For years now it has been clear that Barack Obama is unusually hostile to the state of Israel and unusually sympathetic to or admiring of anti-Semites such as Rashid Khalidi. Indeed, Obama’s numerous associations with people of anti-Jewish or radically anti-Zionist bent are beyond worrisome; they are an affont. One would think that a president wanting to dispel an impression of hostility toward Jews and Israel would be sure not to appoint as Secretary of Defense or Secretary of State a person with a long public record of insulting Jews, belittling Israel, and even refusing to condemn or act against anti-Semitic terrorist organizations such as Hezbollah or against anti-Semitic terrorist states such as Iran.
For such a president, then, to nominate such a man, in this case former U.S. Sen. Chuck Hagel, to be Secretary of Defense, is for the president to shout from the rooftops that he cares not a whit for the concerns that his own actions and attitudes have raised.
Chuck Hagel is a despicable choice for the Pentagon post. Barack Obama is despicable for having made such a choice.
Does that prove that Obama himself is anti-Zionist or, worse, anti-Semitic? No.
But, combined with Obama’s long record, it certainly makes it legitimate to raise the question.
