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Four comments on the situation By Yoel Marcus Tags: Ehud Olmert, Condoleezza Rice  1. In the first episodes of the television series "24," a black actor played the president of the United States. Most viewers probably thought that a black president was something that could only happen in the movies. When a young black senator with a winning baritone from Chicago, Barack Obama, showed up out of nowhere this year to dance on the stages of the Democratic primaries and compete against Hillary Clinton for the presidential nomination, people once again thought this was no serious matter. Occasionally in presidential elections, some clown turns up in the race, starting out and ending up as a joke. This time, however, the 47-year-old man won over his audiences. The more he climbed in the polls, the more I thought he was likely to be assassinated sooner or later. America still has its share of black-haters, an abundance of rednecks who will never allow a black man to enter the White House. Clinton herself made a misstep when she mentioned the murder of Bobby Kennedy, but was quick to apologize for fear that her words might have been construed as an invitation to assassinate. If Obama is elected, he will be the most heavily guarded president America has ever had. The question of how this turnabout came to be will be the subject of many books. The superficial explanation is that most voters have had enough of dynasties - the Kennedys, the Clintons and the Bushes; that the black and Hispanic minorities in America, who are rapidly becoming a majority, have become increasingly bitter; and that there is a strong current in the American public calling for change and protesting the conservatism and evangelism the Bush family stood for. Revolutions are caused by processes. If Obama is elected and Hillary is his vice president - a black man and a woman in the White House - it will be a different America. Advertisement 2. And now for the eternal question: is Obama good for the Jews? Obama is not pro-Israel, but he is also not anti-Israel. He simply has yet to go through the assembly line of pro-Jewish cliches. Both Bill Clinton, the governor of Arkansas in 1992, and George W. Bush, the governor of Texas in 2000 (as well as his father before him), were hardly filled with pro-Israel feeling when they were elected; both ended up as distinct friends of Israel. In his speech before AIPAC, Obama said the sentimental words we like to hear about Jerusalem, but the view from the junior senator's office in Chicago is nothing like the view from the White House. One can assume that once in office, Obama's approach will be less cliched and sentimental toward Israel, and more balanced toward Islam, and therefore perhaps more efficient for a just resolution of the conflict. 3. Ehud Olmert is apparently ending his career in his kind of high style. Bush, his friend, set him up in Blair House, the president's official guest residence. After the recent renovations, Blair House is still not exactly the Ritz in Paris, but it still has everything Olmert likes, from an ultra-luxurious suite to butlers around every corner, and of course cigar boxes always within easy reach. Bush was originally a close friend of Ariel Sharon's. To Olmert's credit, he managed to win Bush over, too. They have spoken freely about everything. And I'm not sure whether in a private conversation, without Condoleezza Rice, who comes down on Olmert like fire and brimstone, that the president did not scold, actually scold, Olmert for failing to remove the illegal settlements. With one failure after another in the war against the "axis of evil," with the bloody war in Iraq a fiasco and Bush finishing his presidency with lower ratings than even Richard Nixon when he was booted out of the Oval Office, he and Olmert can do little but help each other out in the twilight of their reigns. If reports that Olmert is pushing Bush to attack Iran as the grand finale of his presidency are true, this is a serious mistake, and hopefully one that Bush will resist. It is not clear whether such an attack can wipe out the nuclear capability concealed in dozens, if not hundreds, of sites, but it is clear that we will pay the price. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said this week in Rome that the response to any attack on Iran will be a strike at the heart of Israel. Bush and Olmert have a common fate - both are losing the support of their colleagues. They would best leave the Iranian threat to the president and prime minister who succeed them. 4. Is there any chance that an Obama-style leader might suddenly turn up in Israel? Surprising, young, fresh, vibrant and charismatic? Actually, we've already had one of those: Benjamin Netanyahu. With the same fiery ambition as Obama, he emerged suddenly from New York to conquer the Likud party and the prime minister's seat at age 47, the same age as Obama. Sadly, Netanyahu came, saw, won but then fumbled as a leader and suffered a shameful defeat. The desire for change still exists, especially in these embarrassing days. Unfortunately, we have a political system that can identify Obamas early on and crush them when they are still small. Bookmark to del.icio.us   Obama goes white A new advertisement reminds Americans to consider the real issues when voting Sarah Palin hits a nerve The antipathy to Palin is located at the intersection of feminism and Jewish identity   1.   Good news 18:46  |  Choni Davidowitz 06/06/08   2.   Obama is good for Israel 18:48  |  Tosefta 06/06/08   3.   On Obama 19:23  |  MichaelF 06/06/08   4.   Haaretz, Think Before You Publish! 19:38  |  Boaz (Shalom) 06/06/08   5.   Obama: Pro-Israel or Anti-Israel? 19:43  |  Boaz (Shalom) 06/06/08   6.   Obama`s simplistic reasoning 20:00  |  Boris 06/06/08   7.   #1 is worng: Obama gets Jews & Israel 20:35  |  steve 06/06/08   8.   Obama yesterday (Thursday) 22:12  |  Rachel Stevens 06/06/08   9.   tosefta 10:15  |  scallywag 07/06/08   10.   to Boaz #5 10:28  |  zeev 07/06/08   11.   Cause and effect - $150 oil 16:06  |  TimothyL 07/06/08   12.   politicians can change quickly 21:57  |  saul a. readner 07/06/08   13.   Trouble is...Obama is... 22:34  |  Michael Greenberg 04/11/08   14.   Obama gets Jews & Israel more than McCain! 00:47  |  Shlomo 05/11/08   15.   4 points on #13 01:39  |  Shmuelshachor 05/11/08   16.   Bad for Israel and Bad for the USA 11:58  |  Jeremy 05/11/08

Read & React Bradley Burston: For Republicans, 2 words of advice and comfort Responses: 106 Barack Obama: Change has come to America Responses: 93 35 Qassams hit west Negev, day after deadly Gaza raids Responses: 136 Editorial: U.S. election is example of democracy at its best Responses: 45 Aluf Benn: Advice for Obama Responses: 5 Arab commentators want to be able to admire America again Responses: 30 More Headlines 09:32 Obama tells cheering, weeping victory throng 'We are one people' 11:55 Hamas vows to maintain truce, as 35 Qassams hit west Negev 11:24 ANALYSIS / It's safe to assume that Obama won't abandon Israel 11:56 Livni: Israel expects strong U.S. friendship to go on with Obama 10:01 For Republicans, two words of advice and comfort 09:31 Jerusalem worried about effect of Obama win on U.S. relations with Iran 05:31 Arab commentators want to be able to admire America again 05:35 EDITORIAL / U.S. election is example of democracy at its best 07:56 Favorite TV moments from the 2008 U.S. presidential campaign 01:50 On Rabin anniversary, Ben-Eliezer says 'next political murder is around the corner' 23:28 McCain turns black and Obama goes white to focus voters on the issues 18:27 Israel's UN envoy: Dangerous words, like Ahmadinejad's, sparked the Holocaust 22:24 Peres to join Saudi King on interfaith panel for first time 23:52 ANALYSIS / So is Obama a danger to Israel after all? Previous Editions Select Day 04 nov 03 nov 02 nov 31 oct 30 oct 29 oct 28 oct 27 oct 26 oct 24 oct 23 oct 22 oct

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