Is He Or Isn’t He?
- 02.01.2008 - 2:31 PMThe Robert Malley mystery deepens. Yesterday Marty Peretz wrote:
There are all kinds of spooky rumors that a man named Robert Malley is one of Obama’s advisers, specifically his Middle East adviser. His name comes up mysteriously and intrusively on the web, like the ads for Viagra. Malley, who has written several deceitful articles in The New York Review of Books, is a rabid hater of Israel. No question about it. But Malley is not and has never been a Middle East adviser to Barack Obama.
But also yesterday, confirming previous reports in the Washington Post and Newsweek, the Politico reported:
An Obama spokesman, Tommy Vietor, says, “Rob Malley has no day-to-day advisory role in the Obama campaign. He is among many people who has given his advice to the campaign. The actual day-to-day Middle East advisor is Dan Shapiro.”
Is it possible here that someone misled Marty Peretz about Malley’s involvement in the campaign? Or is Marty just being perhaps a bit too clever in saying that “Malley is not and has never been a Middle East adviser to Barack Obama”? (Emphasis added.)
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February 1st, 2008 at 2:51 PM
Looking at the whole of Obama’s foreign policy team, official and unofficial, it’s clear that he harbors at the very least an animus toward Israel, and most clearly an animus towards American friends of Israel. Malley, Power, Rice et al… the list is long and we’ve learned quite a lot about them lately, none of it good.
I don’t care what he’s said in front of AIPAC or to this group or that group, look at his team and it tells you all you need to know. Dan Shapiro, for instance, was Sen. Bill Nelson’s legislative director and in charge of Jewish outreach when the Senator decided to go visit Little Assad and undermine US policy toward Syria. The Senator reported that Bashir wants good relations and isn’t bent on Israel’s destruction . Wow, what a relief! So either Shapiro is your typical left-wing Jew who thinks all will be well if only Israel gives back the Golan, or he’s ineffective — take your pick.
Let’s hear from this Dan Shapiro: is he the author of this Obama quote: “nobody is suffering more than the Palestinian people” or the brains behind Obama not mentioning Israel as one of America’s top allies at a debate last year in South Carolina? As readers of Contentions know, these are not isolated gaffes, but rather a pattern of the Senator’s “even-handed” approach to Israel.
February 1st, 2008 at 2:53 PM
“Is it possible here that someone misled Marty Peretz”
Marty Peretz misled himself. This has been going on for a long time. He is a strident Democratic Party partisan who at the end of the day—lies to himself. The sad thing is that many other people have essentially shrugged their shoulders and concluded “Things can’t be too bad within the Democratic Party. After all, Marty Peretz tells us not to worry.” Oh well, this embarrassing incident should dispel that myth. It is now abundantly clear that Peretz does not have a firm handle on these matters. Anything he says from here on end should be taken with a huge grain of salt.
Everyone should read the brilliant essay by Joseph Epstein entitled “The Man on Whom Everything Was Lost” about Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. In many respects, it also indirectly deals with other Harvard University denizens like Marty Peretz.
February 1st, 2008 at 3:00 PM
I don’t know what’s up with Peretz. Four years ago he didn’t let his partisanship influence his choice. And as Thomas Lifson noted, last month Peretz himself was raising red flags about Malley.
February 1st, 2008 at 3:22 PM
“And as Thomas Lifson noted, last month Peretz himself was raising red flags about Malley.”
You have right to your own opinions—but not your own facts. Marty Peretz is currently ignoring the long list of Israel haters advising Barak Obama. I read his most recent article in TNR. He did not even mention Samantha Power. When everything is said and done, Obama’s advisors indulge in mealy mouth Israel hating. They believe the Palestinians are victims of Israeli oppression. Furthermore, these individuals contend that Israel dominates American policy in the Middle East.
February 1st, 2008 at 3:37 PM
“You have right to your own opinions—but not your own facts.”
This is a false charge and I apologize. Soccer Dad’s facts are indeed very accurate.
February 1st, 2008 at 3:58 PM
The Palestinians are the victims of Israeli oppression, as well as their own horrible leadership and Arab hypocrisy.
“Dominates” may be too strong, but uncritical supporters of Israel do have undue influence over American policy in the Middle East.
February 1st, 2008 at 4:41 PM
Grumpy, show us how the Palestinians are victims of Israeli oppression. Show us how they have ever been victims of Israeli aggression! The Israelis were de facto gone from the territories since ‘93, and have been physically gone from Gaza for two years. The PA runs their own show in the West Bank, as they have for 14 years now. Israel steps in when terrorists run amok over the Green Line, and only then.
As for ‘uncritical supporters of Israel’ having undue influence over American Mideast policy, please: if this were so then the last four years of Bush and Rice going back on one commitment after another made in the first term, culminating in the Annapolis farce, would never have happened. Your Mearsheimer-Walt impression needs an update. The only one uncritical around here is the grumpy old man on his grumpy old computer.
February 1st, 2008 at 5:05 PM
Pay no heed to Grumpy. He is a two trick pony: Israel too oppressive; American Jews too influential. ZZzzzzzzz
February 22nd, 2008 at 11:31 PM
Obama’s spokesman’s, Tommy Vietor, replied [re. Malley as an Obama advisor] , “Rob Malley has no day-to-day advisory role in the Obama campaign. He is among many people who has given his advice to the campaign.” I would like to give those lines to Jackie Mason. They would be, “Well, he is not exactly an advisor. He’s just hangs around cause he has no place to go during the day. He isn’t here every day, just on Thursdays after we leave the office. We don’t call him. He calls us. When he calls, we don’t answer. The last time he was in a meeting, he just brought the prune danish.” It would be funny if it weren’t so scary. Obama listed Malley’s name as his advisor. It doesn’t matter if he calls every day. This evasive coy language is more dangerous than plagiarized phrases.