The American Spectator

Washington Prowler

p> ANDY PANDER br> In a last ditch effort to save his floundering gubernatorial bid, Andrew Cuomo is turning to some old time religion. No, the Roman Catholic isn't going to church. He's going to Israel. "Gee, a few weeks before the primary, he's down in the polls, so where does Andy go?" wonders a staffer for Carl McCall , the New York state comptroller and the Democratic frontrunner for the gubernatorial nomination. Cuomo is in a tight spot. He lost out on the endorsement of Sen. Chuck Schumer , whose pull with the New York Jewish community is great. So now Cuomo is doing the only thing he knows how. Pander. /p>

He sent a letter (via fax) to Secretary of State Colin Powell, calling on him to add the Palestinian Authority to the United States' list of foreign terrorist organizations. McCall had already called on the Bush Administration to do that months ago.

This is the second trip Cuomo has taken to Israel this campaign season. He traveled to the Holy Land in April, about the time he was attempting to win the Democratic Party's endorsement. But it went to McCall, and Cuomo is now trying to get on the September 10 primary ballot through a petition drive. While he's in Israel, Cuomo has announced plans to meet with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Foreign Minister Shimon Peres, and has lined up a visit to Jerusalem's Hebrew University, the site of a terrorist bombing last week that killed seven people, five of them Americans.

p> URBAN POACHER br> Rev.

topics:
Religion, Israel, NATO, Africa