THE NATURE OF THEOCONSERVATISM:

Bush Wages Unsung Battle Against Global Anti-Semitism (Martin Tolchin and Susan Tolchin, March 12, 2007, Politico)

President Bush has played an unsung role in combating worldwide anti-Semitism and in seeking to stem the surge of anger that has swept the world in the last decade.

The White House required East European nations that sought to join NATO to offer concrete proposals to combat anti-Semitism in their countries. "I have to give a lot of credit to the Bush administration," said Rabbi Andrew Baker, director of international Jewish affairs at the American Jewish Committee. "A major decision in NATO enlargement has been dealing with Jewish issues. The U.S. has repeatedly raised these issues."

Randolph Bell, the second U.S. ambassador and special envoy for Holocaust issues, said, "We had what we called a road show. We went to all seven countries more than once ... We wanted to make sure they came to terms with anti-Semitism in their countries. This is not a Jewish issue. It's a human rights issue." President Bush raises the issue of anti-Semitism at most White House meetings with foreign leaders.

Nor is anti-Semitism a partisan issue. As undersecretary of state in the Clinton administration, Stuart Eizenstat created the position of ambassador and special envoy for Holocaust issues. The position gained momentum in the Bush administration. "The Bush administration deserves a lot of credit," Eizenstat said.