Former Mayor Ed Koch folds for Obama–again

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After three years of criticizing President Barack Obama’s anti-Israel policies, former Mayor Ed Koch has once again decided to be an advocate for Obama in the Jewish community–without any clear changes in Obama’s positions.

This is not Koch’s first such reversal. In May 2008 during Democratic Party primary season, Koch publically announced that he was worried that Barack Obama would not be a friend to Israel:

“Hillary recently attempted to warn Iran that were it to launch nuclear weapons against Israel, the U.S. “would be able to totally obliterate them.” Hillary’s comments were totally in keeping with the doctrine of Mutually Assured Destruction which kept the Soviet Union at bay during the Cold War when it threatened its European neighbors and members of NATO.

Instead of joining Hillary in a similar warning to Iran, Senator Obama on “Meet the Press” criticized Hillary stating, “it’s language reflective of George Bush…This kind of language is not helpful.”

Koch concluded:

“We now know just how far Senator Obama is prepared to go to defend our friends and allies. It is not far enough.”

Just four months later in September 2008 Koch endorsed Barack Obama even though he didn’t change his positions.

Koch followed up his endorsement by campaigning in heavily Jewish state. He successfully convinced American Jews that Israel should not be an issue in the campaign because Obama and McCain were equal in their support of Israel.

Once Obama was elected and proved to be horrible for America and Israel, Ed Koch became a leading critic of the POTUS and his anti-Israel policies. In March 2010 he wrote a commentary for the progressive Huffington Post called “Never Again Should We Be Silent“:

“ Now, in my opinion, based on the actions and statements by President Obama and members of his administration, there is grave doubt among supporters of Israel that President Obama can be counted on to do what presidents before him did – protect our ally, Israel. The Arabs can lose countless wars and still come back because of their numbers. If Israel were to lose one, it would cease to exist.”

In April 2010 Koch doubled down on criticizing Obama’s Middle East policies, telling Neil Cavuto on Fox News;

“I have been a supporter of President Obama and went to Florida for him, urged Jews all over the country to vote for him saying that he would be just as good as John McCain on the security of Israel. I don’t think it’s true anymore,”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu got a chilly reception at the White House last week after Israel announced plans to build 1,600 new apartments for Jews in East Jerusalem during a visit from Vice President Biden. The announcement drew sharp condemnations from Washington and calls to cancel the construction plans – requests that Netanyahu says he will not heed.

Koch said he believes Obama “orchestrated” what happened in Israel.

“What they did is they wanted to make Israel into a pariah,” he said. “It’s outrageous in my judgment.”

Koch went on to say that Senator self-serve, Chuck Schumer had told him that he wouldn’t speak out against Obama’s Israel positions publicly because he was working behind the scenes to get Obama to change is policy (it didn’t work). The former mayor continued by saying Schumer promised to speak out against Obama publicly should he not change his policies (Schumer hasn’t). He concluded by saying:

“I believe that the Obama administration is willing to throw Israel under the bus in order to please Muslim nations.”

Just this past September, Koch was a big part of the GOP victory in the special election to replace Anthony Weiner in NY-9. The reason he gave for supporting the Republican Bob Turner was to send a message to President Obama.

“If Jewish New Yorkers and others who support Israel were to turn away from the Democratic Party in that congressional election and elect the Republican candidate to Congress in 2011, it might very well cause President Obama to change his hostile position on the State of Israel and to reestablish the special relationship presidents before him had supported. His own reelection will be decided next year in 2012. The outcome of the 2011 congressional special election in the 9th Congressional District will certainly get his attention.”

The former Mayor continued by making this political threat to the occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave:

“ But if he doesn’t read the tea leaves and change his position, you can be certain I will continue to bang my drum. I will campaign against him not only in New York, but in other parts of the country next year. I’ll be loud and clear about what I believe. There are many Floridians who are concerned about the Obama administration’s treatment of Israel, and Florida will be crucial to the President’s reelection.”

Last week, just as he did in 2008 Ed Koch reversed himself without a reversal in the Obama Israel policies. He hosted an Obama fundraising event which raised a half a million dollars from 100 members of the Jewish community.

Koch’s change of heart came the same week as multiple reports of the Obama administration warning Israel not to defend herself against Iran.

Even though I disagreed with many of his positions, Ed Koch was always one of my political heroes. As mayor he seemed to be a different kind of politician–one who put convictions in front of party affiliation. I should have known better. Ed Koch is comfortable bashing Obama until he sees the election coming, then just like any other politician (of either party) he falls in line and any backbone is replaced by a wet noodle.

No voter should ever pick a President solely based on his position about Israel, so I could understand if the former Mayor said other issues were much more important than Israel in the coming election. That is not what happened. He promised to hold the president’s feet to the fire regarding Israel, and now, just as he did in 2008 Ed Koch is exploiting his favorability in the Jewish Community by acting as Barak Obama’s House Jew.

Despite the fact that Obama has not budged in the anti-Israel positions that motivated him to help a Republican take Anthony Weiner’s seat in the House, Ed Koch is trying to fool us once again and convince Jews that Obama is Israel’s buddy. Makes one wonder, was Koch lying in September when he threatened Obama or is he lying today?

When Koch was mayor he used to walk around the NYC saying “How am I doing?” The answer today is, Mayor you are doing lousy!

Jeff Dunetz is the Editor/Publisher of the political blog “The Lid” (www.jeffdunetz.com). Jeff contributes to some of the largest political sites on the internet including American Thinker, Big Government, Big Journalism, NewsReal and Pajama’s Media, and has been a guest on national radio shows including G. Gordon Liddy, Tammy Bruce and Glenn Beck. Jeff lives in Long Island.