The Obama Minyan

   Now that Senator Obama is the de facto [I hate the word "presumptive"] Democratic nominee, the slings and arrows of yesterday are about to become the Titans and Tomahawks of tomorrow.  Make no mistake about it: the Republicans will attack him with every missile in their silo.  And like the "MIRV" [Multiple Independently targetable Reentry Vehicle], their political projectiles are going to be aimed at lots and lots of different targets.

   Indeed, there will be something for everyone:

• Economic Elitists will no doubt be clubbed with the fear that an Obama presidency will lead to the ultimate victory of Marx over Monetarism. 
• Social Conservatives will be warned that an Obama Administration will make abortion, same-sex marriage and the teaching of Evolution mandatory.
• Conspiracy Theorists will be convinced that an Obama cabinet will include Louis Farrakhan, Pastor Wright and perhaps even the ghost of Emma Goldman.
• Zionists will be taught that an Obama foreign policy will sound the death-knell for the Jewish State.
• And of course, the words "lack of experience" will become so ever-present that schoolchildren will no doubt conclude that this must be the senator's middle name.

   Already, one can hear those MIRVs warming up in their silos.

   Let's handle the last two, because to a great extent, they are inextricably bound together.  It is absolutely true that Senator Obama has not been on the national scene nearly as long as Senator McCain.  And, it is equally as true that he has no eponymous legislation for which he can claim credit, ala the "McCain-Feingold" Act.  I for one have often found the "experience issue" to be a non-starter. To my way of thinking, its not always "what you know," but "who you know and trust that knows what you need to know."  If one only peeks behind the curtain of their fears and uncertainties [amply cheer-led by conservative bloggers and all those "entertainers" who pass themselves off as mainline journalists], one will discover something truly heartening: that Senator Barack Obama has surrounded himself with a roster of the "best and brightest," the likes of which have not been seen since the days of JFK.  I will match up Obama's experts and wise men and women against those of McCain six days a week -- and on the seventh we rest.

   Which brings us to the issue of Senator Obama vis-a-vis Israel. 

   Much has been made over the past months, weeks and even days, about the number of so-called "professional Israel haters/anti-Semites" who are "advising" the gentleman from Illinois.  Anyone with email service has received screaming cyber missives warning that Obama is getting all his Israel/Middle East input from the likes of former Carter-era National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski, the Kennedy School's Stephen Walt, the University of Chicago's John Mearsheimer and now, former Michigan Representative [and Edwards' campaign manager] David Bonior.

   While none of the aforementioned is going to be invited to our next seder, the influence they have -- and will have -- on Senator Obama's future Middle Eastern strategy is effectively nil, nada, zilch, gornisht.

   As noted in our February 21, 2008 piece -- The Truth About It:

   "According to David Axelrod, the senator's chief strategist, '. . . [Brzezinski] is not an adviser.  We do not call him an adviser and he does not call himself an adviser.  He is a supporter of Senator Obama and they have spoken about the Iraq war once several months ago . . . . The only people who call Brzezinsky an adviser are the Clinton campaign . . ." 

   So far as professors Walt and Mearsheimer go, their names originally became linked to the Obama campaign some time back.  Under what circumstances?  Well, last year, the two professors published a work entitled The Israel Lobby and American Foreign Policy.  Truth to tell, it painted a woeful, damning portrait of A.I.P.A.C. and the power it wields in Washington.  It so happens that the Obama campaign's cyber nerds placed small ads in various spots on the Internet, designed to drive readers to its website.  From experience, I can tell you that the best way to accomplish this is to put in a string of key words . . . like "politics," "Democratic," or "president."  This is precisely what the Obama camp did.  Well, one of these ads popped up on the Amazon page hawking Walt and Mearsheimer's book.  Immediately, the anti-Obama forces began proclaiming "You See!  Obama is one of those Israel haters!" Once this was brought to the Obama campaign's attention, they removed the ad.  But viola, the damage had been done; suddenly and miraculously, Walt and Mearshmer had been transformed into "senior Obama advisers." They were not, and are not.

 

   David Bonior, who signed on with the Obama campaign just in time to represent it -- along with Congressman Robert Wexler -- before the Democratic National Committee, did not have a great voting record vis-a-vis Israel.  And while not trying to soft-peddle his votes -- many of which I find just wrong -- one does well to remember that his district was home to the highest percentage of Palestinians of any district in the United States.  And while one can -- and should -- revile many of the votes he cast while in Congress -- which I do -- one must keep in mind that the first rule of politics is "get yourself [re]elected." Then too, Bonoir was not hired because of his positions on the Middle East, but precisely because, as a former Michigan powerhouse, it was felt that he could best state the Obama case vis-a-vis delegates.  Also, by bringing him on board, it was a clear sign that John Edwards was about to support the campaign.

