Cantor Wants "Judeo-Christian' Foreign Policy

Posted by Steve Benen, Washington Monthly at 2:41 PM on July 21, 2009.

CANTOR WANTS A 'JUDEO-CHRISTIAN' FOREIGN POLICY.... I don't expect much in the way of depth from House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.), but if he could explain what a "Judeo-Christian" foreign policy would look like, I'd sure appreciate it.

Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.) told Christian Zionists that U.S. policies in the Middle East must be "firmly grounded" in Judeo-Christian principles.

"Reaching out to the Muslim world may help in creating an environment for peace in the Middle East, but we must insist as Americans that our policies be firmly grounded in the beliefs of the Judeo-Christian tradition upon which this country was founded," said Cantor (R-Va.), the House minority whip and the only Jewish Republican in Congress, in a speech to the Christians United For Israel annual conference in Washington.

Now, Cantor has never been a Jeffersonian when it comes to honoring the separation of church and state, but to argue publicly that the foreign policy of the United States must be "firmly grounded in the beliefs of the Judeo-Christian tradition" is pretty out there for anyone, much less a member of the congressional leadership.

Cantor added that the "real stumbling block" to peace in the Middle East isn't "settlements or Jerusalem or refugees," but rather, "those who vehemently deny the nation of Israel's historical right to the land of Zion."

Remember, a while back, when Republicans would say that Eric Cantor, more than most GOP policymakers, is a credible, serious voice, who deserves to be taken seriously? Good times, good times.

* Update: Jon Chait notes that Cantor's position is "perfectly explicable." Chait adds, "It's also perfectly nuts."

Tagged as: israel, foreign policy, cantor, zion

Steve Benen is "blogger in chief" of the popular Washington Monthly online blog, Political Animal. His background includes publishing The Carpetbagger Report, and writing for a variety of publications, including Talking Points Memo, The American Prospect, the Huffington Post, and The Guardian. He has also appeared on NPR's "Talk of the Nation," MSNBC's "Rachel Maddow Show," Air America Radio's "Sam Seder Show," and XM Radio's "POTUS '08."