Obama, Jackson, Israel and Bad Habits

At a recent appearance in France, Jesse Jackson apparently lit off some fireworks by claiming that American relations with Israel would get a bit more chilly under an Obama presidency.

Barack Obama’s campaign stepped in quickly Tuesday to distance itself from a claim by the Rev. Jesse Jackson that “Zionists” would lose clout under an Obama administration.

The move was the latest chapter in what appears to be a protracted falling-out between the two Chicago figures — each of whom represents a different age of political activism.

Jackson made the remarks to the World Policy Forum in France last week, according to The New York Post. The civil rights activist reportedly said that “Zionists who have controlled American policy for decades” would lose some of their influence with Obama in the White House, and that “decades of putting Israel’s interests first” would come to a close.

There are two aspects to this story which I would ask you to consider. The first is relatively quick and easy. It comes in the form of the question, “Does Jesse Jackson speak for the Obama campaign?” By now I think we can safely answer that question with a resounding No. David Axelrod was on television this morning letting an interviewer know that the last time Jackson actually spoke with Obama was the day he apologized to the Illinois Senator for offering to do some elective surgery on Barack’s nether regions. He is not giving foreign policy advice to Obama and won’t be informing his future decisions.

The more disturbing point illustrated by this is the continued “conventional wisdom” on the part of both parties (as much as the Republicans will protest this claim) that there is simply no alternative to this stance. It seems to still be a given that the so called “Zionist movement” in America is unshakable for reasons of political necessity. We still live in a 21st century world where Americans scratch their heads and ask, “Why does so much of the Islamic world hate us? Why were we attacked on 9/11? How did we come to be the enemy?” And in this same world, a significant majority of these same people are unwilling to openly declare that the answer to those questions can, in large part, be found in our unwavering propping up of Israel. And, in truth, there needs to come a point where any country which generates so many declarations of their “right to exist” needs to reach the stage where they prove that right to exist by doing so on their own two feet.

I’m not advocating a total abandonment of Israel by the United States, but the time has long since come for an open, honest discussion of how well America’s interests are being served by current policy and what our long term position should be. Perhaps Jesse Jackson has spoken out of turn for Obama, but brought up a question we should have been addressing more during this campaign.