the bank on a loan for you, you know, that's how important it is.
...
DS: We commissioned a poll and got some people, and I've got to raise $27,000 to pay for the poll . . . so I have, so what I'm trying to do is make a priority list, because I don't know how far you want to go. . . how old are your kids by the way? . . . You had three children that could write checks, do they have their own checking accounts?

HK: Yes.

DS: Oh, so that's not going to be. . .

HK: How old do they have to be?

DS: They can't be one year old.

HK: I mean, could they be 18, 17?

DS: Sure, no problem, so they could make, nobody's going to bother you, but if you had infants, a four-year-old, let's say, it's not a contest.
...
DS: I met with [U.S. Secretary of State] Jim Baker and I cut a deal with him. I got, besides the $3 billion, you know they're looking for the Jewish votes, and I'll tell him whatever he wants to hear. . .

HK: Right.

DS: Besides the $10 billion in loan guarantees which was a fabulous thing, $3 billion in foreign, in military aid, and I got almost a billion dollars in other goodies that people don't even know about.

HK: Such as?

DS: $700 million in military draw-down, from equipment that the United States Army's going to give to Israel; $200 million the U.S. government is going to preposition materials in Israel, which Israel can draw upon; put them in the global warning protection system; so when if there's a missile fired, they'll get the same advanced notification that the U.S., is notified, joint military exercises—I've got a whole shopping list of things.

HK: So this is from Baker?

DS: From Baker and from the Pentagon.
...
DS: Do you think I could ever forgive Bush for what he did September 12th a year ago? What he said about the Jews for lobbying in Washington?
...
DS: I'II tell you, I have friends on the Clinton campaign, close associates. Gore is very committed to us.

HK: Right. Clinton if he, have you spoken to him?

DS: I've known Bill for seven, eight years from the National Governors Association. I know him on a personal basis. I have friends. One of my friends is Hillary Clinton's scheduler, one of my officer's daughters works there. We gave two employees from AIPAC leave of absences to work on the campaign. I mean, we have a dozen people in that campaign, in the headquarters.

HK: You mean in Little Rock?

DS: In Little Rock, and they're all going to get big jobs. We have friends. I also work with a think tank, the Washington Institute. I have Michael Mandelbaum and Martin Indyk being foreign policy advisers. Steve Speigel—we've got friends—this is my business.

HK: I understand, David.

DS: It's very complicated and the more you get into it, you'll love it. You sound like a smart guy.

HK: I'm a smart guy, but I have a, maybe because I'm more orthodox than you are, I've had bad experiences with Gentiles. Let me ask you, you know what "tachlis" means?

DS: Yeah, sure.

HK: From a practical point of view, if Clinton wins the presidency, and I'm sure he will, I hope so at least, what will be the benefits to Israel better than Bush? From a very practical point . . . I mean, you just told me that Bush gave you everything you wanted. . .

DS: Only, not everything, at the end, when we didn't want the F-15s, that's a terrible thing.

HK: Selling the F-15s? If Clinton is elected. . .

DS: Let me tell you the problem with the $10 billion in loan guarantees, right? We only have the first year. We have authorization from Congress, but it's at the discretion of the president every year thereafter, so if Bush is there, he could say, you know, use it as a club, you know. 'If you don't give up Syria, I won't give you the money. If you don't give up the Golan Heights.' It's at the discretion of the president. And that's why we need a friendly president and we have Bill Clinton's ear. I talked to Bill Clinton.

HK: And Bill Clinton has made a commitment that if he's elected . . . ?

DS: He's going to be very good for us.
...
HK: If Clinton is elected, has he told you who he's going to put on the Supreme Court?

DS: We're talking now. We don't have no commitments yet. We're just negotiating. We're more interested right now, in the secretary of state and the secretary of National Security Agency. That's more important to us.

HK: If Clinton is elected, who do you think will be secretary of state?

DS: We don't know yet, we're negotiating.

HK: Who are you hoping for?

DS: I've got a list. But I really can't go through it. I'm not allowed to talk about it.

HK: But you figure, God willing, if Clinton's elected . . .

DS: We'll have access.

HK: You'll have access and you'll have a good input into who's secretary of state.

DS: I do believe so.

HK: And the other position is. . .

DS: National security adviser.
...
(The emergence of the tape forced the resignation of Steiner.)

Answer 5

He's too of a mercenary to say that

Answer 6

Did not hear it.