Rahm Emanuel and Arab Perceptions

On November 5th, my office sent an email to tens of thousands of our members and contacts congratulating President-elect Barack Obama. In our message, we noted the historic transformation his victory represented and commended the thousands of Arab Americans who participated in this winning campaign.

The initial and near universal response was heartwarming, with many sharing moving anecdotes of their campaign experiences, their reactions to the victory, and their hopes for change.

One day and one announcement later, the tide turned.

With the naming of Congressman Rahm Emanuel as Obama's White House Chief of Staff, for some, not all, the euphoria turned to despair. The emails and calls to my office were both troubled and troubling -- because much of the reaction was based on misinformation and because of what the entire episode revealed about the larger political dynamics involved.

First, the facts.

Rahm Emanuel is a brilliant strategist and a practitioner of hard-ball politics who, in campaigns, his time in the Clinton White House and more recently in Congress, has demonstrated that he knows how to get a job done. Because there will be critical legislation the President-elect will need to move through Congress, from an economic recovery package and health care reform to a comprehensive approach to alternative energy, Obama has tapped Emanuel for his proven political skills. It is that simple.

This, of course, was neither the content nor the concerns raised by the emails I received. Some charged that Emanuel was an Israeli citizen or a dual U.S.-Israeli national (he is neither, he was born in Chicago in 1959); or, they alleged that he served in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), losing his finger confronting a Syrian tank during the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon (he did not serve in the IDF, and lost his finger in a freak accident while working as a teenager in an Arby's restaurant). A few accused Emanuel of skipping U.S. military service to join the IDF in 1991 (also not true -- in the midst of the 1991 Gulf War, while U.S. forces were manning Patriot missile batteries in Israel and the Arab Gulf, Emanuel volunteered for a few weeks, as a civilian, doing maintenance on Israeli vehicles). The most recent story alleges that Rahm Emanuel was fired from the White House in 1998 after being implicated by the FBI, together with Monica Lewinsky, in a Mossad plot to spy on then-President Clinton (a total fabrication, compliments of a shady character who claims to have been a U.S. intelligence official and is a purveyor of many bizarre tales).

That stories such as these have been circulating, and have taken hold, is as reprehensible as the "Barack Obama is a secret Muslim/Manchurian candidate" tale, or the anti-Arab anti-Muslim canards to which I and many of my colleagues have been subjected over the years.

Putting aside the fiction or, more accurately, the slanderous myths, the truth is that Emanuel is an effective leader in Congress. He is a strong supporter of Israel. But then, how many members of Congress are not?

Emanuel is Jewish and his father is an Israeli. Arab Americans should be especially sensitive to attacks on anyone based on religion or ethnicity. He has worked closely with and is liked by the Arab American Members of Congress from both parties, and he was the architect of the 1993 White House lawn signing ceremony for the Oslo Accords that brought Arab Americans and American Jews together. When, in 1994, Rahm accepted my invitation to a luncheon with Arab American community leaders, those who met him were impressed by his openness and honesty.

Beyond these facts, however, there are two concerns that must be addressed.

It is deeply troubling how quickly, for some, the excitement of Barack Obama's victory was eclipsed by cynicism and suspicion, and how receptive some were to wild tales. This could only occur, on one level, because the victory itself was not understood. If it had been, the excitement would have been tempered by an appreciation of political realities.

Obama's victory, no doubt, demonstrated that change is possible -- but incremental change. Pressures remain, from the right and the left and interest groups of all sorts continue to have influence, limiting political options. The economy is in a free-fall and, after eight years of Bush neglect and recklessness, dangers abound in the world. An Obama victory doesn't alter those realities, either. And so our excitement was justified, but our euphoria should never have taken us so high as to lose our grounding and understanding of the limits of what is possible.

My concern is that, for some, the need for change became so great as make them susceptible to wild swings -- from unrealistic expectations to unwarranted despair and, therefore, to become prone to believe the worst.

But the fault here should be shared. I am concerned by the slowness of the Obama camp to respond more quickly or effectively to address the situation. Modern political operations have learned the need to confront false stories, to manage perception, and to anticipate problems -- and, here, the Obama team had been especially masterful.

During the campaign, for example, they repeatedly demonstrated how tuned-in they were to public perception -- and in particular to matters that might have created discomfort in the Jewish community. They knew that these stories needed to be shot down quickly. (American Muslims understood much of this, despite feeling slighted, at times.) But in this most recent instance, the Obama camp displayed both inattentiveness and tone-deafness to Arab misperceptions about who Rahm Emanuel is, and what role he will play. (Aside from the flap over the comments made by Rahm's father, for which Rahm, himself, has now profoundly apologized.) As a result, the situation festered.

