The Company Senator Obama Keeps

National Review Online: When It Comes To The Jewish Vote, Actions Speak Louder Than Words

(National Review Online)  This column was written by Sabrina Leigh Schaeffer.

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In 2004, President Bush and the Republican Party made significant inroads with the Jewish community. Bush won 24 percent of the Jewish vote - up from 19 percent in 2000 - primarily as a result of his staunch commitment to Israel.

Four years later, it looks as though the Jewish vote is again up for grabs. Or, so says a recent Gallup poll, which revealed that in a contest between senators Obama and McCain, nearly a third of the Jewish vote would go to the Republican.

Senator Obama has sailed through this primary season in the wind of his words. That’s not to say he hasn’t encountered some rough seas, but his success has largely been a function of style, not substance. And when it comes to seeking Jewish support, he appears to be saying all the right things.

Since his days in the Illinois state senate he has referred to himself as a “stalwart” supporter of Israel. He has been outspoken about Israel’s right to defend itself and the importance of preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. According to the Obama ’08 issue paper on Israel, the senator believes “Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state should never be challenged.”

During a recent interview with The Atlantic blogger Jeffrey Goldberg, Obama offered all the right responses. “My position on Hamas is indistinguishable from the position of Hillary Clinton or John McCain,” he told Goldberg. “I said they are a terrorist organization and I’ve repeatedly condemned them. I’ve repeatedly said, and I mean what I say: Since they are a terrorist organization, we should not be dealing with them until they recognize Israel, renounce terrorism, and abide by previous agreements.”

And if what he has said about Israel isn’t sufficient, Obama reminded Jewish voters of the profound effect Jewish culture - especially Jewish literary culture - has had on him. “I always joke that my intellectual formation was through Jewish scholars and writers,” he explained. “Whether it was theologians or Philip Roth who helped shape my sensibility, or some of the more popular writers like Leon Uris.” Obama connects with the Jewish community by drawing comparisons between their experiences and his own.

But with the Democratic nomination all but secured, Jewish voters are likely to start thinking less about the senator’s speeches and more about the company he keeps. As the last two elections reveal, when it comes to the Jewish vote, actions speak louder than words.

While Reverend Wright’s anti-American and anti-Semitic ravings captured the attention of the public for weeks, it’s simply his theatrics that appear to make him the most repellant of Obama’s friends. The senator has tried to dismiss Wright as a “crazy uncle,” but if you take a closer look at the crowd the senator runs with, it appears he has a whole lot of crazy relatives to disinvite from dinner.

It was widely circulated that Wright supported - and even publicly commended - radical black Muslim leader Louis Farrakhan. Yet little has been said about Sen. Obama’s relationship with Rev. Michael Pfleger, a Catholic pastor at St. Sabina, also on the South Side of Chicago. In 2004, Obama told the Chicago Sun Times that Pfleger was one of his three spiritual mentors.

Pfleger’s name became more widely recognizable two years ago when Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich appointed a Farrakhan aide to serve on a hate-crimes commission. When the appointee, Sister Claudette, refused to denounce Farrakhan’s racist and anti-Semitic remarks, three Jewish members on the commission resigned - a situation that prompted Pfleger to respond, “good riddance.”

No less reprehensible than Reverends Wright and Pfleger is the Obama campaign’s national co-chairman, retired Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Merrill “Tony” McPeak, who has made numerous anti-Semitic and anti-Israel comments. While the general has a long blame-Israel-first record, the most repugnant remark came during a 2003 interview, when he blamed the Jewish-American community for the failure of the peace process between Israel and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.

Despite calls on Senator Obama to remove McPeak as a key adviser, the general continues to serve on the campaign.

Obama’s support among radicals in the Palestinian community - and even from Ahmed Yousef of Hamas - has not gone unnoticed. In fact, in 2003 Obama helped honor Rashid Khalidi, a well-known critic of Israel and advocate of Palestinian rights, at a celebration where anti-Israel poetry was read and the United States was sharply criticized.

That evening, Obama told guests stories about his long relationship with the Khalidis, the meals he had shared with Rashid and his wife, Mona, and the effect they had had on his political thinking.

Last month, another concerning relationship came to light between the Obamas and Hatem El-Hady, former chairman of the Toledo-based Islamic organization Kindhearts for Charitable Human Development - a group shut down in 2006 for raising money for Hamas. Until recently, El-Hady had a personal website on the official Obama campaign site and Michelle Obama was listed as one of El-Hady’s three “friends.”

Perhaps the most alarming Obama relationship - and the one his campaign can do the least about - is the marriage of Barack Obama to his wife, Michelle. As women tend to take the lead in directing household religious affairs, children’s education, and community involvement, it is likely - as Christopher Hitchens suggests - Michelle Obama is the reason Wright married the couple, baptized their children, became a recipient of their donations, and remained their spiritual mentor for two decades.

