Jerry Gordon interviewed Rep. Mark S. Kirk for NER here.
This article is by Dr. Richard Benkin.
Last November, Israpundit carried
an article by Jerry Gordon, “Two Who Won Against the Democratic
Tsunami.” One was Congressman Mark Kirk (R-IL). Kirk, whom
Gordon described as “very pro-Israel,” won a fifth term in Congress
despite a perfect Democratic storm: the Republican brand was in
tatters; Illinois had become one of the most reliably “blue” states in
the nation; Kirk’s district was trending heavily Democratic; the
Democratic National Committee was spending millions trying to unseat
Kirk; and there was Barack Obama, who carried Kirk’s 10
th
District by 61 percent. Yet, Kirk prevailed in part because, as
Gordon wrote, he is “one of the most effective, intelligent and
moderate GOP members in Congress.” That assessment is shared
widely on both sides of the aisle in Washington and has helped make
Kirk an effective legislator.
On
Monday, July 20, Democrats got what they could not get at the ballot
box when Kirk announced that he would not seek re-election to his House
seat in 2010. “It’s probably the only way that Democrats would
ever get that [Congressional] seat,” quipped one 10
th
District resident on hand for Kirk’s announcement. But Democrats
also got a bigger headache because at the same time Kirk announced he
was running for the United States Senate. In fact, Kirk’s expected
candidacy has been giving Democratic leaders fits.
He
is running for the Senate seat formerly held by Obama; the seat that
disgraced Democratic Governor Rod Blagojevich is accused of trying to
sell to the highest bidder; the seat whose current occupant, Roland
Burris, is accused of winning in that lottery. Burris has become
such a liability for Democrats that—led by Senate Majority Whip, Dick
Durbin (D-IL)—they have been urging him not to run for a full term.
When Burris finally bowed to reality, however, it left Democrats
without a credible candidate who can come close to Kirk’s national,
foreign policy, and pro-Israel credentials.
In
fact, one of the only things that the three likely Democratic
candidates share is the lack of any pro-Israel record. The most
prominent and only announced Democratic candidate is Illinois Treasurer
Alexi Giannoulias. The closest thing he has to a record on Israel
is that he did not stop Illinois’ purchase of Israeli bonds—a purchase
he justified solely as a good investment. Another is businessman
Chris Kennedy whose only claim to fame is being the late Robert F.
Kennedy’s son. The third, Chicago Urban League President Cheryle
Jackson, shared a podium last August with Otis Moss, pastor of Rev.
Jeremiah Wright’s Trinity United Church of Christ; and as Blogojevich’s
spokesperson, justified the appointment of the Nation of Islam’s
Minister of Protocol to a state hate crimes commission, saying the
Farrakhan associate shares the commission’s goals of eliminating hate
crimes and discrimination. None have ever been to
Israel. Giannoulis has stated many times that he owes his office
to Obama, and all three are supporters of the President and his
policies.
Kirk,
on the other hand, is arguably Israel’s best friend in
Congress. He was personally responsible for convincing the Bush
Administration to give Israel enhanced missile defense after he saw the
danger on a trip to a forward military base in Israel. (Kirk has
been a Naval Intelligence Office since 1989, has combat experience, and
was once named Naval Intelligence Officer of the Year.) He
and Congressman Steven Rothman (D-NJ) have led efforts to end US
funding for UNWRA—the UN agency devoted solely to promoting the system
of Palestinian Arab refugees, a designation he challenges. With
regard to Hezbollah, Kirk told Gordon “despite the UN peacekeeping
force and $500 million of US taxpayers’ money that we simply reset the
stage for another tragedy.” He has characterized attempts to force
negotiations with the Palestinian Authority as trying to “chase down
every terrorist group on the West Bank and Gaza… there are times when
you have to hang tough.” An effective human rights advocate, Kirk
(together with me), won the freedom of Bangladeshi journalist Salah
Uddin Shoaib Choudhury after he was arrested and tortured for exposing
the rise of Islamists and urging relations with Israel. As a
Congressional aide, Kirk helped free several Soviet
refusniks. With much of official Washington trying to find
“nuanced” positions, Kirk remains undaunted. In April, after
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told the House Appropriations
Committee that Israel would have to comply with the Administration’s
demands, he replied that the committee would then have to cut
appropriations to the Palestinian Authority.
This
election is critical for Israel at a time when many in Washington are
ready to trying to force suicidal agreements on the Jewish
State. In announcing for the Senate, Kirk pledged to fight those
efforts, “And to supporters of America’s strongest friend in the Middle
East – Israel’s greatest ally in Washington will be Senator Mark Kirk
of Illinois.”
Neither Jewish nor evangelical, Kirk’s commitment for Israel rests on
two propositions: that it is the right thing to do; and that it is
and always has been in the best interests of the United
States. None of his prospective opponents, on the other hand, will
oppose the policies of their political godfather and what has been
described as the most anti-Israel administration in the Jewish State’s
history.
