Tuesday, January 05, 2010

"Harridan Hannah" Gets Backing

The woman Jeffrey Goldberg noted as 'dopey' (*) did manage to get backing for her criticism of Israel Ambassador Michael Oren:

The U.S. State Department expressed its "complete support" for its anti-Semitism envoy and encouraged "broad dialogue" toward Israeli-Palestinian peace.

A statement Monday from the State Department said it would not add comment to a controversy that erupted in the last weeks of December when Hannah Rosenthal criticized Michael Oren, the Israeli ambassador, for snubbing the dovish lobbying group J Street.

However, the statement went on, "Special Envoy Rosenthal has the complete support of the department. As a matter of longstanding policy the United States has supported a peaceful solution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. To that end the U.S.. government encourages broad dialogue among responsible partners for peace.."

...Separately, Rosenthal's predecessor, Gregg Rickman, has slammed her for her remarks about Oren.

"Ms. Rosenthal's criticisms of Ambassador Oren strike a chord particularly because this is not her policy portfolio to advocate," said Rickman, who served in the Bush adminsitration, in an opinion piece on The Cutting Edge News Web site. "She is supposed to fight anti-Semitism, not defend J-Street, an organization on whose Advisory Board she formally sat before her appointment to the State Department."


Maybe she isn't as 'dopey' as one would think.

But then, maybe the Obama Administration sharpies are.

_________________

(*)

And I don't think anyone has accused Rosenthal of being anti-Semitic. Dopey, yes, but anti-Semitic?



har·ri·dan
n.
A woman regarded as scolding and vicious.

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