Nader’s Nadir

by The editors

It is a measure of just how marginal Ralph Nader has become that he chose to wrap his recent announcement of yet another third-party presidential run in harsh anti-Israel invective. That suggests a campaign intended to play to the extremes, and it means that he is unlikely to affect the debate on the issues he says he cares about.

As usual, Nader didn’t allow the facts to get in the way of his indignation. Israel is responsible for the “destruction” of Gaza, he said on Sunday. He must have had CNN turned off when Israel pulled out of Gaza in 2005, when Palestinian voters elected a terror group as dominant faction in their parliament and when Gaza became a lethal launch pad for daily rocket attacks against Israeli civilians.

Like so many other conspiracy theorists, he believes the widespread, bipartisan support Israel enjoys today is purely a function of political intimidation. While professing admiration for Sen. Barack Obama, he reveals a special contempt for the Democratic presidential frontrunner who has aggressively — and by some accounts effectively — reached out to pro-Israel Jews.

Nader ignores the reality that the American people feel a certain kinship with the Middle East’s only functioning democracy and that politicians in both parties support Israel because they believe the U.S.–Israel relationship serves this country’s national interest.

Ever the mischief maker, Nader made it clear in his announcement that he plans to make the Middle East a major theme in his campaign; his goal, he said, is to trigger a national debate on issues the major parties won’t address. But Nader is delusional if he thinks his one-sided, uninformed criticism of Israel and of the special U.S.-Israel relationship will gain much traction outside narrow circles on the far left and the far right.

In fact, this has all the earmarks of a campaign driven by ego and spite. Criticizing a pro-Israel perspective that is firmly rooted in the political mainstream is just another way of lashing out at a political center he despises.

Maybe Nader will again play the spoiler; the Republicans certainty aren’t lamenting his entrance. But if his goal is really to trigger a deeper debate on issues like the Middle East, this approach won’t work.

What a sad chapter in the career of a consumer advocate who is now best known as a modern-day Harold Stassen, a serial political candidate — and one who has gone from marginal to destructive.

Westchester Jewish Conference

Westchester’s Jewish Community Relations Organization