Jennifer, it is indeed a “sigh” of relief, but not a full breath of fresh air. President-elect Obama has shown a proclivity for allowing all voices to be heard, all points of views to be shared and an open ear for centrist worldviews to be “balanced” by leftist extremism.
Similarly, he has allowed the wisdom of full and unfettered support for Israel to be tainted by the stench of the Walt and Mearsheimer crowd, as well as some flaming and virulent antagonists who are even more despicable than Walt and Mearsheimer to infect his inner circle.
Malley, McPeak, Brzezinski, Bonior, Kurtzer, Samantha Power, Anthony Lake, Susan Rice, …even Jim Jones…all have shown tendencies toward the kneejerk blamefest of “Zionist influence” to creep into their worldview.
This is keeping out of the equation the lunatic fringe elements of Farrakhan, Wright, Pfleger, Ayers, Khalidi, the late Edward Said, …and the possible connections with Khalid al Mansour…or the dropping of nefarious hints by Jesse Jackson in France.
Sen. Clinton and Rahm Emanuel certainly give voice and conviction to a pro-Israel worldview and some hope for consistency in our loyalty to a precious ally and friend in the region.
But, it does not eliminate the wafting stench of the Walt and Mearsheimer crowd that simply does not blow away the ill winds they bring by the “sighs” produced by these two appointments.
What it does show, is what appeared at the Harvard Law Review, a willingness to listen to any and ALL voices. Which means, in summary…that we still don’t know what we have never known…because the entrenched media seems to have much more interest in gossip than serious reporting.
The tank and tingle approach to “investigative” reporting leaves us wondering and waiting for the implementation of policies that are as potentially ephemeral as the “divorcing” from the campaign and “unofficial” advisory status of Malley, Power…and Brzezinski. They were not so much thrown under the bus, as they apparently were stowed in the baggage area on its bottom sides. Can Wright, Farrakhan and Pfleger be far behind?
For my purposes, I am less enthralled by appointments as the titular department heads as I am in sausage grinding that takes place in the workaday middle ground of these agencies. The show horses vs. the plow horses…I watch the plow horses every time.
Perhaps there is much to “sigh” about. We shall see.
