PrintJune 15, 2009
Obama starts to get radioactive among Jewish voters
Robert Wexler was the first Jewish Congressman to carry water for Barack Obama and his love and support for Israel during the Democratic nominating contest. Now the Florida Congressman is creating some space between Obama and himself, while trying to rehabilitate Obama a bit among his Jewish constituents.
Many Jewish voters in Wexler's district, South Florida, New York, and New Jersey, now regard Obama as hostile to Israel (he is), and are feeling buyer's remorse. Democratic members of the Senate and Congress from these areas are a bit terrified.
Wexler wants to make sure his district's voters know that he does not support a total settlement freeze, as Obama does. He does not support linkage between US efforts to stop Iran's nuclear program and progress on the Israeli-Palestinian front. He wants more pressure on the Palestinians to meet their roadmap requirements.
Voters can be fooled, but they can tell the difference between a friend and a bully. Obama made the decision to bully Israel over settlements, and make it the focus of his Middle East strategy. The events in Iran over the weekend show the stupidity of the American approach of trying to make nice with the mullahs. Israeli settlements have zero to do with what is going on in Iran, and the Iranians have swatted back Obama's diplomatic feelers like a weak second serve.
The Obama administration has also removed Dennis Ross from his job as chief advisor on Iran. Ross has a new book out coming out in which he argues there is no linkage between Iran's nuclear program and progress on the Israeli-Palestinian track. On this, Ross is right, and Obama is wrong. The Administration could admit it was wrong (hold the laughter), but instead decided to fire the messenger.
Even worse, the Administration has let out that Ross, a Jew, might not have been the ideal point person for dealing with Iran. And all this time, I was led to believe by Roger Cohen that Iran had problems with Israel, but not with Jews. So Obama will give them a non-Jew.
That too will earn enormous "respect" from the American Jewish community and Israel, not to mention Iran, which will only see more weakness. It is time for Alicia Silverstone to reprise her role in the film Clueless.
hat tip: Michael Nadler for Wexler articles
Ed Lasky adds:
Both Wexler -- Obama's Jewish poodle -- and Dennis Ross shamelessly shilled for Obama (Ross to the extent of supporting Rashid Khalidi) during the campaign. Ross was portrayed in a recent Washington Post column by Danielle Pletka as having in the past negotiated for the other side (the Palestinians) and has having been not much more than a peace processor who kept the process alive when it should have died and who brought about an "agreement" that resulted, because of its empowerment of Yasser Arafat, in the deaths of many Israelis and Palestinians.
Maybe we should be heartened by the anti-Semitic reaction of the Iranian regime towards him. I was always skeptical regarding Ross's appointment. Did anyone delude themselves that the Iranians would ever accept a Jewish person as an interlocutor for America?
But delusion comes easily to the Obama team; as easily as it did for many in the Jewish community who swooned at the prospect of Barack Obama in the White House.
Wexler is a self-serving fraud. We should know that from his fictitious residency scandal.
Ed Lasky adds:
Both Wexler -- Obama's Jewish poodle -- and Dennis Ross shamelessly shilled for Obama (Ross to the extent of supporting Rashid Khalidi) during the campaign. Ross was portrayed in a recent Washington Post column by Danielle Pletka as having in the past negotiated for the other side (the Palestinians) and has having been not much more than a peace processor who kept the process alive when it should have died and who brought about an "agreement" that resulted, because of its empowerment of Yasser Arafat, in the deaths of many Israelis and Palestinians.
Maybe we should be heartened by the anti-Semitic reaction of the Iranian regime towards him. I was always skeptical regarding Ross's appointment. Did anyone delude themselves that the Iranians would ever accept a Jewish person as an interlocutor for America?
But delusion comes easily to the Obama team; as easily as it did for many in the Jewish community who swooned at the prospect of Barack Obama in the White House.
Wexler is a self-serving fraud. We should know that from his fictitious residency scandal.
