I have a piece at JTA about the White House’s decision to cut the size of the White House Chanukah party in half. For a White House and administration that are keenly aware of the need to reward political allies, they sure seem to take the Jewish vote for granted. Meanwhile, JTA’s Eric Fingerhut also reports that Republican presidential candidates, including Sarah Palin, Tim Pawlenty, and Mitt Romney, are trying to outdo each other on how strongly they support Israel. As I note in the Fingerhut piece, “If you want to be a conservative candidate, you have to check that pro-Israel box,” as strong support for Israel is one of the key elements that unites conservatives. Perhaps Jewish voters concerned about this administration’s Middle East policies should check out what the Republicans are up to.