US senator Hillary Clinton has canceled an appearance at a New York rally next week after organizers failed to tell her that the Republican vice-presidential candidate, Alaska governor Sarah Palin, will also attend. Several American Jewish groups are planning to hold a major rally outside UN headquarters on 22 September to protest against Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Organizers said that both Clinton and Palin were expected to attend. Clinton aides were furious and said that they had first learned of the plan to have both Clinton and Palin appear when informed by reporters. "Her attendance was news to us, and this was never billed to us as a partisan political event," said Clinton spokesman Philippe Reines. "Senator Clinton will therefore not be attending."
The Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, the National Coalition to Stop Iran Now, the United Jewish Communities and the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York are sponsoring the rally.
