Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama on Thursday promised an "unshakable commitment" to Israel if he is elected.
Obama also explained the roots of his unusual name, listed some of his Jewish friends and voiced support for Israel on Thursday during a synagogue visit designed to shore up Jewish support for his U.S. presidential bid.
Obama, an Illinois senator and the front-runner for his party's White House nomination, addressed concerns about his views on Israel, his religion and his race during a nearly two-hour session at a synagogue with Democrats and Republicans in Florida, a state that will be key to winning November's general election. "There is not a single trace of me ever being anything more than a friend of Israel and a friend of the Jewish people," Obama said, telling the crowd not to believe fliers and e-mails that suggested otherwise. "Judge me by what I say and what I've done. Don't judge me because I've got a funny name. Don't judge me because I'm African-American."
| "It's because I'm black, isn't it?" |
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