Before running for Congress in 2006, Rep. Steve Cohen served as a Tennessee state senator for over twenty years. During his tenure in the State Senate, Cohen championed and passed in a legendary effort - the Tennessee Education Lottery - which has raised over a billion dollars for college scholarships, pre-kindergarten education, and after school programs. Cohen was widely regarded as one of the legislature's toughest and most articulate debaters.

Besides being the "father of the lottery," Cohen passed legislation to create the Tennessee Holocaust Commission in 1984. Cohen served on the the board of the Tennessee Holocaust Commission for 20 years and was honored by the Commission with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2000. He has been honored by the Tennessee Council of Jewish Women and a speaker to the B'nai B'rith Board in New York City about his work on anti-semitism, among other issues. Cohen has also been nationally recognized for his work on the separation of Church and State.

In our interview with Rep. Cohen, he stressed his belief in the importance of a strong relationship between the US and Israel and specifically mentioned that he takes issue with the notion that there is only "one way" to be pro-Israel. Cohen first traveled to Israel in 1987 and has been involved personally in the issues ever since.

For Cohen, being pro-Israel means supporting active U.S. engagement in facilitating Israeli-Palestinian peace. This support of active US engagement led him to sign the Ackerman-Boustany letter of 2007 to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. The letter advocated for increased US aid to create the conditions for a lasting two state solution to the conflict, stating that "the U.S. should take a hands-on approach to create the environment needed for peace and stability."

Mr. Cohen opposed the Iraq war at the outset of hostilities in Iraq and has continued to oppose an indefinite presence of US troops in that country. He understands that engagement in the Middle East as a whole is vital for US and Israeli security interests, and advocates for aggressive US diplomacy with both Iran and Syria.

Here's some Steve Cohen trivia that endeared us to him even more. A room in Cohen's home contains a collection of more than 3,000 campaign buttons – what a collection! His grandfather was born in Turkey and Cohen is a member of the Congressional Turkish Caucus. And, best of all, Cohen was a guest on The Colbert Report on March 1, 2007.

From his opposition to the war in Iraq, to his support of tough diplomacy with Iran and Syria, and his deep commitment to Israel and a two-state solution to the Israeli Palestinian conflict, Rep. Steve Cohen really deserved our support.

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