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Go Home Rahm The Dove?

THE PLANK JUNE 9, 2009

Rahm The Dove?

So says Newsweek:

Emanuel's status as a near-native son gave some Israelis and Jews
the impression he would be their guy on the Obama team—the pro-Israeli
with the receptive ear. He had those golden Zionist credentials, after
all: His father, Benjamin, had been a member of the Irgun, the
right-wing Jewish militia that existed before Israeli independence. His
Uncle Emanuel had been killed in a skirmish with Arabs back in the
'30s, prompting the family to change its name from Auerbach to honor
him. But some in the Jewish community have been disappointed. Even his
own rabbi, Asher Lopatin, has doubts about his absent congregant.
"There is a lot of disappointment," says Lopatin, who presides over the
Modern Orthodox Anshe Sholom B'nai Israel Congregation in Chicago. "In
some ways there was a heightened expectation because Rahm is so
connected to Israel and the Jewish community. Instead what we've seen
is more of the tough Rahm Emanuel. Not the warm Rahm."

And here's a good detail:

 Leaks from meetings Emanuel has had with Jewish leaders since January
suggest his role is to nudge the Israelis toward a more accommodating
stance on the issue of a Palestinian state and negotiations with Iran.
Emanuel begins his meetings with Jewish leaders with a warning: if
anything leaks, he says, according to several participants in such
gatherings, neither he nor anyone else in the White House will ever
speak to the leaders again.

--Michael Crowley

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23 comments

from noodge to nudgenik

- teplukhin2you

June 9, 2009 at 12:16pm

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WTF is that supposed to mean, tep?

- tomeg

June 9, 2009 at 12:32pm

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Asher Lopatin is not what you may think from the above: he's a young, energetic rabbi whose congregation is highly engaged in social justice issues (and one of the few local synagogues who has made any noise about Darfur).  

- Lymon1

June 9, 2009 at 12:35pm

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"In some ways there was a heightened expectation because Rahm is so connected to Israel and the Jewish community."

All the more reason for him to keep himself aloof, lest he be suspected of not being loyal enough to his boss. He is in an impossible position. Perhaps he did not realize the extent of Obama's anti-Israel position and is now quite stuck.  What can he possibly do that will not immediately boomerang? In the climate created by Mearsheimer & Walt, he cannot be seen to lean in favour of Israel.

______

"Emanuel begins his meetings with Jewish leaders with a warning: if anything leaks, he says, according to several participants in such gatherings, neither he nor anyone else in the White House will ever speak to the leaders again"

Do I take it then that after this leak, neither he nor anyone else in the White House will ever speak to the leaders again?

Does Obama's liaison with the A-A community also opens  with a similar warning?

- noga1

June 9, 2009 at 12:44pm

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actually, I'm not sure. Ask Seth Mnookin, or Knute the Bear

- teplukhin2you

June 9, 2009 at 12:44pm

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Netanyahu seems personally convinced that all this tough talk from the Obama Administration on settlements is because of Rahm. And to that I say: Good for Rahm. I have some family background in the Jewish pre-state underground myself, but it doesn't necessarily translate to contemporary hawkishness. Part of having the background that he does is that Rahm can call the Israelis on their bullsh*t. I love Israel with all my heart, but it doesn't mean that the Israeli government needs to be called out sometimes. In the same way that only Nixon could open relations with China, it's great to see Rahm thinking independently and pushing Netanyahu in the right direction.

- rozenson

June 9, 2009 at 12:58pm

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Bully for Rahm, I think it is great he is his own man and is willing to show he is. The idea that he is owned by his own ethnic group should be wrong, he should be owned by the best interests of the United States.

I don't care what the issue, no outside group should feel that they have privileged access. I, for one, don't believe that Rahm will sell out Israel and that he will act what he believes is in the best interests for all parties.

- blackton

June 9, 2009 at 1:01pm

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noga, why are you comparing Rahn's style with Obama's? They are not the same people, from what I have read Rahm is a pretty abrasive and tough guy, the hot to Obama's cool. Now you can call him a sob for his doing that, that is fine, but leave the comparisons aside.

I agree he should keep himself aloof, his primary loyalty is to the agenda the Democrats are trying to enact (of which he no doubt has tremendous influence regarding its direction). He is the Chief of Staff, he is not the head of a lobby, or a congressman.

And the idea that Obama has an anti-Israel policy is silly. He is opposed to expansion of settlements, which is a policy, a policy is not Israel. Obama and Rahm were opposed to tax cuts for the rich, that doesn't mean they are anti-rich (or as Republicans say, anti-American). You can disagree with his opposition to the expansion of settlements, but that is pretty thin gruel to call it anti-Israel.

