JERUSALEM–Barack Obama should consider himself lucky most Israelis will not be eligible to vote in the U.S. presidential election.
If they were, Republican candidate John McCain would stand to reap a huge political windfall, outpolling Obama, his Democratic rival, by about a 3-to-1 margin.
"The preference of most Israelis skews to the right," said Gideon Doron, professor of political science at Tel Aviv University. "And McCain is a conservative candidate."
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But observers say the lack of enthusiasm for Obama among Israelis is based more on ignorance –or prejudice – than on a clear understanding of his policies.
According to Hermann, there's also an element of racism in Israeli attitudes toward Obama.
"The fact his father came from Kenya, his name – all these questions," she said. "It's all prejudice."
http://www.thestar.com/World/Columnist/article/509312