 

   So just who is advising Senator Obama on Israel and the Middle East?  Who makes up "The Obama Minyan?"  [n.b. A "minyan" is a lawful quorum of ten Jewish adults -- some athorities say only men -- required for reciting Jewish prayers.]

  

   A bit of research available to anyone who wants to know the truth, turns up the following "minyanaires:"

 

• Rep. Robert Wexler: Rob, who I am proud to say is my representative in Congress, is a devoutly religious, Miami-bred member of the House Foreign Affairs subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia.  As early as 2002 he was calling for the ouster of terrorist leaders in the Mideast and declared that Israel was engaged in full-scale war.  When it comes to supporting the Jewish State, no one takes a backseat to Congressman Wexler.
• Former Rep. Mel Levine: Mel, a good friend of longstanding [who ironically, was my representative when I was still living in Southern California], was a member of the House from 1982-1992.  Mel comes from a family whose allegiance to Israel is legendary: in 1948, his late father Sid was Western States' representative for the Haganah.  Indeed, one of Mel's earliest memories, as he recounted for my book, The Congressional Minyan: The Jews of Capitol Hill was: ". . . as a five-year old hearing the doorbell ring . . . and being knocked over by a gunny sack filled with God knows what. . . and my dad grabbing me and basically throwing me away from the door.  I learned many years later that that was some type of materiel that was on its way to Israel during the War of Independence." During his years in the House, Mel's was one of the most intelligent and passionate voices ever raised on Israel's behalf.  Bar none.
• Ambassador Dan Kurtzer: Dan was President Clinton's Ambassador to Egypt from 1997-2001, and President George W. Bush's Ambassador to Israel from 2001-2005.  Prior to entering foreign service, he was dean of his alma mater, Yeshiva University.  Now retired, Dan is the first-ever commissioner of the Israel Baseball League. [Which, by the way, drafted Sandy Koufax!]
• Former U.S. Senator Tom Daschle: Yes, I know, Tom is a Catholic, so technically, cannot be counted in a "minyan."  Nonetheless, during all his years in the House and Senate [where he was Minority Leader], Tom was among Israel's strongest and most consistent supporters.  Despite coming from a state [South Dakota] that is home to precisely 99 Jews, Tom is well-known for his efforts on behalf of the Jewish State.  I first met him back in 1986, when he came to South Florida to get acquainted with the Jewish community.  Following a luncheon speech at the Woodlands Country Club, one of the Zionist lions asked him "what was the family name before Daschle?  Are you sure you're not Jewish?"
• Rep. Jan Schakowsky: Jan has represented a Chicago-area district [9] in the House since 1998.  One simply cannot be elected and reelected by such wide margins [75% in 2006, 76% in 2004] from Evanston/Skokie unless they are actively, stridently, vociferously pro-Israel. And this Jan is.
• Penny Pritzker:  Scion of the Hyatt Hotel chain and herself the founder/Chair/CEO of "Classic Residency by Hyatt," Penny is one of the wealthiest women in the world. Holder of a Harvard degree in economics, and a graduate of the Stanford University Law School, Penny is part of a famiy that has been among Israel's strongest financial backers for more than two generations.  Penny is the Obama campaign's national finance director; as such the senator has come under intense fire from anti-Zionist groups who claim that he is "in the pocket of the Zionists."  How can one be anti-Israel and at the same time get slammed by the true haters of Israel for being "overly Zionist?"  Beats me.
• Anthony Lake: The grandson of a Church of England clergyman who came the United States from Oxford to teach New Testament Studies at Harvard, Tony Lake converted to Judaism in 2005.  He has long been a foreign policy advisor to Democrats.  When questioned by Moment Magazine about his support for Barack Obama vis-a-vis Israel, Lake responded: "The question is: Which America is the strongest friend of Israel?  Which America will be the strongest adversary to those who would do us harm?  And clearly, the answer is an America that is unified rather than torn apart by the politics of the past 20 years.  And it is in Obama's DNA to be a unifier while having clear views."
• Denis McDonough: Senior Fellow at American Progress and former Legislative Director for Colorado Senator Ken Salazar, Denis is currently the Obama Campaign's Foreign Policy Coordinator. He is an acknowledged expert on Israeli-Arab relations; an area of expertise that has been sorely lacking for the past eight years.  Denis is a stalwart supporter of Israel, and despite the fact that he is not "MOT" ["A Member of the Tribe"] he is without question a member-in-good-standing of the Obama Minyan.
• Dan Shapiro: Former Foreign Policy Adviser to Florida Senator Bill Nelson.  Dan was responsible for writing the "Syria Accountability Act of 2003," which was intended among other things, to "halt Syrian terrorism and its occupation of Lebanon . . . and to hold Syria accountable for its role in the Middle East."  This measure was co-sponsored by California Senator Barbara Boxer and Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum. That bill became law in December 2003.  Dan also drafted a 2007 measure that prohibits US contacts with Palestinian leadership. He was brought on board largely on the strength of his close relations with AIPAC.
• Lee Rosenberg: A Chicago-based independent venture capitalist, Lee is  both a member of the Obama Campaign finance team, and, perhaps most importantly, the Treasurer of AIPAC. For anyone who watched the senator's address before AIPAC the other day, that was Lee who did the introduction.

