One topic that often gets overlooked when it comes to the Evangelical vote is Israel. Just look at the numbers. Evangelicals are HUGE supporters of the Jewish nation. More here.
It should not be discounted that McCain has been a long supporter of Israel and that should be added to the Evangelical checklist when it comes to the Arizona Senator.
As for Obama and Israel, the jury is still out. He has talked about how Jerusalem should be the capital of Israel but qualifies it by saying that ultimately it will be up to both parties in any final negotiation. Maybe that is the ultimate reality but Obama has an issue here. He is a candidate who hasn’t been on the World stage for very long and needs to show his unyielding support of Israel. Yet his willingness to talk to Iran’s Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Obama’s many sympathetic comments about the plight of Palestinians have given some American Jews pause. But let’s not forget something. Since the majority of Evangelicals stand with Israel, Obama needs to realize that standing with Israel without qualifiers helps him with Evangelicals too. At this point, Evangelicals can’t check off Israel on the Obama scorecard. They want to see more just like American Jews. Both groups stand together.
More on Obama’s visit today to Israel here.