You think the Obama campaign doesn't want Jesse Jackson to just shut up and go away? They're now putting out a fire after Jackson made some controversial remarks about an Obama administration and Israel. Read below from ABC News:
In yesterday's New York Post, conservative columnist Amir Taheri reported on an interview with Rev. Jesse Jackson in Evian, France, at the World Policy Forum.
Taheri wrote that Jackson "promised 'fundamental changes' in U.S. foreign policy - saying America must 'heal wounds' it has caused to other nations, revive its alliances and apologize for the 'arrogance of the Bush administration.' The most important change would occur in the Middle East, where 'decades of putting Israel's interests first' would end.
"Jackson believes that, although 'Zionists who have controlled American policy for decades' remain strong, they'll lose a great deal of their clout when Barack Obama enters the White House."
As my Jewish mother would say, "Oy-vey." Obama already has so many people critical of him on Israel the last thing he needs is a comment like that.
Read the Obama campaign response below from spokesman Wendy Morigi.
"Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. is not an adviser to the Obama campaign and is therefore in no position to interpret or share Barack Obama's views on Israel and foreign policy. As he has made clear throughout his career and throughout this campaign, Barack Obama has a fundamental commitment to a strong U.S.-Israel relationship, and he is advised by people like Dennis Ross, Daniel Kurtzer, Rep. Robert Wexler, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, and Senator Joe Biden who share that commitment. As President, he will ensure that Israel can defend itself from every threat it faces, stand with Israel in its quest for a secure peace with its neighbors, and use all elements of American power to end Iran's illicit nuclear program. No false charges can change Barack Obama's unshakeable commitment to Israel's security."