Joe the Plumber called on President-elect Barack Obama on Monday to help Israel in its campaign against Hamas.
The plumber-turned-war correspondent has been unabashed in his support of Israel's two-week campaign against Hamas in the Gaza Strip and has been touring the Gaza border region and Israeli towns hit by Palestinian rocket fire.
"President Obama has already spoken about what he would do here. That if his daughters were living here he would take whatever means necessary to protect his daughters. So I just hope he carries through with it, but that is going to be up to him," said Joe, whose real name is Samuel J. Wurzelbacher.
Wurzelbacher was given a model rocket as a gift from Israeli plumber Moshe Nissimpur in the southern city of Ashkelon, near Gaza.
The Ohio man, who rose to fame during the U.S. presidential campaign for asking Barack Obama about his tax plan, was in southern Israel to tell readers of the conservative pjtv.com Web site about the rockets that rain down from the neighboring Gaza Strip.
The black, red and gold rocket given to Wurzelbacher had writing on it thanking him for supporting Israel.
"For Joe the Plumber. Thank you for your support in these difficult days. From the Israeli plumber," said the writing on the slim rocket.
On Sunday, Wurzelbacher had nothing but contempt for Israel's critics and the mainstream media — who he said was not presenting the full story behind the campaign, which has left more than 870 Palestinians and 13 Israelis dead.
When Wurzelbacher joined Republican Sen. John McCain on the campaign trail, he agreed with a supporter who asked if he thought "a vote for Obama is a vote for the death of Israel."