Political Insider

Thursday, June 18th, 2009

Over at Foreign Policy, the diligent Laura Rozen has an interesting blog item on Barack Obama’s Jimmy Carter problem.

Rozen cites a Fox News report that the former president will press the administration to take Hamas off the U.S. terrorist list; whether or not the report is true, it’s not news this administration wants to hear as it walks multiple tightropes in its intensifying Middle East diplomacy.

Tuesday, June 16th, 2009

Well, it’s looking like Dennis Ross, the longtime U.S. Mideast peace negotiator now ensconced at the State Department with a nebulous role overseeing U.S. Iran policy, isn’t getting bounced from the administration after all, as an Israeli newspaper reported over the weekend.

On the contrary: numerous reports now suggest Ross will soon move over to the White House, where he will continue working on  Iran matters – and serve as a key adviser to none less than President Barack Obama.

Tuesday, June 16th, 2009

Thursday, June 4th, 2009

There will be plenty of commentaries about President Obama’s speech to the Islamic world in Cairo today, and Jewish groups were weighing in even before he finished speaking.  There was lots of meat to chew on, and the Jewish world is going to sate its appetite on the stuff for a long time.

Despite Obama’s strong and unequivocal statement against settlements, it was the first time an Arab and Muslim audience heard a strongly pro-Israel speech from a major leader.

Wednesday, June 3rd, 2009

Will President Barack Obama face big trouble in Congress if he continues putting the squeeze on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the issue of Jewish settlements – and if Bibi continues to resist?

Sunday, May 31st, 2009

The political insider is back from vacation, but even the shores of Tuscany weren’t far enough away to block out a faint buzz about President Barack Obama’s upcoming speech to the Muslim world, scheduled for next Thursday in Cairo.

Thursday, May 29th, 2008

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Curtis Sliwa isn’t Jewish. But you’d be hard pressed to find a more passionate defender of Israel and just about any other Jewish cause. And he’s probably been the guest of honor at more Jewish institution dinners than many a Jewish politician.

Wednesday, May 27th, 2009

Surprising few, Rep. Anthony Weiner today ended speculation that he may enter the New York mayoral race, declaring in a New York Times Op-Ed that he is focused on making a difference in Washington, while likening a campaign against billionaire Mayor Michael Bloomberg to facing off a football team of 110 players with only ten teammates at his side.

Thursday, May 21st, 2009

There’d better not be any hot political news until June 1, because the Political Insider is taking a break. See you on the other side!