Obama's Right Wing Critics: Take a Chill Pill

President Barack Obama's right wing critics in the Jewish community need to take a chill pill. Jewish Republicans continue to look for any sign that the President is somehow anti-Israel. This week is no exception, as Matt Brooks of the Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) called on Obama "to disclose the role that Jimmy Carter has in his administration as an advisor on Middle East policy." Rumor has it that the President is busy in Europe, so I'll take this opportunity to answer RJC's question: Carter is not an advisor on Middle East policy to this administration.

This shouldn't be a surprise to anyone, including Matt Brooks. In fact, last August Carter's views on Israel kept him from addressing the DNC convention in Denver. The Forward reported, "Former president Jimmy Carter's controversial views on Israel cost him a place on the podium at the Democratic Party convention in late August, senior Democratic operatives acknowledged to the Forward." Furthermore, Obama's steadfast support for Israel throughout the campaign and during the first months of his presidency shows that our nation's Middle East policy differs greatly from what Carter advocates.

The continually hysterical critics of the president from within the Jewish community are out of touch with the views of the vast majority of American Jews. Brooks's statement, "The Jewish community is rightly concerned about how the Obama administration will relate to Israel," is clearly not true. According to the latest poll of the Jewish community, 76% "believe that the President supports Israel."

It is sad that former President Jimmy Carter has become so hostile towards Israel, but the fact that Obama would meet with a former president who brokered peace between Israel and Egypt should be no surprise. I'd be shocked if he refused to meet with Carter or any other previous U.S. president for that matter.

Some Jewish Republicans will never be happy with anything this president does regarding Israel. Every action will be seen as another mystical sign of this administration's desertion of Israel. Ira N. Forman, Executive Director of the National Jewish Democratic Council, calls these types of people, "nattering nabobs of negativism."

These nattering nabobs of negativism injure the long standing bi-partisan consensus on Israel for pure political gain. You would think that these fear mongerers would feel some degree of shame over their ridiculous charges ... Even if the Democrats nominated Golda Meir for the Presidential ticket they would charge that she was insufficiently pro-Israel.

One day, I hope that these nattering nabobs stop their inane political agenda and acknowledge the reality that this administration is strongly pro-Israel. Seriously, do Republican Jews think it benefits Israel to constantly challenge the President's clear indications of his supportive feelings towards Israel? They should take a chill pill, give the President a break and give him a chance to prove the sincerity of his views.

Comments

[tompoe]

Obama or anyone who still believes Israel is anything other than a an extremist government that needs a serious lesson in humility and human rights is downright delusional. The entire world jewish population is in jeopardy, because of the atrocious policies of Israel.

[Romeover]

President Carter isn't hostile toward Israel. He's hostile toward racism, bigotry, and injustice.

[mommadona]

Please answer a question I've asked before...

IF these people are so wedded to Israel, why aren't they THERE?
How can they have dual fealty to two separate nations and still consider their perspective valid?

The nation of Israel is now the nation of Zionism.

Sad, but true.
And it only took 60 years to ruin a very good idea.

[derekcruise]

LOL

if Islamists who are so wedded to sharia, Muslim supremacy, and America being the great Satan are so wedded to hatred and intolerance why don't they go back to Saudi Arabia, Iran, Syria, Gaza Egypt and the Pakistan..­..

Whoopsee

Those and many other of the 57 Islamic countries have been around for more than 60 years --- and they turned out to be a pretty bad idea - unless you think honor killings, terror, hatred, oppression of LGBT, public hanging gay teens, gender apartheid, attacks on religous and ethnic minorities, massive government corruption, inhumane poverty and massive refuggee problems such as in Sudan are OK.

On the other hand we do need to learn to respect "other cultures"