The Obama campaign continues to stress that the senator is open to understanding multiple points of view, even if he doesn’t agree with them. But, after a while, the crowd you run with starts to say a lot about your own perspective.

In the aftermath of President Bush’s speech to the Israeli Knesset on their 60th anniversary, Obama hopes he can yet again demonstrate his support for Israel simply by saying the right thing. In a statement the Obama campaign issued immediately following the speech, he said, “George Bush knows that I have never supported engagement with terrorists, and the president's extraordinary politicization of foreign policy and the politics of fear do nothing to secure the American people or our stalwart ally Israel."

The fact is the Jewish community has heard all of these words before.

Obama’s style may win him the Democratic nomination, but as we head into the general election he would be wise to start thinking about changing course. Because in this election, the company he keeps just might be enough to take the wind out of his sails.

[joyous88]

Obama will get my unless, he starts hanging out

with greed driven conservatives like GW Bush and

John McBushSame,

who would vote republicon after the last twelve years?

Conservatives are not necessarily ignorant,

but most ignorant people are conservative.

[joyous88]

truthyness can not be blocked out because he works

for the right wing conservative LIE machine,

he has the blessing of this conservative rag

[it_oldtimer]

Please report truthyness for spamming the comments sections - the link is "+ report abuse" right below his name.

Get this obnoxious little kiddie banned so the grownups can argue ;-)

[patriot12436]

truthyness
Why don''t you get a life you ***.

[patriot12436]

truthyness
Just like i thought another idiot thqat wants to run their mouth but doesn''t have the guts to back up anything they say.

[patriot12436]

truthyness
I ask you again what is your problem telling me to get over myself. After reading your comments on line all i see is you calling everyone names. Maybe you need to get over yourself.

[patriot12436]

krenz4
Oh yes, i fully understand now why he had to associat himself with a racist churck, reverand, black panthers, farakhan, renzko, jackson, and michelle. It was all very necessary to obtain coalitions. Oh and i also believe Elvis is alive and well and playing the strip in Vegas.

[joyous88]

well, at least he is not hanging out with the likes

of george bush and john McSame, than I would start to

worry about his character,

as it is, as long as he stears away from the GREED

DRIVEN REPUBLICONS he has my respect

[noloyalisti]

Remember that Obama is just as white as he is black. I also hope the NRO and the rest of the mainstained war-profiteering media will cause as big a fuss over mcBush''s pastor friends. They make Reverend Wright seem very tame and sane.

[krenz4]

Any intelligent person with half an idea of how local politics and community service works will know that in his work with the lowest rungs of society in chicago, that Obama has met, worked with and served with all kinds of people..some good, some bad, some crooked. These are the kinds of people that you are required to associate with when you are trying to form coalitions or raise funds on the poor side of time.All kinds of lowlifes are around,showing their ''philanthropic'' side for all kinds of reasons. It doesnt surprise me a bit that Obama knows people like those that have been paraded in front of the press. A good community organizer gets around and knows a LOT of people..has served on a lot of committees with a LOT of people. Just because he knows and has associated with them does not mean he shares their life philosophy or their political views and it does not make him dirty. I appreciate that he was working to better the world at a time when other people in his place would have been making their first million.

[peachfuzzy60]

I am an AVID worker/backer of change! Not change, just to rearrange things. I know in my heart and mind that this country and its path have been WRONG! The Cheney/Bush regime has put arrogance, corperate greed, environmental responsability and a myriad of other issues in freefall. Corperate welfare, ceo saleries off the charts, jobs outsourced! This Bush administration will battle the history books for the worst presidency. J. Harding must be giving a sigh of relief somewhere. In reference to this article by the National Review It is obvious The Review is anti Obama! All one has to do is peruse back articles and current, to see that! Senator Obama is 46 yrs young and has mixed with all different types of thinking people. Mr. Obama is willing and ABLE to see beyond his own personal agenda and those of his cronies. I appreciate the fact that Senator Obama has availed himself to the different experiences of different people. This displays a willingness to look at life multidemisional, as we know it often is. I will continue to volunteer and speak, write highly of Senator Obama! I by the way , am a Texas Democrat. Ya`ll may have forgotten we STILL exist and now we are coming back in very, very large numbers! 2009 will be the beginning of a great, new and historically first biracial president of the United States!