The campaign is now over, and the President-elect is playing on a world stage with more than one audience at stake. And in the Middle East, especially, sensitivities are as great and (perceived) sleights are felt as acutely as they are among any people in the world. With feelings having been rubbed raw by decades of U.S. policy miscues, and with U.S. favorability ratings at all-time lows, and extremists preying off resentment and fear - perceptions matter.

If we are to succeed in making changes in U.S.-Arab relations -- and I believe that an Obama administration can -- greater attentiveness and sensitivity is in order.

Bottom line -- there are lessons to learn and work to be done. Arabs and Arab Americans need to ground their expectations in political realities and be wary of slanderous attacks smacking of anti-Semitism, and U.S. political leadership must learn to be as attentive to Arab sensitivities as they are to the concerns of others.

Comments

[revrichard]

Mr. Zogby is an insider and a member of the elite club. He was co-opted several years ago by the Council On Foreign Relations (CFR) and has been a loyal member ever since. He has pushed for every political agenda that his masters and policy makers have requested him to do.
People in his position have to support their masters' agenda to maintain their lifestyle, and the little power they think they have.
Zogby will support Ariel Sharon if he was to come back from his vegetative state and be appointed in the Obama administration.
Mr. Zogby does not speak for Arab-Americans, but speaks only for himself as a representative of his masters.

[californiadreamer]

although there are a majority of Israelis who are willing to trade land for peace, it is important to note that some land is not going to be returned and one factor involved in that refusal is the need for a continuous water supply. there are also financial reasons behnd the strong congressional support for Israel. They buy a great deal of arms and munitions from US companies. Of couse the US government provides the Israel government with billions of dollars but there are stipulations on how it may be spent. There may be 100 years separating the two events but the extinction of the American Native peoples and the expulsion of Palestians from their lands have significant similarities.

[Semper]

I for one, am delighted that Obama picked Rahm Emanuel as his chief of staff. Look Obama to most people is considered a very smart President. He also knows talent, and Emanuel fits the bill. Obama is very serious about change. That means picking talent and qualified talent at that, not friends to hold positions in his administration. The bring this conversation down to a general level, lets consider this team building like football. You build from top, to bottom. You want some experienced players, some young players, all smart players, you need cheerleaders, and it must be diverse. You need different points of view and you must alway be reading your public. Keep you eye on the ball, and don't get complacent. This country has so much talent, but it has been wasted during the last 8 years. We need smart government, and we have not had one for a very long time. With Obama there will be no mediocrity. Its about time.

[Moncar]

My thanks and admiration to Mr. Zogby for these comments. Surely, he's aware they will evoke criticism from some of those he's been for so long an advocate. Although, being a supportyer of Israel, I generally in disagree with him, this article's heartfelt honesty and decency - particularly when read in light of his career of supporting the Palestinian people while opposing much of Israeli policy - is an exhilirating lesson in what's best about American ideals.

However, it's sad and disappointing to read through these comments and find so many of them regurgitating the same themes of hate and prejudice Mr. Zogby so logically and beautifully refutes. The ony thing more saddening and disappointing is knowing variations of the same slurs would be coming from Zionists if and when Obama appoints a pro-Palestinan.

[Readbetweentheelevens]

"Rahm didn't volunteer in the (IDF) Israeli military, he went to Israel as a civillian to do maintenance on military vehicles for a few weeks. Big difference."

A very big difference for those who parse words. The fact is that America and Americans were involved in a war at the time. Why not volunteer to serve the American army? I'm wondering if you bothered to read Mr. Zogby's blog?

"American citizens volunteer all over the world and no one cares."

Indeed they do, but do they volunteer to be part of the war effort all over the world? You might want to take a step back and examine your own efforts at concealing this obvious prejudice. It's this pre-judgment that concerns some people. Rahm's father insults the entire Arab world and somehow that makes the Arab world idiots? 60 years of war is too long. Eventually everyone will realize it.

[EyeInTheSky]

Apologists, the article and a good bit of the comments as well. Jews can be as objective as anyone in dealing with the Middle East, Arabs and Arab-Americans?:

Emanuel Apologizes for Father’s Israel Comments

Incoming White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel has apologized for his father’s comments about how Emanuel will influence Obama’s policies toward Israel. In an interview with an Israeli newspaper last week, Benjamin Emanuel said, “Obviously he will influence the president to be pro-Israel. Why wouldn’t he be? What is he, an Arab? He’s not going to clean the floors of the White House.” In a letter to the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, the younger Emanuel apologized on behalf of his family and said he would meet with the group at a later date.

