Prometheus 6

Good call by the Associated Press on identifying them as a Republican group rather than a Jewish group.

A Republican group launched a new effort Wednesday to turn Jewish voters away from Barack Obama, an ad campaign that compares the Democratic presidential candidate to Pat Buchanan but offers scant evidence of their similarities.

The Republican Jewish Coalition is running an ad in dozens of Jewish newspapers that says Obama and Buchanan have views on Israel that are ''dangerous, reckless and wrong.'' It quotes Buchanan as saying his views on Israel are a lot closer to Obama's than they are to those of GOP presidential nominee John McCain....

The ad follows on the group's backing of a negative poll in which the questions tied Obama to Palestinian causes.

Another good call: checking with a Jewish group.

Josh Block, a spokesman for the nonpartisan American Israel Public Affairs Committee declined to comment on the ad, but said Obama, McCain and their running mates are all pro-Israel candidates. Block praised Obama's voting record and said he is a strong supporter of the U.S.-Israel relationship.

And giving Obama's actual position.

The ad notes Buchanan has said Obama is right when he says the United States should negotiate with Iran and quotes Buchanan as saying he agrees with Obama that Palestinian suffering should be recognized. But while Buchanan has criticized Israel's influence over U.S. foreign policy, Obama has said his commitment to Israeli security is ''nonnegotiable.''

Obama also has called on Palestinian leaders to recognize Israel, renounce violence and get serious about negotiating peace and security for the region. Those are views also voiced by the Bush administration, which has been criticized for a pro-Israel tilt in its Middle East policies.

That's the first "A" I've given the Associated Press in a long time.