Obama aide sorry for dad's Arab "smear"

More than a week after his father made a rather inopportune comment that was denounced by human rights groups as an "unacceptable smear," Rahm Emanuel, President-elect Barack Obama's new chief-of-staff, has apologized.

In a phone call to the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, Emanuel distanced himself from his dad's words.

“From the fullness of my heart, I personally apologize on behalf of my family and me," Emanuel told the ADC. "These are not the values upon which I was raised or those of my family.”

Emanuel's appointment upset some in the Middle East who fear that Obama's new gatekeeper and White House alter-ego will be unquestioning in his support for questionable Israeli policies.

And his dad's comments only aggravated things.

"Obviously he will influence the president to be pro-Israel," Dr. Benjamin Emanuel was quoted as saying. "Why wouldn't he be? What is he, an Arab? He's not going to clean the floors of the White House."

The ADC formally called on Emanuel to repudiate his dad.

"One can readily imagine the justifiable outcry if someone made a similar remark about African‐Americans, Jews, or Hispanics, concerning cleaning the floors of the White House," ADC President Mary Rose Oakar wrote to Emanuel. "Do the normal standards of decency and civility not apply when talking about Arabs?"

The issue caught the attention of various bloggers and, at first, Emanuel's Congressional office sought to dismiss the call for an apology with a non-responsive statement.

"When it comes to Israel's security and America's partnership with Israel, President-elect Obama doesn't need Rahm Emanuel," his office told Time Magazine. "President-elect Obama's commitment to Israel is steadfast and unwavering."

But now Emanuel has issued a public apology and is trying to move on.

“We cannot allow Arabs and Muslims to be portrayed in these unacceptable terms," Oakar said. "I welcome Rahm’s apology and his pledge to meet with our community."

Comments

[Asher]

"Emanuel's appointment upset some in the Middle East who fear that Obama's new gatekeeper and White House alter-ego will be unquestioning in his support for questionable Israeli policies."

What about the unquestionable Israeli policies? Are there none? Self-defense? Proper historical understanding of the original Mandate of Palestine (or better yet, the "National Homeland for the Jews")?

In other words, Dion, does Israel ever get the benefit of doubt? Because most of her detractors consider her whole being as illegitimate, and being part of "stolen Arab land".

Heck, just read your own posters' opinions. I guess if one promotes the idea that the Jews have a 3000 year old relationship with the land upon which rests the modern State of Israel then one is being a propagandist. As opposed to preaching war and shooting missiles and filming a man in a bunny suit beating the crap out of a Yid on Arab TV.

Education gets us out of this mess, not sound bites or half-truth one liners; and we, as the world, have a long way to go.