Congressman Tom Lantos (D-CA)

One of the prime virtues for success in politics, as well as in all walks of life, is loyalty. Essentially, to turn one’s back on one’s friends leads directly to a loss of credibility.

This basic truth about human and political behavior appears to be causing a dilemma for some within the Indian-American community who are considering whom to support in a California Congressional primary. While Indian-Am-ericans have correctly been encouraged to assist almost any Indian-American running for political office, in this race the challenger seeks to defeat an incumbent with one of the very best records of support for the Indian-American community.

Rohit Khanna, a San Francisco attorney, is to be commended for his political activism and for raising many worthy issues in his bid to unseat 12-term incumbent Congressman Tom Lantos (D-CA). Lantos was one of the earliest members of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans, which is the body within Congress that works to promote the causes of the community as well as better American relations with India.

Largely because of his own background as a refugee from Hitler’s oppression and his eventual immigration to the United States, Lantos has been a leader on all of the immigration issues of importance to the Indian-American community, including family reunification and overall reform of the system to improve its fairness.

As a victim of racial persecution, it is not surprising that Lantos has become the leading spokesman in Congress against all forms of discrimination and hate crimes. Lantos is the top Democrat on the House International Relations Committee and is recognized as one of the foreign policy experts in the entire body. Although he has at times been critical of some human rights practices in India, he has used his position as the ranking Member on the Committee to promote relations with India.

San Francisco attorney Rohit Khanna

Lantos was one of the first members of Congress to see the importance of improving India’s relations with Israel, especially as both nations fight against similar forms of terrorism. As a strong advocate of good relations with both of these nations, he was able to use his position on this key committee to promote these vital foreign policy objectives. Most recently, he effectively worked on behalf of increased American assistance to deal with AIDS in India.

The first time I encountered a similar dilemma was in the early 1980’s when then-Representative Matt Rinaldo (R-NJ), an Italian-American Congressman with an exceptional record of support for Jewish and pro-Israel causes was challenged by a Jewish lawyer. Ultimately, the majority of the Jewish community stayed with the incumbent. After his re-election, Rinaldo never forgot the loyalty of the Jewish community and became an even stronger advocate.

Similarly, when former Senator Al D’Amato (R-NY) was challenged by then-Congressman Chuck Schumer (D-NY), many Jewish activists told Schumer that, although he was Jewish and had an exceptional record on Jewish and pro-Israel issues in the House, they could not support him in a race against such a good friend. They wished him well and told him that if he won, they would, of course, support his re-election bid.

It is also worth noting that many Jews do not automatically support a candidate just because of ethnic or religious backgrounds. For example, this year, Senator Joe Lieberman (D-CT) sought to become the first Jewish nominee for President. Although he certainly received support from some Jews, he did not obtain nearly the level of support he had anticipated.

It is important to commend Khanna for his political initiatives and hard work. Hopefully, regardless of the result of the primary, both he and his supporters will remain politically involved in the future.

When looking at this race, in light of similar precedents, the lesson to be guided by is quite clear ---- loyalty is a political virtue that is never forgotten.

(Ralph Nurnberger is a Washington Associate of the Indian American Center for Political Awareness (IACPA). He is also a professor at Georgetown

University and Senior Partner in Nurnberger & Associates, a government relations firm.)