WASHINGTON, 18 October 2005 — Florida Republican Congresswoman Illeana Ros-Lehtinen, now chair of the Middle East subcommittee, is positioning herself for the chairmanship of the House International Relations Committee.
Although no Jewish group has endorsed her officially, Ros-Lehtinen, known for her close relations with the American Israel Political Action Committee, could use her Hispanic and the Jewish lineage to good effect in order to achieve her aims.
Success, in Washington, seems all about pointed elbows and the right connections. And Ros-Lehtinen has the perfect pedigree: She’s an ardent supporter of the Bush administration, emigrated from Cuba and was elected on her Hispanic roots and now, we learn, her maternal grandparents were Jewish.
Having established herself in Washington, she’s now positioning herself for the chairmanship of the House International Relations Committee — which handles world affairs. Oh yes, and she’s also told reporters she plans to eventually run for president.
Ros-Lehtinen is “a true leader on issues that matter to the pro-Israel community and that are at the heart of American policy in the Middle East,” Josh Block, a spokesman for AIPAC, told a Jewish newspaper this week.
The Forward, a Jewish newspaper based in New York, calls her a “passionate supporter of Israel,” and notes: “The congresswoman has one more important asset — the tacit, yet enthusiastic, support of influential Jewish organizations.”
Yet, few people in Washington are said to know about her Jewish roots.
“The reason that I never talk about it is because I feel like people will think that I am using my lineage as a political tool,” she said. “I don’t want to mess with the politics of something so personal,” she told The Forward.
If elected chairwoman, she said she would like to use her leverage on the committee “to promote human rights and freedom worldwide, to fight poverty and bolster the run of law around the globe,” she said.
Ros-Lehtinen is currently chair of the House Subcommittee on the Middle East. When it comes to Iraq, she has told journalists she is critical of their constant focus on the negative. On the Israeli-Palestinian issue, she says she supports the president’s two state vision. (Critics say the president has not gone beyond words on this issue).
“In her current post, she has led or is leading some of AIPAC’s most celebrated legislative initiatives, including the 2003 law to impose sanctions on Syria and a major bill, currently gaining momentum in the House with 322 co-sponsors, to punish Iran for its pursuit of nuclear weapons,” said The Forward.
The first Hispanic woman elected to the US Congress, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, was born in Havana, Cuba, on July 15, 1952, and came to the US with her family when she was seven years old. She began her career as an educator in South Florida.
In 1982, she began her political career by serving four years in the Florida House of Representatives and then became a State Senator. Her web page (www.house.gov/ ros-lehtinen/biography.htm) says she is working “to combat terrorism, provided humanitarian assistance for the women and children of Afghanistan, and increased support for Israel.”
