01 December 2008

Obama's Anti-Israel Advisors

Samantha Power is back!

Who is she?  She's an Obama foreign policy advisor that insulted Senator Hillary Clinton during the course of the election by calling her a "monster".  Power was forced to resign that day, but today it's being reported that she is now 
...listed on Obama's transition Web site as part of the team reviewing national security agencies.  Her duties, according to the site, will be to "ensure that senior appointees have the information necessary to complete the confirmation process, lead their departments, and begin implementing signature policy initiatives immediately after they are sworn in."

In short, she is part of a team that is likely to work directly with Clinton, a potentially awkward situation for the two women. 
Awkward!?  You think!

While it may be fun to watch the fireworks, it is more interesting to think about why she's been brought back into Washington.  Power has compared Israel to Rwanda - suggesting that the United States should "intervene" in Israeli politics in order to protect the Palestinians from "genocide".

It is worrisome to me to think that perhaps President-elect Obama is continuing in his perspective that it is Israel that is the problem in the Middle East and not Muslim terrorists.  Don't forget, Obama still has Zbigniew Brzezinski as an advisor.  Yes, the same man who thinks that the "Israel Lobby" in the United States is the biggest obstacle to peace in the Middle East.  

While the election may be over, and it is clear who won - it will also become clear to us all what Obama's perspective and possible policies will be when dealing with Israel and the Middle East as a whole.  I'm holding my breath.

1 comment:

Eli7 said...

I came across this line from Obama's race speech and couldn't figure out why no one had been quoting it earlier. And, yes, of course, it was a speech; it was rhetoric. Will it indicate how Obama will treat Israel? Who knows? I'm just saying ...

"They weren't simply a religious leader's effort to speak out against perceived injustice. Instead, they expressed a profoundly distorted view of this country - a view that sees white racism as endemic, and that elevates what is wrong with America above all that we know is right with America; a view that sees the conflicts in the Middle East as rooted primarily in the actions of stalwart allies like Israel, instead of emanating from the perverse and hateful ideologies of radical Islam."