"Shapiro seeks to downplay his time as IDF volunteer after college op-ed resurfaces

Pennsylvania Governor and potential Democratic vice presidential nominee Josh Shapiro on Friday sought to distance himself from a recently uncovered op-ed he wrote in college, in which he identified as a former volunteer in the IDF and argued that the Palestinians are too “battle-minded” to pursue peace with Israel.

In the 1993 newspaper op-ed, which dismissed the recently signed Oslo Accords, Shapiro wrote, “Despite my skepticism as a Jew and a past volunteer in the Israeli army, I strongly hope and pray that this ‘peace plan’ will be successful.”

“Palestinians will not coexist peacefully,” Shapiro also wrote in the op-ed titled “Peace Not Possible.”

“They do not have the capabilities to establish their own homeland and make it successful even with the aid of Israel and the United States. They are too battle-minded to be able to establish a peaceful homeland of their own,” added the then-20-year-old student.

timesofisrael.com - Shapiro seeks to dow..." - Steve

That is too bad. I actually liked Shapiro as a candidate.

But by him talking about what the Harris campaign asked him, he is showing himself to either be an idiot (incompetent) or slimy asshole. Either one means he will never get my vote in the primary (again which is a shame since I actually liked him). Given the information in your link above, it is clear that the Harris campaign was doing a very good job of vetting the vice-presidential candidates. The whole purpose of vetting is to take even remotely controversial things about a candidate and spin them in a negative light to see what shakes out.

Given his ties to the IDF, asking him that was more than a valid question. What if it turned out his ties were not just superficial? What if he had actually received money from Israel? Not only would it have turned off some Democrats, but the Trump campaign would also have made a huge deal about it calling him a foreign agent. Him getting asked that question is no different than asking Walz about China. Part of vetting someone is spinning something in the worst possible light.

As a politician with enough standing to be considered for VP, Shapiro had to have known this. If he didn't know, he is too stupid/naive to be considered and he won't get my vote. If he did know this, but decided to leak it the way he did shows him to be an underhanded slimeball. Either option does not reflect well on him.