(AP photo/Rick Bowmer)
What was once a small rumble of anxiety is now starting to gather force. The whisper campaign is breaking the sound barrier.
The growing prospect that US Sen. Barack Obama will be the Democratic presidential nominee has generated significant push back from Israeli stalwarts and some of the Middle East nation's anxious supporters in the United States.
Of the presidential candidates, Obama is generally viewed in Israel with the greatest suspicion.
In The Israel Factor, Haaretz newspaper's ongoing US election pundit panel that is asked to assess who is "good for Israel," Obama regularly receives the lowest scores. The politically diverse pundit panel prefers US Sen. Hillary Clinton to Obama, and US Sen. John McCain to either Democrat.
But the false claims about Obama continue to ricochet around the Internet. And there can be little doubt that the whisper campaign has helped to fuel the growing attacks.
"These absurdities are creeping into the mainstream," Democratic Florida Rep. Dan Gelber said earlier this week.
"Some of the dirtiest attacks against Barack Obama are being carried out by Jewish bigots," Jerusalem Post columnist Larry Derfner, an admitted McCain supporter, wrote in a caustic column this week.
In recent days, Republicans on the campaign trail have been going out of their way to try and turn Obama's full name - Barack Hussein Obama - into a kind of curse, a nudge-and-wink warning about Obama's true allegiance.
Last week, in what appeared to be another attempt to raise questions about Obama's loyalties, the Drudge Report said Clinton staffers slipped him a photo of Obama in traditional African tribal dress during a 2006 visit to Africa.
Obama critics have even seized on the candidate's minor consultations with Robert Malley, a former Middle East negotiator for President Clinton, as a reason to question the senator's true intentions.
One Obama critic called Malley "the next generation of anti-Israeli activism."
That prompted a strong response from Obama supporters including Martyn Indyk, a former US ambassador to Israel, and Dennis Ross, the longtime special envoy to the Middle East for President Bush (41) and President Clinton.
Many of the attempts to challenge Obama about his policy on Israel and the Palestinians has been based on rumor and innuendo.
But Obama's critics have already succeeded in putting the baseless allegations into play in an attempt to cast enough cloud of doubt in voters' minds so that they will think twice before casting their votes this year.
Obama is now trying to reassure Jewish voters.
And Jewish support for Obama could be central to a White House victory. For obvious reasons, the issue will be especially important in Florida, which some may recall has played a rather critical role in a past presidential election or two...
Rumors and inuendos?
What else have the jews got?
And who cares what they think!
WOOHOO!
Posted by: Ed O | March 02, 2008 at 02:54 AM
U people should admit that u dont like black americans.
Posted by: Votin4Obama | March 02, 2008 at 10:15 AM
Ironic, but Obama is losing a lot of his support base to Nader because of his apparent flip-flop on the Palestinian issue.
Obama has always supported the State of Israel, but he went farther than other American politicians to actually state a sympathy or even-handed approach to the Palestinians. Even that small gesture has gotten him in deep doo-doo with the Israel-Firsters here in U.S. ['Israel-Firsters' aren't just Jewish, but include Zionist Christians and others who have put Israeli national security in front of even their own country's well being.]
Personally, I don't think this strategy (current U.S. foreign policy of total and complete support of Israel) is in Israel's best interests. This hard-handed, right-wing, military approach only fuels the conflict and definitely comes back to bite Israel on it's ass every time and it will only get worse.
Recognition of how the State of Israel came into being (i.e. the ethnic cleansing of over 700,000 Palestinians from their homes and land) and implementation of the international laws and statutes already on the books is the only course to bring peace and security to both Israelis and Palestinians. There CAN be peace with justice, but without it (the current course of things) ... well, we read about it in the paper every day.
Posted by: Edie | March 02, 2008 at 10:39 AM
Gelber isn't a US rep. He is in Florida State gov't.
Posted by: guy | March 02, 2008 at 03:58 PM
I agree that Mr. Omama will be an easier target and will not withstand the onsluth of Mr. McCain.
Posted by: dl | March 02, 2008 at 05:04 PM
Obama has a very slim voting record on Israel, and therefore, he is something of an unknown factor. The other candidates simply have a better, clearer track record. And it has always taken some pretty strong gumption dealing with the characters in the Middle East. His approach to dealing with the world's vicious dictators like the cook in Iran is to have tea with them. Unfortunately, Obama has the disinct potential of being the new Neville Chamberlain. Israel cannot afford a pacifist at her expense.
Posted by: Micky | March 02, 2008 at 08:47 PM
Some Israelis are getting to be like spoilt brats if they think US military is going to keep sending its men from Nebraska, it ghettos and barrios and waste its strength, miltarily, economically and dilpomatic, to appeal to nutcase right-wing Christian earth-enders and Jewish campaign funders. The only thing holding Israel's safety now is its wall. I would not be called at all Pro-Palestinian and am a Jew, but lets get real about Iran. It is not another Germany, but its only strategic recourse to threats against the regime is to harrass Israel through hamas, Hezbollah. They probably do not have nukes, and if they tested the leaders would all be dead. It is rank hypocrisy that Israel has not signed nuclear-non proliferation Accords and that the USA is only nation to withdraw from nuclear test-ban treaty. There is no anti-Israel bias from Obama, and being partly of muslim descent would speak miles to the world on the real diversity of america. Get a f__king grip, Jews.
Posted by: Ben | March 02, 2008 at 10:43 PM
It is just not the right time for Barak Hussai Obama to be the President of US. The US people have blindly supported the fundamentalists and have brought in the situation they are in now. And iF the now civil right and liberties and black Muslim president, they may be right in the spirit of American dream of opportunity, but that will be the first of last nails on that dream . Forget the Jews, this is not good for the world. We hope John McCain makes it to the white house. And let me tell you that Family and Civil rights dramas should stop. Let USA be USA
Posted by: concept | March 03, 2008 at 02:06 AM
I will be voting for OBAMA, although I have no illusions regarding politicians keeping all of their promises after elections. Yet, I do think he will do more for America, than Hilary, and McCain. I do not care about Israel! Americans should care about AMERICA! Anybody who puts some other country interests first should be stripped of their American citizenship.
Posted by: A_WHITE_MAN_VOTING_FOR_OBAMA! | March 03, 2008 at 10:00 AM
I think Obama is the BEST president for Israel, not because of anything he has said, but because of his background as civil rights lawyer. He is the most likely to hold Israel accountable to its international obligations as overseer of Palestinians. This will go a long way to rehabilitating Israel's image abroad.
This could involve some difficult decisions by Israeli politicians, which many do not want to make because the political environment is not right. If the US president puts a little more pressure, these decisions will be easier for Israeli politicians. There is a strong (mostly inaccurate) perception that Israel influences US foreign policy but the US does not influence Israel's policy; that perception needs to change.
Posted by: Nat | March 03, 2008 at 11:06 AM
Obama will destroy Israel. He will stop giving you money. He will force you into a treaty with you enemies that will be broken.
And his first term ends in 2012. That date has some significance for some people.
Posted by: Brian | March 17, 2008 at 02:12 AM
Actually to be technical, his first term would end in January 2013.
That is if we make it to January 2013.
Posted by: Brian | March 17, 2008 at 02:14 AM
We all know anxiety ain't good for anyone...
Posted by: anxiety disorder treatment | May 23, 2008 at 01:18 PM
Time to dust off the old bible and read revelations again.
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