It's a Mitzvah

Somewhere off stage, an AIPAC hand brightened the lights over the audience when it appeared a standing ovation was building -- and Obama presented the audience with many such opportunities.

He invoked the Holocaust ("Never again!"), pledged to "never compromise" Israel's security, and scolded those who propose "abandoning a stalwart ally." He offered more military equipment and missile defense for Israel, vowed to "isolate Hamas," and threatened to "do everything in my power to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. Everything in my power. . . . Everything."

The AIPAC crowd grew still when Obama slipped in mentions of his disagreements with their policies. But he was careful to revise and extend his controversial thoughts.

"Contrary to the claims of some, I have no interest in sitting down with our adversaries just for the sake of talking," he said of his talk-with-Ahmadinejad position. "I would be willing to lead tough and principled diplomacy with the appropriate Iranian leaders at a time and place of my choosing, if and only if it can advance the interests of the United States."

His criticism of the Iraq war also produced relative quiet in the room, as did his call for a "contiguous and cohesive" Palestinian state, and for Israel to "refrain from building new settlements, as it agreed to do."

But Obama's hard line found support from an unexpected source -- the woman who followed him to the microphone and who still hasn't conceded the nomination. "I know that Senator Obama will be a good friend to Israel," Clinton vouched.

This backing earned Clinton a lights-on standing ovation. But overall, the reception was relatively tepid for Clinton, and understandably so: She was no longer a viable candidate, and the winner of the nomination was sounding like Bibi Netanyahu as he spoke about preserving Israel's "qualitative military advantage" to thwart "any threat from Gaza to Tehran."

Israel's military action last year "was entirely justified," Obama said, to knock out Syria's "weapons of mass destruction" program. "The danger from Iran is grave, it is real, and my goal will be to eliminate this threat," he added.

The Superman music soon returned, and the man with the Star of David on his lapel left the dais in a shower of hugs and kisses from the AIPAC officers.