Pro-Israel Lobby Cools to Edwards' Likely 2008 Bid

WASHINGTON — Word that a 2008 presidential aspirant, John Edwards, has tapped a former House minority whip, David Bonior, to run his campaign has the pro-Israel lobby cooling on the former Democratic senator's likely run.

The Associated Press yesterday reported that Mr. Edwards had tapped Mr. Bonior, who retired as a Democratic representative from Michigan in 2002, to manage his campaign if he chooses to run.

Mr. Bonior, however, earned a reputation in Congress as one of the least friendly members towards Israel. In 2002, for example, he was one of 21 lawmakers in the House to vote against House Resolution 292 expressing solidarity for the Jewish state after a year of bloody terrorist attacks.

The executive vice chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, Malcolm Hoenlein, yesterday said, "Edwards has always had a strong, supportive record in the Senate, and it is disappointing that he chose somebody whose position is at such variance from his, specifically on Israel."

Mr. Hoenlein added, "People make decisions about candidates based on their assessments of the individual's character, positions and judgment. One would have to think that Edwards anticipated and factored in the implication of his choice of Bonior."

A former executive director of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, Morris Amitay, said yesterday, "This seems like an odd choice for someone who is a presidential candidate, picking someone who was one of the least friendly congressmen toward Israel to manage his campaign. It says something about Edwards' political judgment."

Mr. Bonior has strong ties to organized labor and a populist bent on economic issues that jibes with Mr. Edwards's. Mr. Edwards, a former senator from North Carolina, was Senator Kerry's running mate in the 2004 presidential election.