From the org chart that Podesta ** is getting passed around this morning: John Kerry, Richard Holbrooke, Chuck Hagel, Sam Nunn, Colin Powell. Sam Nunn is the one who doesn’t really fit so I assume he’s just there in case Obama needs to appease Iran very, very quickly. The rest of them are inclined to link Israel to the entire breadth and depth of Middle East instability – as is Obama himself. Kerry’s solution is to send Baker and Carter to coerce Israeli concessions while Holbrooke’s solution is to put “more pressure on Israel.” The last time Powell was Secretary of State the nicest thing the Israeli government could say was “well sure he’s biased against us – but honestly, what else do you expect from the State Department?”
And Chuck Hagel? Really? I was going to write “not just appoint Walt and Mearsheimer and make it official?” But that doesn’t really work because Walt and Mearsheimer are at least polite enough to use the nudge-wink phrase “the Israel Lobby.” Hagel drops the pretense and openly rants about “the Jewish Lobby.” That’s who he’s trying to demonize anyway so why not be explicit about it? I wonder where Secretary of State Hagel fits into Jeffrey Goldberg’s obnoxious rant about the “Obama paranoia” of Americans who support the US-Israel alliance.
And I wonder why they took James Jones off the list. Does he need a little more time to finish his “it’s all Israel’s fault” paper trail for the State Department?
** Correction: The chart isn’t Podesta’s. It’s “making the rounds in Washington tonight… though [Washington Whispers'] source would not reveal the actual source of the document.” Thanks to MR reader EN for the heads up.
References:
* Al Gore, Colin Powell, Caroline Kennedy in Obama’s Administration? [Washington Whispers / USNews]
* Obama, the Palestinians, and the Middle East [Commentary]
* That Settles That [MR]
* That Depends On What Your Definition of “Safe” Is [MR]
* Who’s In Charge Here? [MR]
* Does Chuck Hagel command your confidence? [Powerline]
* Obama Shill Tells Jews To Get Over Their “Obama Paranoia” [MR]
* State Department: How About An Unbiased, Totally Objective International Force In The West Bank? [MR]
Previously:
* Arab Foreign Policy Experts: Obama’s "Islamic Family Roots" Will Make The Muslim World Like Us (Plus: Obama State Dept Going Pretty Much How You’d Expect)
* Great News: Arctic Melting Promises New Resources, Geopolitical Disaster (Plus: Dems Killing Our Nuclear Deterrent)
* Syria: On Second Thought, We’re Gonna Wait A Few More Months Before Talking About A Peace Deal (UPDATED AND BUMPED: Assad Convinced By Malley Not Brzezinski?)
