Shoring up the (Jewish?) Base
JINSA
Laura Rozen of Politico named names: “Rahm Emanuel has met twice with a group of rabbis, the NSC’s Dennis Ross has gone up to the Hill to talk to House Democrats and Senate Dems in recent weeks, the NSC’s Dan Shapiro and Ross both spoke at the ADL conference last week, Hillary Clinton keynoted the AJC conference earlier this month, National Security Advisor Jim Jones addressed the Washington Institute for Near East Policy last month, Defense Secretary Robert Gates held an honor guard for visiting Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak, and Obama hosted Elie Wiesel… Later this month, Obama and the First Lady host a Jewish Heritage event for the first time at the White House… (and) Obama met with some 37 House and Senate Jewish Democrats at the Old Executive Office Building yesterday.”
Why?
In parts deliberate and ideological, and in parts amateurish and unintended, friends of Israel have reason to believe the Obama Administration’s push for “reformed” relations with Arab and Muslim-dominated countries bodes ill for Israeli security and for the advancement of tolerance and democratic norms in the Middle East. Under the policies of the Obama Administration:
* Palestinian-Israeli relations have regressed 17 years back to “proximity talks”;
* Iran has advanced on multiple fronts;
* Turkey has moved away from the West and closer to Iran and Russia;
* Syria (with North Korean assistance) has progressed militarily and (with Iranian assistance) reestablished hegemony in Lebanon;
* Hezbollah (with Syrian and Iranian assistance) has moved closer to governing Lebanon;
* Lebanon has bowed to Syrian, Iranian and Hezbollah ascendance;
* Iraq has found itself without American political support for the political reconciliation it needs;
* The Gulf States believe they face Iran alone;
* Egyptians believe democracy doesn’t matter; and
* Al Qaeda has advanced in Yemen, Algeria and Somalia and other parts of Africa.
In addition, the Obama Administration has rejoined the UN Human Rights Commission (and didn’t object to Iran holding a seat on the UN Committee on the Status of Women) and rejoined the UN Alliance of Civilizations, an openly anti-Israel body that claimed in 2006 that global tensions were driven primarily by the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and, relating to the September 11th attacks, referred to “a perception among Muslim societies of unjust aggression stemming from the West.”
The President’s assistant for homeland security and counterterrorism opined that Hezbollah “is a very interesting organization” evolving from “purely a terrorist organization” to an organization interested in governing. Where has he been for the past couple of decades? Hezbollah (which until 9-11 had killed more Americans than any other terrorist organization, including 241 Marines, Navy diver Robert Dean Stethem, Marine Colonel Rich Higgins and CIA station chief William Buckley) was never purely a terrorist organization. It, like Hamas, provides social services, jobs and education while at the same time killing people and hiding its military assets amid civilian populations. Think KKK with a nursery school and a job bank.
The same official, by the way, gushed, “In Saudi Arabia, I saw how our Saudi partners fulfilled their duty as custodians of the two holy mosques at Mecca and Medina. [To which the estimable Andrew McCarthy wrote, ‘The main way they fulfill it is by banning non-Muslims from entering, so I’m wondering how Brennan managed to see it.’] I marveled at the majesty of the Hajj and the devotion of those who fulfilled their duty as Muslims by making that pilgrimage. And, in all my travels,the city I have come to love most is al-Quds, Jerusalem.”
The list of growing threats to regional and global security does not only affect Jews. And not only Jews worry about Israel and the broader region. And it is inconceivable that non-Jewish Americans are happy with the administration’s Middle East policy mess.
So why court Jews? We suspect the real answer is that they want to keep Jews and Democrats (they assume those are the same) on the reservation in an election year.
The only question that remains is whether Jews, or any community courted so assiduously by any administration, will be able to maintain its perspective.
Stay tuned.
BB: lies and bigger lies
Though BB’s failure vis-a-vis Abbas and Obama is there for everyone to see, BB again lied to Israeli public. After his meeting with Mitchell, the PM’s office issued a statement that the two discussed Israeli-Palestinian water issues.
Oh really, Israel PM discussed with Obama’s envoy how the Arabs steal water from our pipes. Sure, as Abbas says, the talks focused on final-status borders.
BB’s huge three-hour meeting with Mitchell, Obama’s very minor official envoy, contrasts markedly with the cold shower treatment Obama bestowed on BB.
In its own way, it is awe-inspiring.
An immutable force of nature.
Reliably eternal.
Liberal Jewish stupidity flows like the mighty Mississippi River.
Relentlessly.
Timelessly.
I never cease to be amazed by the stupidity shown by the Liberal Jews in the USA. One New York Jew told me that he had never been in a fight because his mother did not think nice boys did that. I will venture a guess that most liberal Jews grew up the same way.
If Jews are to survive this world that we live in, we must be able, not only to defend ourselves but to win these fights. Perhaps we need to trade off some of the “Social” literature awards for some medals of valor.
Perhaps the dumbest question ever asked.
Any other group would demand substantive policy change.
Try implementing anti-black/anti-woman/anti-gay policies and then papering things over during an election year with a little transparent schmoozing.
Those groups would hand you your head and demand that you shove it up your ass.
Only willfully gullible Jews fall for this bullshit.
Thanks for this post Ted.
Still waiting for Rahm Emmanuel’s re-statement of American foreign policy priorities athis second meeting with the Rabbis to be incorporated in new speeches by Jim Jones and Hillary Clinton. Both of the speeches cited still put resolution of the Israeli/Palestinan conflict at the CENTER of U.S. foreign policy. Rahm changed that central linkage position.