Yeah, I'm sure Emmanuel and the very powerful Israeli lobbying forces in the gvmnt. will be "objective". The problem is exacerbated by the fact that ANY criticism of Israel's policies, ethnic cleansing, land grabbing and atrocities is quickly and viciously attacked as Anti-Semitic; like the Republicans and 9-11 the last seven years that old narrative is as good as gold and scares everyone from speaking out.

[reliant1]

Well, no one needs to worry that RE will influence PE Obama re: Israel.

PE Obama is a long established friend and supporter of Israel and has no need of support from anyone else.

Sometimes I wonder - whatever happened to "manifest destiny".

[californiadreamer]

Emanuel's father's comments are troubling. There is a definite racist tone and also an implied sense of moral superiority. Although Israel is a small country surrounded by a larger Arab population in many countries, they are very strong militarily and have proven to be fierce fighters. I do not know if it is this perceived threat which is the cause, but I have been struck by the number of Israelis and American Jews, for that matter, who are quite nonchalant in their prejudicial perceptions of Arabs as somehow less evolved, more inferior. I wonder if it is a need to de-humanize your enemy to justify his extinction. Certainly that occured in the holocaust. As for Manifest Destiny....wasn't that an excuse and justification for the extermination and relocation of millions of Native American tribes and cultures who happened to be in the way of colonial expansion?

[reliant1]

Readbetwee­ntheeleven­s "Why would a US citizen (who is not an Israeli citizen or has renounced his Israeli citizenship) volunteer for military service in Israel rather than the US? Is this typical conduct for American citizens?"

Yes, this is typical conduct for an American.

Spanish Civil War (1936-39), 2,800 American volunteers took up arms.

and in Israel

There were perhaps 500 Americans in the Israeli army (not including a similar number that served in the air force and a handful in Israel's small navy).

Since most were veterans with combat experience in World War II, they provided military expertise that, in many cases, the Israelis lacked. Some brought this expertise to armor, artillery, medicine, nursing and vehicular maintenance and repair. A military specialty such as driving, which would have been common in the U.S., was greatly needed in Israel, since few Palestinian Jews had cars and virtually none of the survivors of the death camps in Europe, now pouring into Israeli ranks, had ever been behind the steering wheel of a vehicle.

http://israelvets.com/forty_killed.html
http://israelvets.com/gref_roster_aliyahbet_us_alphabetical.php

The South African Jewish community sent 801 volunteers to Israel for the 6 day war.

Once upon a time citizens of Europe came to America to aid in our revolution.

[Justtellthetruth]

The term "normal" is associated with the AVERAGE behavior. 2800 (example 1) out of hundreds of millions is NOT average US behavior, or even remotely close. 500 is, by definition, even less so.

SO, no, this is not normal behavior. It may have happened, but it still does not come CLOSE to being norma, nor is it something that most people would condone out of hand.

Those who came from Europe were under the direction of their respective governments, such as the French. This is Completely different than someone who, of their own volition, decides to go to aid a foreign military as opposed to their own.

Furthermore, to the best of my knowedge, NONE of the people you cite ever held high federal office, and if they did, the question of a conflict of interest should be raised regardless of which country they went to fight for.

All of that being said, I hope Rahm Emanuel plays the good soldier, even when Obama starts to work to dismantle the settlements and the Occuaption that protect them. If he undermines those efforts, as Dennis Ross did in several administrations, He is doing BOTH nations a disservice.

[lerock]

Interesting how a 25 year old became such a great fund raiser for the Democrat party, back when.
Some connections heh.

[Intelligentia]

Obama cannot ignore the best qualified candidate for a job simply because he is a Jew or of any other religion for that matter. A Jew can be as objective as anyone in dealing with Arab-Isreali issues. The most important thing is that Mr. Obama will make the final decision on Arab-Isreali issues. Whether his Chief of Staff is a Jew, Muslim or whatever (take your pick), the most important thing is fairness. Afterall, the Bush family has been in bed with Arabs for a long time, should Jews and Isrealis be worried that Arab influence would drive the Bush White house. It is not Obama's duty to quash the rumor, it is the duty of the Arab community, which Mr. Zogby is doing with this article. No matter Obama's choice, you will have someone dissatisfied. Therefore, we will just wait and see what happens. Don't second guess the man before he is even sworn in. Most importantly, there is more to American foreign policy than Arab-Isreali conflict. Heck, I'm waiting to see when a Black African "immigrant" citizen will be named to a meaningful Cabinet position to help solve conflicts in Africa, which, in my view, is as important as the Arab-Isreali conflict!

