Palin Disinvited From Iran Rally After Clinton Pulls Out
by:
Moshe, 9/18/2008 10:23:25 PM
Sarah Palin has been disinvited from a rally next week to protest Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, an event that Hillary Clinton pulled out of just a day earlier so as not to be seen alongside the Republican vice presidential candidate.
Organizers said they aren't being partisan. They decided to bar all elected and federal officials from the rally on Monday in fear of a "media feeding frenzy." The rally was specifically intended to protest Ahmadinejad's presence at the United Nations.
"In order to keep the focus on Iranian threats and to ensure that this critical message not be obscured, the organizers of the rally have decided not to have any American political personalities appear," the National Coalition to Stop Iran Now said in a statement Thursday.
Both Clinton and Palin initially had accepted invitations to join the rally, planned by several American Jewish groups. But Clinton's aides objected after they learned early this week that Palin would also be part of the rally. One aide said they were concerned the event would become "partisan" and "political."
McCain, who earlier attempted to coax Barack Obama into joining the rally in lieu of Clinon, said in a statement Thursday that Palin's invitation was "withdrawn under pressure from Democratic partisans."
"We stand shoulder to shoulder with Republicans, Democrats and independents alike to oppose Ahmadinejad's goal of a nuclear armed Iran. Senator Obama's campaign had the opportunity to join us. Senator Obama chose politics rather than the national interest," he said.
Malcolm Hoenlein, CEO of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, told FOX News the decision to disinvite Palin had nothing to do with Clinton, but rather the unwanted media attention.
"Regrettably the focus of the rally has been obfuscated by media feeding frenzy in recent days," he said. "The decision was made for variety of reasons, and many ethnic and religious leaders and dignitaries from the U.S. and abroad will still be speaking."
FOX News' Mosheh Oinounou, Shushannah Walshe and Serafin Gomez contributed to this report.