"I am not going to let you down. I will not let Israel down" That was the message and pledge that Republican Presidential candidate John McCain gave Jewish supporters in Arizona August 26th when he met with them at the Biltmore Hotel in Phoenix.

Farley Weiss who is 2nd VP of the National Council of Young Israel, National VP of the ZOA and President of Young Israel of Phoenix later told The Jewish Press that "Senator McCain told us that although he is first and foremost an American but America is a very strong ally of Israel and he will strengthen that strong Israel-USA relationship. "I won't let Israel down," he said.

He added that "I know that this is a difficult time for our country. This is where my career got started and I won't forget all the people in this state that got me started in my political career. I won't let you down."

Weiss said that in Senator McCain you have someone who is an expert on military issues, on security issues, and has a deep extensive knowledge of the need for Israel's security to the extent that two weeks ago in the midst of a Presidential campaign he told us that he is in close touch with Israel's Defense Minister Ehud Barak, former Israeli C.O.S. Shaul Mofaz and Opposition leader Bibi Netanyahu concerning the dangers of a potential nuclear Iran and to counteract those dangers.

"There is no politician from the beginning of the primaries in this race today that has taken a stronger line of making sure that Iran does not have nuclear weapons as Senator McCain," Weiss said.

Weiss said that a few weeks ago McCain had also reiterated his long held position that the U.S. Embassy should be moved to Jerusalem and a united Jerusalem be recognized as the capital of Israel, a bill that was done by his colleague in the Senate and head of his campaign Sen. John Kyl.

"These are not mere words as they were for the previous presidents but John McCain has shown in the past that he is a man of action and will take action even if the whole world thinks it's unpopular but he will do it because it is right to do," Weiss told The Jewish Press.

As proof to this, Weiss quoted an article that Senator McCain wrote in the Readers Digest a few years ago defending U.S. aid to Israel: "Without question, we are very generous to Israel, $720 million dollars a year in economic aid and $2 billion in military aid is real money. And even Israel's strongest supporters in America don't agree with every policy pursued by the Israeli government. Yet, at the end of the day, I know what Israel stands for, and what its survival means to the world. I know why we care so deeply about the fate of this tiny nation, no bigger than Massachusetts," McCain wrote.

Several weeks ago McCain asked for a conference call with 40 head Chabad emissaries in the U.S. Although Lubavitch officials agreed to the call they made it clear beforehand that this was not to be interpreted as an endorsement of the Senator but is being held at the request of the McCain campaign.

In that conference call McCain told the Chabad people, "I believe this is going to be a tough race. We have for the first time gone ahead in the polls," he said. "But I think we are the underdog. We've got a lot of work to do. I'd be grateful for your support, it would mean a great deal to me.

"I believe that I can be the kind of President that is the President of every American and I will put my country first. I understand the meaning of freedom and I will do everything in my power to make sure that the USA and our closest friend and ally remain secure and peaceful and prosperous."

In Israel, earlier this year, Yair Shamir, head of Israel's Aerospace industries and son of former prime minister Yitachak Shamir told The Jewish Press that the Arizona senator is "more known than Obama.

"You know his history, you more or less know his position towards Israel, his position on Iran and the geopolitical scene. He has a much clearer position than Obama on Israel, so I would not rush to change horses so fast. Besides, history proves that Israel's position has been much better with Republican presidents," Shamir said."

Obama, he added, is "a gamble. It's like a guessing game. I am not a gambler. I don't gamble on unknowns and I especially don't gamble on the fate of the Land of Israel."