As to me I am agnostic as to the expansion, as long as the properties are legally purchased from the prior owners I have no objections, provided that the people there are ready to accept that the properties they have purchased might be part of a future Palestinian state. Frankly, I am tired of people saying unless they agree 100% with them regarding Israel, they are anti-Israel.

It is not just you vs. Mearshimer, and that people must choose sides, there can be a diversity of opinions. Personally, I doubt anything will come from Obama's push for diplomacy, either for good or ill but he is entitled to make his push, and if Israel believes it is against its best interests, it can always say no.

- blackton

June 9, 2009 at 1:16pm

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Correction: I love Israel with all my heart, but it doesn't diminish the need for the Israeli government to be called out sometimes.

- rozenson

June 9, 2009 at 1:19pm

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rozenson, great post. I wanted to say something along those lines (minus that family background, natch) but couldn't find the words.

- blackton

June 9, 2009 at 1:22pm

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Likewise, blackton. Obama said one thing last year that really struck a chord with me: "In politics we don't nuance well, and we especially don't nuance well in the Middle East." I've always said to conservative supporters of Israel that the one thing they could do to hurt Israel's cause the most is to make support for Israel a one-party issue.

- rozenson

June 9, 2009 at 1:33pm

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I agree, blackie.  BTW, who's in charge of calling out the Palestinians? In the Cairo speech, I heard a lot about what the Israelis would be expected to do, but not much about what the Pals must do, beyond to stop killing innocents.  Necessary, but not sufficient.

- butchie b

June 9, 2009 at 1:38pm

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Bojangles is a tough little dude, no question, but his adventures in investment banking have gone unreported by his fawning friends in the sadsack media biz (Ryan Lizza's descent into cheerleader/arse-kisser is esp sad). $20m in a couple of years at Wasserstein Perella for pimping the Clinton donor list! $400k for a two-month no-show gig as a director of Fannie Mae, right when they were twisting the accounting rules into pretzels!

Which of Rahm's placees from Wasserstein days have received TARP sweetheart deals?

- teplukhin2you

June 9, 2009 at 1:42pm

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butchie, them not killing innocents would be sufficient for me (maybe not to make a peace treaty, but imagine no killing of innocents how great that would be)

- blackton

June 9, 2009 at 1:50pm

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"BTW, who's in charge of calling out the Palestinians?"

A fair point. There's plenty of self-criticism on the pro-Israel side, but I don't see much on the pro-Palestinian side -- least of all in the U.S.

- rozenson

June 9, 2009 at 1:54pm

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rozenson, blackton et al.:  In case you haven't received the memo from The Spine, anyone who opposes Israeli settlement in the entire West Bank (sorry, Judea and Samaria -- the Jordanians made up that whole "West Bank" name, you know) and can't shed copious tears for those who can't build an addition to their house in Maale Adumim because that would be prohibited without a "natural growth" exception is 100% anti-Israel, and is either a pure-bred Jew-hater who wants to see a second Iranian-made Holocaust or else is completely irresponsible and doesn't care a bit about the Jewish state and its people.  And, in case you were wondering, actually being Jewish, observant or having any friends, family or family background in Israel (pre-state or otherwise) gets you no points.

- wildboy

June 9, 2009 at 2:13pm

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I hear you, wildboy. Welcome to the "self-hating Jew" club.

- scrubbyoak

June 9, 2009 at 2:48pm

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Tep's constant posts about the moneybags members of the Obama administration are of a piece with his constant braying about Cheney and Halliburton and such back when they were in power.

Oh wait...

- mmathog

June 9, 2009 at 3:08pm

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I love the false dichotomies and strawmen, people keep using them, I guess they'll be with us forever.

- mmathog

June 9, 2009 at 3:09pm

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Yes, yes, mmathog, but who's agitating for more votes for the decent folk? Just whom is kidding who?

- teplukhin2you

June 9, 2009 at 3:31pm

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I'm pretty sure you're not kidding anyone, Tep.

- DC Spence

June 9, 2009 at 4:25pm

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Hey now, DC Spence -- tep's been kidding *himself* for quite some time! That counts!

- WoodyBombay

June 9, 2009 at 7:02pm

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tep, the normative grammatical construction, I believe, is "who is kidding whom?" (Not that it's crucial in order to understand what you're saying?)

- tomeg

June 10, 2009 at 2:24pm

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