In a recent interview with CNN, US Republican presidential candidate John McCain began his courtship of US Christian Zionists. While he has worked hard during his campaign to gain the support of Christian conservatives in general, McCain recently began targeting those who specifically support Israel. His method: the tried and true

McCain promised to move the United States embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem "right away."

strategy used by George W. Bush in his first presidential campaign. McCain promised to move the United States embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem "right away," adding "I've been committed to that proposition for years."


The US House of Representatives, along with the US Senate, passed legislation in 1995 recognizing Jerusalem as the undivided capital of Israel. It also stated that the US embassy, located in Tel Aviv, should be moved to Jerusalem. Included in the legislation was a waiver which allowed the US president to delay the move if it was determined (by the presiding US president) that making the move would be contrary to US national security interests. The waivers have been exercised by both President Bill Clinton and President George W. Bush.


Quoting from another CNN report, printed back on May 22, 2000: "Speaking Monday afternoon, the Texas governor said should he be elected president, he would shift US diplomatic operations in Israel to Jerusalem - or, 'the city Israel has chosen as its capital.' His declaration was met by a round of applause."


The speaker was George W. Bush, then governor of Texas. He later promised that moving the embassy to Jerusalem would be his first act upon taking the office of US president. As with the recent declaration by US Senator Barack Obama - which he later recanted - Bush was addressing the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). And just as in the case of Obama, the members of AIPAC bought Bush's promise also.


It seems that a large number of presidential candidates, both Democrat and Republican, have been doing this over the past few decades. For Bush, aside from the manipulation of the voting results, it proved to be his greatest campaign strategy.


I really don't know how much more obvious this could be. Bush, once he was elected, claimed that it would be harmful to the security of the US to make such a move. While Bill Clinton claimed the same thing, Bush had made it a major part of his campaign platform. But wouldn't the security situation have been obvious to the son of a man who is a former US president and head of the CIA?


In McCain's situation, he joined the armed forces in 1954, became a Congressman

Bush had made it a major part of his campaign platform.

in 1982, and became a Senator in 1987, an office which he still holds today. The security situation involving the moving of the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem should be quite obvious to him as well. It remains to be seen what excuse he will use. It cannot seriously be believed that he will attempt to move the US embassy to Jerusalem.


So the question that now begs to be answered is: Will Christian supporters of Israel and the Jewish people fall for the same old trick again? There's an old saying that goes, "Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me." Are people so hungry to believe the lies of politicians that they will fall for this trick again? I sure hope not, but I'm afraid that they will.


Be it McCain, Obama, Clinton or whoever, you can bet that they never meant it in the first place.