   And these, my friends are the front-line members of the Obama Minyan.

   Unquestionably, there will continue to be lots of folks out there from Compton to Caribou who will continue believing [and spreading] lies about Barack Obama being al-Qaeda's "Manchurian Candidate," a "secret Muslin," and an "anti-Semite."  Let's face it: for some people, facts cannot hold a candle to fiction; intrigue is a lot more entertaining than intelligence.

   As for me, I am both proud and humbled to be a part of the Obama Minyan.  And although it has been a longstanding Jewish tradition to never go out seeking "converts," in this instance, and for this purpose, I will gladly break with tradition.

   How about you?

©2008 Kurt F. Stone

  

  

Comments

[Lee]

What's this from Jerusalem One website:

« Obama: Jerusalem Must Remain Undivided | Home

Obama backtracks on Jerusalem
[06.06.2008]
Yesterday we reported that Barrack Obama was committed to a united Jerusalem. Unfortunately he has since changed his mind.
"Jerusalem will remain the capital of Israel, and it must remain undivided," Obama declared Wednesday, to rousing applause from the 7,000-plus attendees at the AIPAC conference in Washington, DC.

But a campaign adviser clarified Thursday that Obama believes "Jerusalem is a final status issue, which means it has to be negotiated between the two parties" as part of "an agreement that they both can live with."

"Two principles should apply to any outcome," which the adviser gave as: "Jerusalem remains Israel's capital and it's not going to be divided by barbed wire and checkpoints as it was in 1948-1967." The adviser went on to say that he doesn't rule out Jerusalem being the capital of a Palestinian State.
Senator Obama claims he wants to end the status quo of political rancor. He should know that his statements and that of his campaign are completely incompatible. Senator Obama is insulting the intelligence of the voting public if he thinks otherwise.

[Yuan]

You are an obscenely ethnocentric racist. Perhaps someone can point out the number of white people who advise McCain, and turn that into a selling point. Would that be OK for you? Idiot.

[matter]

How sad that every American politician must be evaluated on their devotion to a foreign country with apartheid and supremacist laws. Israel is a racist slave state and a murderous colonial occupier.

[martin]

Yes, politics does make strange bedfellows. You revile a lot of Bonoir's voting record, but, hey, he had to get re-elected in his heavily Palestinian district; ergo, morality be damned.
Reminds me when I still stood in front of our young and at times had to explain that justice and the law were virtually mutually exclusive.
Mr. Bonoir, says you, all is forgiven as long as you can deliver the vote to our candidate. I assume you call that pragmatism. HA! to quote Chris Matthews.
I have no choice regardless of my primary preference but to vote for the candidate of the donkey, for how can I be party to allowing for another "four more years." FIN.
(Segue) You gave us a blog on BO's yarmulke performance in Boca recently. What you haven't addressed is to what degree covert racism is going to evidence itself in the voting booth. What about the front page article in the
NY Times about the JEWS in Boynton Beach and farther south and their attitude toward your candidate? Tuchas offen tisch, rabbi. Talk to us.

N.B. I'm the guy who emailed you after you spoke at Palm Isles this past April.

P.S. Your team didn't do so well at Shea recently. Watch out for those poisonous D'Backs.

P.P.S. Love to hear from you.

[Jay]

I was at the AIPAC conference. Obama was everything I had read about him.