[peachfuzzy60]

I am an AVID worker/backer of change! Not change, just to rearrange things. I know in my heart and mind that this country and its path have been WRONG! The Cheney/Bush regime has put arrogance, corperate greed, environmental responsability and a myriad of other issues in freefall. Corperate welfare, ceo saleries off the charts, jobs outsourced! This Bush administration will battle the history books for the worst presidency. J. Harding must be giving a sigh of relief somewhere. In reference to this article by the National Review It is obvious The Review is anti Obama! All one has to do is peruse back articles and current, to see that! Senator Obama is 46 yrs young and has mixed with all different types of thinking people. Mr. Obama is willing and ABLE to see beyond his own personal agenda and those of his cronies. I appreciate the fact that Senator Obama has availed himself to the different experiences of different people. This displays a willingne

[peachfuzzy60]

I am an AVID worker/backer of change! Not change, just to rearrange things. I know in my heart and mind that this country and its path have been WRONG! The Cheney/Bush regime has put arrogance, corperate greed, environmental responsability and a myriad of other issues in freefall. Corperate welfare, ceo saleries off the charts, jobs outsourced! This Bush administration will battle the history books for the worst presidency. J. Harding must be giving a sigh of relief somewhere. In reference to this article by the National Review It is obvious The Review is anti Obama! All one has to do is peruse back articles and current, to see that! Senator Obama is 46 yrs young and has mixed with all different types of thinking people. Mr. Obama is willing and ABLE to see beyond his own personal agenda and those of his cronies. I appreciate the fact that Senator Obama has availed himself to the different experiences of different people. This displays a willingne

[peachfuzzy60]

I am an AVID worker/backer of change! Not change, just to rearrange things. I know in my heart and mind that this country and its path have been WRONG! The Cheney/Bush regime has put arrogance, corperate greed, environmental responsability and a myriad of other issues in freefall. Corperate welfare, ceo saleries off the charts, jobs outsourced! This Bush administration will battle the history books for the worst presidency. J. Harding must be giving a sigh of relief somewhere. In reference to this article by the National Review It is obvious The Review is anti Obama! All one has to do is peruse back articles and current, to see that! Senator Obama is 46 yrs young and has mixed with all different types of thinking people. Mr. Obama is willing and ABLE to see beyond his own personal agenda and those of his cronies. I appreciate the fact that Senator Obama has availed himself to the different experiences of different people. This displays a willingness to look at life multidemisional, as we know it often is. I will continue to volunteer and speak, write highly of Senator Obama! I by the way , am a Texas Democrat. Ya`ll may have forgotten we STILL exist and now we are coming back in very, very large numbers! 2009 will be the beginning of a great, new and historically first biracial president of the United States!

''The Obama campaign continues to stress that the senator is open to understanding multiple points of view, even if he doesn%u2019t agree with them. But, after a while, the crowd you run with starts to say a lot about your own perspective.'' Actually, he seems to be nothing more or less than the consummate Chicago politician. He dips into each well of influence, power and money as needed to further his political career. He associates with those who can do him the most good at any given moment in pursuit of whatever fairly approximates his goal de jour. He could hardly wear a flag pin in the pews of Rev. Wright; yet the pews of Rev. Wright is where the black Chicago upwardly mobile politician has to sit. Currying favor with real estate moguls to acquire "adequate" housing might also entail frequenting with powerful people whose dark pasts could become a future burden, but if you want the "nest" you have to frequent the branch. So he flatters the audiences with "inside" info about their supposed influence on his thought processes, that makes them feel important and worthwhile and he hasn''t committed a thing in the process. It''s called "working the farm." Don''t worry so much about his being from the "dark side;" once you''ve listened to a "Checker''s Speech," you no longer have any illusions whatsoever about any politician.

[andylance1]

In another month or two, we will all know a lot more about Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Park, the prince of darkness and closet advocate of black liberation theology and Marxism.

[patriot12436]

b

[oldone60]

Barack Obama - Endorsed by our Enemies

[bluestardad]

OBAMA HOLD TRUE!

DONT SELL OUT TO THE MIDDLE EAST COUNTRIES!

KEEP AMERICA FIRST!

SEND THE MIDDLE EAST LOBBIEST BACK TO THEIR HOME COUNTRIES IN BAGS!

AMERICA STAND UP OR SHUT UP!

[greeneyes222]

The fact that Bush has been wrong on so much doesn''t automatically make Obama "right."

I was far more open to the Democrats in the last congressional elections. Having now seen the performance of Pelosi, Reed, Kennedy, Dean, et al in action, that door of hope has closed.

This far into an election process I should have a clearer understanding of what Obama stands for on issues not just the buzzword "change." Instead he''s still just a pretty face, and his actions are the same old tired politics, with the same sad cast of characters. He''s running a very Bush-like campaign, if you stop to look at it.

Surely we learned something about vague promises the last time around. I don''t care who it is, the company you keep matters, your record (or lack of one) matters, and real issues matter. To all the candidates: Put up or shut up.