New title: Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for the Central Region (i.e. Pakistan to Morocco, and everything in between)
The rumors had been floating around since Dennis Ross moved into the White House last week. At the time, officials refused to give any details of his new assignment, but it was clear his role had changed and that he was the latest addition to the National Security Council. He used to report to Secretary Clinton; now he will be reporting directly to Barack Obama. Looking back to last year’s AIPAC convention, one can see why that is not a good thing.
But it’s done – Ross has moved up a notch. Whether or not the former special adviser on Iran was sidelined at the State Department seems irrelevant now – he has arguably become the closest Mideast adviser to the president.
This is bad news for all of us who care about Palestine and the general well-being of the “central region” Ross will be overseeing. Afterall, he is little more than an Israeli henchman, someone who has no business dealing with crucial foreign policy areas like Iran and the Middle East, not now. While various pundits and media outlets have credited him with orchestrating Washington’s new policy on Iran, he really doesn’t seem to have done very much at all. Nevertheless, Ross is well regarded among the political elite in this country. Early on in the transition process, there were concerns that he’d end up with a senior position in the administration. It took some time and some unusual circumstances, but that is what has ultimately happened.
According to certain senior administration officials, Obama has not been satisfied with his National Security Adviser and he wanted “a recognized strategist in the political and diplomatic sphere” with long-term vision. Either the president truly believes Ross is the man for the job, or there is a money trail that leads straight to supporters of Israel. Whatever the truth is, it all seems very sad.
If anyone actually believes that Dennis Ross can have a positive impact on US foreign policy, I’d be very curious to hear why…
Related posts:
- Your Turn Mr. Ross…
- Obama appoints Dennis Ross as top Mideast envoy
- Iran: Israel’s Satan
- A Glimmer of Hope or Something Temporary?
- D*ck Cheney f*cking with QuiQui’s plans to backpack Iran next summer
I don't know who you were hoping for? Noam Chomsky maybe? lol.
Sorry, Kalash, but Dennis Ross is about as good as it's gonna get when it comes to Palestinian issues. That's always been his focus, and it indicates (in my opinion) that Obama is serious about trying to get something done with Israel/Palestine.
Posted by programmer craig | June 26, 2009, 7:42 amI hope that Obama goes head to head with this Anti-Justice, Anti-Peace, Israeli-lobbying Ignoramus.
Life, progress, and success (as we see in this case) are all about connections: it's not WHAT you know, but WHO you know. He has some powerful hook-ups.
But even if Obama wanted to castrate the Israel lobby from the government, it would be an operation he would not be able to win. You create a monster and you let it run out of control, it brings about the creators' and everyone else's death.
Death to the Israel Lobby in American Politics. Dirty Zionist money will only get one thing: MISERY!
The key to Israel's security leads through Jerusalem. Unfortunately, they are too hardheaded and stubborn and greedy to give it up.
Posted by Sami | June 26, 2009, 3:30 pmHave you read his new book on Iran? I admit, I haven't read all of it, but the bits that I have read make me feel like he should be nowhere near politics at all. It's full of the same shit that got us into Iraq
Posted by Shafiq | June 26, 2009, 10:34 pmRoss Belongs in jail, Not Government
Posted by ThorsProvoni | June 26, 2009, 8:42 amRoss Belongs in jail, Not Government
Posted by ThorsProvoni | June 26, 2009, 8:42 amHe is, above all else, useless. No one – not one person – I have ever known in State has respected him. We'll have to see, he's been floating around theoretically in charge of this and that but none of his views have been reflected in actual policy. And this is a guy who just recently wrote an entire book on his ridiculous Iran views, but none of that has been reflected in what the Administration has done. There's been theorizing that he's just deliberately getting his ego stroke to appease the Zionut crowd but that his views never make it into policy. This will be the ultimate test. Is Obama putting him there to keep a lid on him and cover his right flank, or is this gonna turn into more useless/harmful Dennis Ross rubbish policy? If the former (even though I won't get my hopes up too high), it could be a brilliant tactical move.
Posted by Jamal | June 26, 2009, 12:42 pmI hope your right Jamal, but putting Ross in this new position gives him a higher rooftop from which to spout his bullshit.
Posted by Super Sayyin | June 26, 2009, 4:35 pmIs Obama putting him there to keep a lid on him and cover his right flank…
Right flank? I'm confused. Ross first rose to prominence in the Clinton Administration. The Clintons are democrats. He was absent from the political scene during Bush's 8 years in office. Now, Obama has brought him back. Obama is also a democrat. Holbrooke is in the same situation. Former bigshot with the Clintons, absent during Bush's 8 years, now a prominent player on Obama's team.
Are you talking about the "right" of the democratic party? Because, that's still the left lol.
Posted by programmer craig | June 26, 2009, 9:47 pm