Rather, since the Iraq War, critics of the Bush Administration’s policies have been promiscuously throwing the term “Likudnik” around to describe any person of Jewish origin who happens to disagree with their views and is generally perceived as “right-wing.” This has included plenty of “dual loyalty by association” arguments, including, for example discussing which Bush Administration Jewish officials married women of Israeli origin, have Israeli relatives, or other Israeli connections. By contrast, liberals who ave such connections will be exempted from such arguments because they are liberals, and certainly won’t be called “Likudniks.”
Some folks aren’t all that subtle, take left wing pacifist (who seems unbothered Arab aggression against the West) Helena Cobban in assessing the appointment of Rahm Emanuel as president-elect Obama’s chief of staff:
There is a good question as to whether anyone occupying such a sensitive position in Washington ought to also hold the citizenship of a foreign country– or whether, in the circumstances, Rahm Emanuel should lay down his foreign citizenship.
How could president elect Obama counteract the nefarious designs of his Zionist chief of staff?
Hey, how about my old Oxford class-mate– and natural-born US citizen– Dr. Rashid Khalidi for one of those posts?
Yes, like Arafat’s former spokesman would have America’s best interests in mind.
My objection to Emanuel is not his stand on Israel. Given the president-elect’s past associations, I find it encouraging that he would place his administration’s policy in the hands of someone who put himself on the line for an ally in 1991. But the folks who seem most upset that someone pro-Israel would have any say in an Obama administration are Sen. Obama’s more extreme supporters on the left, who have few inhibitions about tossing around charges of dual loyalty.
More thoughts on Rahm Emanuel from Daled Amos.
UPDATE: Looking at the list of potential Secretaries of State for president elect Obama, Mere Rhetoric doesn’t think that Cobban and her fellow travelers need worry that Rep. Emanuel will put Israel ahead of Democratic party interests. One name not mentioned in that list is Dennis Ross, who was last seen virtually applying for the job. If Kerry gets the nod, how will Martin Peretz handle it?
Crossposted on Soccer Dad.
