May 16th, 2012
Sen. Richard Lugar’s primary defeat raises specter of more partisanship on foreign policy
During his 36-year career in the Senate, the Indiana Republican had a reputation for getting both parties to work together
By RON KAMPEAS
WASHINGTON (JTA) — Richard Lugar was never considered to be one of Israel’s leading advocates on Capitol Hill.
The veteran Republican senator from Indiana, who suffered a primary defeat last week after 35 years in office, is famously his own man.
Lugar, the top Republican on the Foreign Relations Committee, consistently backed defense assistance for Israel and in the 1980s championed freedom for Soviet Jews. But he was also known for pushing a more active U.S. approach to brokering Middle East peace than that favored by much of the pro-Israel lobby, and he preferred to move ahead cautiously on Iran sanctions.
Yet pro-Israel groups ponied up when Lugar came calling as it became clear that a Tea Party candidate was threatening to unseat him, lending logistical and financial support.
Israel advocates and GOP insiders explained that Lugar represented a breed of lawmaker who pro-Israel groups see as valuable to their cause and disappearing: One who reaches across the aisle.
“Lugar wasn’t actively pro-Israel, but he wasn’t anti either,” said Mike Kraft, a staffer on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in the 1970s and 1980s who now is a consultant on counterterrorism and writes for a number of pro-Israel Web sites and think tanks. “But generally losing a good, balanced, thoughtful guy on foreign policy is a real tragedy. It weakens the American political system.”
Sen. Richard Lugar (right) accompanies actor George Clooney (center) with Sen. John Kerry for Clooney’s testimonial on Sudan issues on March 14 in Washington, D.C. Lugar’s defeat in a primary election has pro-Israel activists worried about bipartisanship in Congress. (Photo: Medill DC via Creative Commons)
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