Does President Obama’s radical past tell us anything significant about his stance on Israel today? Perhaps more important, do the radical alliances of Obama’s Chicago days raise a warning flag about what the president’s position on Israel may be in 2013, should he safely secure reelection? Many will deny it, but I believe Obama’s radical history speaks volumes about the past, present, and likely future course of his policy on Israel.
The Los Angeles Times has long refused to release a videotape in its possession of a farewell dinner, attended by Obama, for scholar and Palestinian activist Rashid Khalidi. Obama spoke warmly of his friendship for Khalidi at that event. Unfortunately, the continuing mystery of that video tape has obscured the rather remarkable article that the LA Times did publish about the dinner — and about Obama’s broader views on the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. In light of the controversy over Obama’s remarks on Israel in his address yesterday on the Middle East, it is worth revisiting that 2008 article from the LA Times.
The extraordinary thing about “Allies of Palestinians see a friend in Obama” is that in it, Obama’s supporters say that in claiming to be pro-Israel, he is hiding his true views from the public. Having observed his personal associations, his open political alliances, his public statements, and his private remarks, Obama’s Palestinian allies steadfastly maintain that Obama’s private views are far more pro-Palestinian than he lets on.
Having pieced together Obama’s history, I make much the same argument about Obama’s broader political stance in my book, Radical-in-Chief. Obama’s true views are far to the left of what he lets on in public. Yet it’s striking to see Palestinian activists making essentially the same point — not in criticism of Obama, but in praise.
Obama finally let slip his true colors regarding Israel. The genie is out of the bottle.
Anyone and everyone who believes that Palestine has any motive but for evil for Israel …they are just beyond ignorant… I think Obama sealed his doom in 2012 with this call. Hopefully the ever so Liberal Jewish voters have seen the light of the Liberal/Progressive Obama agenda… I would be angry beyond belief if I were Benjamin Netanyahu … Obama, well his actions speak, and not very well for him…
This is a perfect spot to embed that side-by-side of Obama and Bibi at the same age.
Found here.
Ouch!
I believe that O made his speech the day before N came was very cruel of him and he acts like a bully. Again he insulted N and seeing O sitting there with a disgusting look on his face shows that if he doesn’t get his way he is going to take his hissy fit. I have never seen a president show his feelings like that.
Obama wrote in his own book about his close association with Rashid and Mona Khalidi. When serving on the board of the Woods Foundation, Obama, and his friend, William Ayers, made sure that Khalidi’s group, the Arab-American Action Network, received two grants totally $75,000 for the A-AAN’s oral history project on “an-Nakba – the great “catastrope of Israel’s founding.” In return, Khalidi, an anti-Jew/anit-Israel Muslim, held a 2000 fundraiser for Obama when he was running for the Senate.
Obama made his “Palestinian” speech while Netanyahu was on a plane headed for the U.S. It was a “gotcha” moment, and Obama, once again, showed what a little man he is. He wanted to get out in front of Bibi. End of story. But make no mistake, Obama’s loyality has never been with the Jews or Israel. Look at the friends he surrounded himself with, friends that the MFM chose to ignore. All PRO Palestine.
I have no confidence that American Jews will come out of their stupor of supporting Obama simply because he has a [D] behind his name. Democrats, as a whole, save Joe Lieberman, have traditionally be anti-Israel. That should tell you something.
@retire05:
And even with his radical past, including relationships with known anti-israel and anti-jewish figures, Obama still garnered a huge amount of jewish votes in the 2008 election. So yeah, I agree with you. I don’t have any confidence that the jewish within America will vote against Obama either.
@johngalt: Ed Koch made his feelings known.
http://www.newsmax.com/InsideCover/EdKoch-Jewishvote-BarackObama/2011/05/20/id/397141