Yes, that would seem to be an understatement.
BTW, Flashy, if I remember correctly, you seemed a bit critical of Obama because you were concerned with how he would deal with Israel and the issues there. How do you feel now with his choice of Chief of Staff?
well, just because one selects a jew as chief of staff does not mean everything will be peachy keen-if you know what i mean :smile:
what concerns me most is the doublespeak, to AIPAC (emanuel went with him to that speech)
"Jerusalem will remain the capital of Israel, and it must remain undivided."
and then the very next day there was a bit o a uturn...he left himself some wiggle room, but told AIPAC exactly what they wanted to hear.
But i will wait to see what he does before judging him.
As for Rahm Emanuel, well, when Israel is your middle name you should be pretty pre-disposed to supporting the country you are named after if for nothing else than not to appear self-contradictory by default :smile:
Considering it was he who choreographed the Rabin-Arafat Handshake that sealed Oslo on the HWite HOuse Lawn, i am not really to optimistic about how is views towards Israel will take shape, especially since he was a member of the Clinton team, who i feel did some things that put Israel very much at risk with regards to its dealings with Arafat and the PLO/PA
So far Emanuel is not someone that i have a problem with, but alot of what occurs will obviously have to do with who Obama appoints as Secretary of State. Chief of Staff, is a very powerful position, but so is State, and most times, The State Department has its own way of doing things, that can cause tension on a staff.
Frankly, IMO, there are more pressing issues then the Israeli/Palestinian problem.
Like the economy, IRaq, Afghanistan, then Iran
i seriously doubt the peace process will move forward very much at all with the current situation in Gaza with Hamas and the leadership split.
it is a mess, as usual. I doubt Obama will be able to solve it any more than anyone else was, and it is not the most pressing issue on america's mind (IMO).