Hillary Clinton Pulls Out of Pro-Israel Rally After Learning Sarah Palin Will Be There

By Richard Sisk
Daily News Washington Bureau

Life doesn't always imitate "Saturday Night Live."

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the hockey mom GOP phenom, is coming to New York next week to carry John McCain's flag at a pro-Israel, anti-Iran rally. But she won't be sharing the stage with Sen. Hillary Clinton, who backed away from the event after learning Palin was coming.

"Her attendance was news to us," Clinton spokesman Philippe Reines said last night. "Clearly there was some miscommunication because this was never billed to us as a partisan political event. Sen. Clinton will therefore not be attending this event."

Malcolm Hoenlein, executive director of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, earlier said the McCain campaign confirmed Palin would attend the rally Monday, which coincides with the annual meeting of the United Nations General Assembly.

The Jewish group's Web site listed Clinton, Palin, Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel and Iranian dissidents as speakers at the midday rally at Dag Hammarskjold Plaza off First Ave., which Hoenlein said will protest the expected UN appearance of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as "a state sponsor of terrorism."

Hoenlein couldn't immediately be reached for comment Tuesday night on Clinton's decision to skip the rally.

Clinton, who lost the Democratic presidential nomination to Barack Obama, has been campaigning for him against the McCain-Palin ticket.

McCain also is New York-bound next week. He is expected to attend former President Bill Clinton's annual Global Initiative forum next Tuesday on challenges facing the global community and possibly join with Palin in meeting world leaders in the city for the UN session.

Campaign aides said that Palin has been to New York before, although the details were unclear.

There was also confusion recently on how many foreign countries Palin, 44, has visited since acquiring her first passport in the past year.

After a refueling stop in Ireland was eliminated, the list came down to Germany and Kuwait—on a trip to see Alaska National Guard troops—plus Canada and Mexico.

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