Hawkish pro-Israel positions have become a litmus test for Republican candidates, particularly in the 2012 presidential campaign. And one of the political operatives driving this phenomenon is none other than Ralph Reed, the disgraced lobbyist who left the Christian Coalition to form Century Strategies.
Reed’s newest group, the Faith and Freedom Coalition, has actively encouraged Tea Party activists and GOP politicians to champion far right Israeli priorities. Deputy Speaker of the Knesset Danny Danon helped headline Reed’s last Faith and Freedom conference, where nearly every GOP presidential candidate spoke.
An investigation by ThinkProgress has found that Reed’s pro-Israel organizing has ties to a set of political operatives based in Washington, DC and Jerusalem. Since 2009, Reed’s lobbying firm Century Strategies has received at least $140,400 from The Israel Project (TIP).
The House voted Tuesday to end a nearly four-day partial government shutdown, approving spending through September...
