Radical Right Tries to Smear Edwards

This week, the right wing noise machine has been turning up the volume. Their latest target: John Edwards.

Despite his strong support for Israel and his eloquent call for tough action against Iran's nuclear threat, the radical right has embarked on a campaign of deception to convince voters otherwise.  The online version of the National Review and right wing mouthpiece Matt Drudge are now falsely claiming that Edwards called Israel the greatest threat to world peace.

Here's what the Edwards campaign had to say about these scurrilous charges:

"Senator Edwards did not say nor does he believe that the greatest short-term threat to world peace is the possibility that Israel would bombIran's nuclear facilities. Senator Edwards said, as he has in the past, that Iranacquiring a nuclear weapon is one of the greatest short-term threats to world peace."

In January, John Edwards addressed the Herzliya security conference in Israel.

Here's what the Charlotte News and Observer had to say about his speech:

Edwards said the U.S. had not done enough to stop Iran. And he pledged continued strong ties with Israel if he is elected.

It is a bond that can never be broken," Edwards said.

Yesterday, NJDC Executive Director Ira Forman took to the airwaves to defend John Edwards against these false attacks on WJR radio in Detroit.

The radical right's latest round of scurrilous charges is part of a larger Republican campaign to undermine the bipartisan consensus surrounding Israel and Middle East policy. Their goal is to create a wedge issue to chip away at traditional Jewish support for the Democratic party. This ploy does not serve the pro-Israel community nor our democratic process. NJDC continues to monitor and respond to Republican attempts to undermine bipartisan support for Israel.