[Cogitoe]

Mr. Emmanuel is no doubt one of the cleverest and effective campaign managers of our age, but does Obama really want a Rovian character pushing his agenda in Washington. Surely this debt of gratitude can be rewarded in other ways. It will be tough enough executing a bold agenda of change in a bipartisan manner without the world's most partisan attack dog circling the sheep.

[reliant1]

Given that PE Obama has been been friends with RE for many years the answer to your question as posed must be - yes.

No one is paying a debt to RE, he was chosen exactly because of who he is and PE Obama's faith in his ability to herd the liberal Dems into working form. His bona fides as a bi-partisan are well established.

PE Obama knows exactly who his friend is, what his beliefs are, his strengths and weaknesses are and how he will work for him. Obviously he wants him in this position. This was a personal choice. Those who find it unsettling must not have been paying attention or were hoping PE Obama wasn't really who he said he was.

[Skye]

"Why would a US citizen (who is not an Israeli citizen or has renounced his Israeli citizenship) volunteer for military service in Israel rather than the US? There are missing details in the story. Are there any pictures of Rahm with grease on his face and a wrench in hand? Is this typical conduct for American citizens"?


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Did you even bother to read Mr Zogby's blog? Rahm didn't volunteer in the (IDF) Israeli military, he went to Israel as a civillian to do maintenance on military vehicles for a few weeks. Big difference. Israel was being attacked by scud missiles at the time and we weren't so perhaps that's why he felt the need to go there.

American citizens volunteer all over the world and no one cares. Except when it's s a Jew volunteering in Israel. Then OMG. Why is it when a Jewish American volunteers in Israel, it automatically makes him a Zionist /Israel firster/ member of the Mossad etc....... with a secret agenda.

This hysteria about Rahm is so over the top. Once again it's as bad as the yahoo idiots who thought Obama hung out with terrorists and who were freaking out because his father was a Muslim.

[rmm4402]

Unfortunately this will probably dog our new President as long as Emanuel is COS.

President-Elect Obama appealed to such a broad range of people that some are bound to be disappointed.

[Skeptic6]

I agree with the spirit of Mr. Zogby's piece, and I'm hoping that Rahm will help Barack achieve great things.

Regarding the Lewinsky Caper, I have read lately that Lewinsky's statements to the Office of Independent Counsel indicated that she had been told by Clinton that he believed the White House phones were tapped, and apparently suggested that Mossad had something to do with it. I think Wayne Madsen reports that.

Hoping for the best.

[GZLives]

"Clinton that he believed the White House phones were tapped, and apparently suggested that Mossad had something to do with it. I think Wayne Madsen reports that."

Oh please ... more misinformation spread on Huf Po ...
How lame and speaks directly to Zogby's point.
Its disgusting - anti Jewish and anti Arab and does nothing to further peace and co existence.
All it does is further suspicion and mistrust which is what we Americans have just voted to try and get beyond.

Get real Skeptic ... Mossad isn't tapping any phones in the WhiteHouse or do you really think that little of US security?

[Zyzzygowski]

Why would your office send an email to tens of thousands of your members and contacts congratulating President-elect Barack Obama?

Why wouldn't your members and contacts (and you) send emails congratulating Pres Elect Obama?

And, yes I agree that all rumors and untruths should be shot down immediately. Though it is a little bit unfair to assume that all rumors and untruths have made their way to Pres Elect Obama's ears.

[Zyzzygowski]

CORRECTION

Why wouldn't your members and contacts (and you) send emails to Pres Elect Obama congratulating him?

[CATO90025]

Mr. Zogby--

I think this is a brilliant piece of political writing--much like Swift's "Modest Proposal".

Well played!

[trucap]

so sad that you mr. cato still living in the 6th century environment. wake up and enjoy the light of the 21st century.....this call not only for you but to your friend zahar too.

[CATO90025]

As an educated American--­WASP/WASC-­-I have no idea what your doggerel means.

Let me disabuse you--this article is patently--and ironically disingenuo­us--ironic in the more permissive sense.

Either that or Comverse,Verint et aliae, have juice on Zogby.