Barack Obama and Robert Malley — one of Obama’s Middle East policy advisers — severed ties after The Times of London reported on Malley’s meetings with the terrorist group Hamas. ÂÂ
Malley was one of a select group of Obama foreign policy advisers mentioned by both Newsweek and the Washington Post last fall. However, after coming under scrutiny in the blogosphere, he was suddenly “one of dozens of middle-level types who send position papers to the campaign and sometimes get together to talk” in a March 2008 New York Times report. Now, The Times of London and MSNBC dutifully relay the Obama spin that Malley was one of hundreds of experts providing informal advice to the campaign.
Obama may need a steady stream of such experts, given that he has already distanced himself from Zbigniew Brzezinski and cashiered Samantha Power — both of whom share Malley’s hostility to Israel and his ties to the George Soros-funded International Crisis Group. Obama has kept Air Force Gen. Merrill A. McPeak (Ret.), who claims that Jews in New York City and Miami were preventing the Israelis and “Palestinians†from making peace, but ostensibly on the ground that McPeak is a military adviser not involved in Mideast policy. So who is advising Obama on the region as Brzezinski, Power and Malley have slipped off the official roster?
According to Obama surrogate Josh Shapiro, Obama recently brought in Daniel Kurtzer, an Orthodox Jew who served as US ambassador to Egypt and Israel under presidents Clinton and Bush. Like Brzezinski, Power and Malley, Kurtzer believes the “Palestinian” problem is the core of the Mideast conflict. Kurtzer coined the phrase “land for peace” and was a key figure in the decisions that led to the recognition of the PLO and Yasser Arafat as the legitimate and sole representative of the Palestinian people.
More recently, Kurtzer co-authored a history of US policy in the Mideast with fellow Obama adviser Scott Lasensky, arguing for the US to exert ever more pressure on Israel, while seemingly wanting more latitude to deal with Hamas. In an interview with the Council on Foreign Relations, Kurtzer said that he would not argue in favor of talking to Hamas “right today.” Then again, while acting as an Obama surrogate before the Pennsylvania primary, Kurtzer also said that the mission now was for Obama to win the nomination and that the real advising would come after the electoral politics.
At the conclusion of The Times story on Malley:
Randy Scheunemann, Mr McCain’s foreign policy chief, suggested that Mr Malley was part of an emerging pattern in which other advisers had been repudiated after throwing confusion over policies on trade and Iraq. “Perhaps because of his inexperience Senator Obama surrounds himself with advisers that contradict his stated policies,†he said.
I beg to differ. First, it is far from clear that there is much contradiction. Second, Obama has been saying for months that his inexperience is not as important as his judgment. Obama’s decision to surround himself with advisers who think that Israel is the problem with US foreign policy and that we need to get closer to the despotic regimes in Iran and Syria is not borne of his inexperience, but of his judgment.
(h/t Memeorandum.)
One more expert “under the bus” isn’t a problem when he can draw on experts from all “57 states.”
“…and that we need to get closer to the despotic regimes in Iran and Syria…”
After all, FDR held talks with Hitler and Tojo, right. It must be true ‘cuz Obama said so.
I’m pretty sure that “Frank†set Obama straight on Stalin.
cjd,
He wasn’t that far off. It’s clear that he meant Chamberlain’s meeting with Hitler in Munich. The one that secured “peace in our time”. It’s that or the Malenkov/Molotov successful direct negotiations with Ribbentrop. He’s just a little weak on details from time to time.
By “pressue” I suppose you mean attaching conditions to the billions of dollars worth of aid we give Israel every year. Why would that be a bad thing? For the record, the West Bank is not governed by Hamas, yet Israel keeps on building settlements, demolishing Arab homes, and refusing to lift the most punishing checkpoints. Abbas is supposed to be “our guy” yet Israel is doing everything they can to undermine his legitimacy.
Meanwhile, people in the US who disagree with the policy of giving Israel carte blanche authority to do whatever they want with American aid are accused of being anti-Israel or anti-Semitic.
Rick,
Details, details. But you’re right. To be perfectly fair, FDR and Truman did meet with Joey Bananas and exacted his promises that Eastern Europe would be allowed self-determination. Oh, wait…
Funny how in AJB-land there’s no mention of the decades of terror from the PLO, the al-Aqsa Brigades, Hamas, etc. This is the “even-handed” approach to the problem.
Also note that AJB says Hamas does not control the West Bank, neatly skipping over Gaza — which is odd, given that in AJB-land that’s probably also the fault of the US and Israel.
Baracky’s foreign policy is a mini-UN general assembly is all, and Baracky might could be president. Israel needs to find more better allies than us. We’re not dependable anymore.
You should add Joseph Cirincione to your list of Obama’s advisers who have been “disappeared” after their views came to light. As in the Malley case, an unconvincing effort was made to cover up Cirincione’s role as an Obama adviser after questions began to be raised.
To answer the question posed by people like AJB about why engagement with Hamas is so wrongheaded, I highly recommend this essay in the September 15, 2007 Jerusalem Post by Melanie Phillips. Ms. Phillips describes how “conflict resolution” organizations similar to Malley’s Soros-funded International Crisis Group have been placing increasing pressure on British Prime Minister Gordon Brown to engage with Hamas, and she clearly explains why this approach is so futile and dangerous.
AJB –
Ever heard of a little known subject called “history”?
Check it out. You might be surprised at what you find. If history doesn’t ring a bell in your mind, for those of you who can read, Leon Uris’s book, “The Haj” might give you an idea of how the Israelis and “Palestinians” (of which there are actually very few) got to where they are.
