Haaretz has a great piece suggesting that Rahm Emanuel may actually help the U.S. interest because unlike some Jewish power-predecessors, he's not secretly guilty about never having gone off and served in Israel and thereby doesn't need to serve Israel in the White House by deferring to rightwing religious generals. Haaretz:
Rahm Emanuel was selected for his political skills and experience, not
his background. But he is still unabashedly Jewish in every way, doing
nothing to hide his family and personal ties to Israel.
He
served as an Israel Defense Forces volunteer not once, but twice.
Despite this, during the 1998 Wye Plantation talks, the Israeli
delegation was more wary of him than any other member of President
Clinton's staff.
His knowledge of Hebrew and appreciation of
the Israeli psyche enabled him to advise his boss on just how to handle
the recalcitrant Israelis. The Israeli media has been speculating that
therefore his appointment might not be that good for Israel's
interests.
But the reality is much simpler. Emanuel is the new
American Jew. Comfortable in his identity, his loyalty is to his
homeland, and naturally to his own career in its service. And as a Jew,
he loves Israel and isn't ashamed of that.