Or why the Arab nations refuse to help their “bretheren” in any way. Could it be that it is more convenient politically to let this sore fester? It’s not like the neighboring governments couldn’t solve this problem with one wave of their bank books.
Let’s see, now..
Ummm…I wonder who started this shitstorm? And who has absolutely NO DESIRE to end it? And I wonder who REVELS in this carnage. Ummm…I don’t think that the Israelis cram hate down the throats of their children from the moment that they escape the birth canal.
The Arab state of mind is to remain in the seventh century. If my neighbor was trying to kill my family, you can be damn sure I would do anything to stop them. If anything, the Israelis have been acting with restraint.
I just need to see one instance where the Israelis have acted in any way other than defensively. And that hasn’t happened yet. I tend to think that people who hate anyone who has turned the desert into a garden, and offer to share hat bknowledge, are a little off in the head.
How ignorant of history do you have to be to blame those who truly just want to live in peace?
Yeah. Yeah. I know. Fuckin’ Jooooos!
Disgustingly ignorant, I would have to say.
My link to the Phillips article failed. Here is the URL:
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?apage=1&cid=1189411406137&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
Oooo… Karl posts on Obamesshiah’s shell game concerning Israel and we get AJB trotting out the Chomsky/Soros/Leftist
anti-Semiteanti-Israel talking points.Color me unsurprised at anonymous Judenhass.
Also, Iranian Prez Ahmadawhackjob – one of those people Barry has been eager to engage in unconditional “discussion” – took the occassion of Israel’s 60th birthday to publically rant that Israel is a “stinking corpse” soon to be annihilated.
Barry’s response was …. “__”
By “pressue†I suppose you mean attaching conditions to the billions of dollars worth of aid we give Israel every year. Why would that be a bad thing?
AJB, could it perhaps be because the U.S. is not on the side of entities which inveterately say and act as though they seek to completely obliterate Israel, specifically reject very generous “land for peace” deals, and, when given the opportunity, turn the land they do get unilaterally exclusively into bases from which to attack Israel, while not being able to manage the land they already have for any truely productive purposes whatsoever?
Btw, AJB, simply repeating ad nauseum myopic and biased meme-arguments such as yours will not make them come true. Essentially, all you are doing is waging a “perception is reality” advertising/propaganda campaign, possibly directed mainly upon yourself – as a consequence of your failure to face reality and, therefore, your need to instead be a Progressive Cultist group member.
Well, good luck with that, but you should ask yourself why you so desperatetly need to try to draw the rest of us non-Cultists in there with you. ‘Sounds kind of “religious”, eh wot?
AJB – here’s a clue for you. You aren’t called an anti-Semite because you question Israel. You’re called an anti-Semite because you DON’T question the mass-murdering thugs who keep trying to destroy Israel and its people.
Given the unbelievably lopsided history of aggression in the region, it’s hard for anyone outside your knitting circle to understand how that could be the result of anything but a prejudice against the Jews of Israel (at least, if not Jews in general).
Personally, I could see one other reason – maybe you’re just so mind-numbingly devoted to the bog-standard leftist “victim-oppressor” meme that you’re willing to ignore all history, current action, and even declared intent in your “judging” of the situation – in other words, you’re functionally insane.
Face it, AJB, you’re either an asshole or a whack-job. Acceptance is the first step toward recovery. Not being an idiot is 2 or 3, I think.
Kurtzer sounds less stupid that Malley or Powers, but the objective is the same thing. Was it the settelements in Haifa
that provoked the ’48 war. Was it the Balfour declaration that provoked the ’20,’29, & ’36 intifadas. And when the Jews were truly stateless in 1840 in Damascus, what provoked the pogrom then.
You see with Haniyeh and Mazen now, with
Haj Amin Husseini & his nephew Arafat before, and countless Ottoman viziers
before, the point is made, what did we
do to deserve this; the lesson going back to the Yathrib valley settlement
(Medina)it seems existence is the touchstone, and that was around 610 AD.
Let’s not forget the talks that FDR had with the New York mob. It did secure peace on the New York docks, but it’s hardly and example of diplomacy at it’s best.
Karl trots out a lot of disconnected bullshit. That’s what makes Karl, like Chomsky/Soros/Leftists, perpetually irrelevant.
Anyone else think thor is just an Obama web-bot? Never bringing anything to the table, but always showing up to sling hollow epithets whenever the chosen one’s name is mentioned.
Nice try, Dan.
It just so happens I wasn’t at any of those particular meetings with my advisors.
a-gO !!!
#20 ThomasD
I think an automated web-bot would have a larger repertoire of snark.
That thor sure is hard on Karl.
Is. Has. What’s the difference?
Between Soros-funded shills and Karl what’s the difference outside of the flipped agendas? I’ve already exposed Karl as a crypto-Marxian propaganda technician. Same M.O. just a different squealer.
I think Thor has masturbatory fantasies of Karl. I’m calling Thor queer. And I don’t mean odd.
I’ve already exposed Karl as a crypto-Marxian propaganda technician. Same M.O. just a different squealer.
If by ‘exposed’ you mean drunken allegations without any proof then yes. If you mean arguing from facts that support your thesis, then nO!
Yeah. It does pretty much appear that thor has a stiffy for Karl.
I think thor is saving his stiffy for AJB, IJS, and Michael Vick.
thor is not very comformy is all. This is ok I think. Also, he’s really very cool. You can tell cause there are lines there for you to read between.
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