Does Obama Employ Nation of Islam Personnel In His Campaign?

At least one blog with some knowledge of those inside Obama’s campaign have had this to say:

Barack Hussain Obama represents Farrakhan’s residential neighborhood.  He does it for the votes. He employs some NOI people, and that’s that,or maybe that is not all of it.

By Debbie Schlussel – Copyright 2008

**** EXCLUSIVE: Must Cite Debbie Schlussel and/or DebbieSchlussel.com ****

Responding to criticism by Washington Post columnist Richard Cohen, Barack Obama declared his strong opposition to Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan:

I decry racism and anti-Semitism in every form and strongly condemn the anti-Semitic statements made by Minister Farrakhan.
Obama also went on to condemn his Church’s award to Farrakhan and his minister’s tight relationship with him.

But a former Obama insider says that Obama’s sudden aversion to NOI and Farrakhan is belied by the fact that Obama employed and continues to employ several Farrakhan acolytes in high positions on his Illinois and U.S. Senate campaign and office staffs. I have verified that this person–who agreed to talk on the condition of anonymity–held a key position in the Obama campaign. The insider was so close to Senator Obama that they frequently personally discussed and exchanged direct e-mail messages on campaign and policy matters. This person is not connected with the Clintons and is not a disgruntled employee.

Barack Hussein & Michelle Obama with Palestinian Activist, PLO/Arafat Advisor Edward Said @ Arab Fundraiser
(Photos From Electronic Intifada)
The insider says he frequently objected to Mr. Obama’s placement of Cynthia K. Miller, a member of the Nation of Islam, as the Treasurer of his U.S. Senate campaign. When I contacted Miller, now a Chicago real estate agent, to verify whether she was a member of the Nation of Islam and whether she shared Louis Farrakhan’s bigoted views about Jews, she responded, “None of your business! Where are you going with this?” She said her resignation as Obama’s treasurer had nothing to do with her Nation of Islam ties. Then, she hung up.

The Obama insider says he also objected to Obama’s involvement with Jennifer Mason, whom he says is also a member of the Nation of Islam. Mason is Obama’s Director of Constituent Services in his U.S. Senate office and is also in charge of selecting Obama’s Senate interns. She did not respond to repeated calls for comment.

But it’s not just that he employed these individuals in positions of power in his office, it’s that when the former associate raised objections, he says Mr. Obama’s position was that he saw nothing wrong with the Nation of Islam and didn’t think it was a problem. If true–and the fact that Ms. Mason still holds her prominent Obama Senate staff position bears that out–Obama’s condemnation of Farrakhan, this month, is phony.

But the insider says there is more to it than that. Obama’s Illinois State Senate district consisted of prime Nation of Islam territory, including Hyde Park, home to Farrakhan’s mansion. It is not possible, Illinois politicos say, to win that district without the blessing of the NOI leader. NOI members, including consultant Shakir Muhammad, held important roles in the Obama state senate campaign.

How many Nation of Islam members will work in an Obama White House?

Then, there is the issue of Israel. When Obama first ran for the U.S. Senate, he gave militant responses to the Chicago Jewish News about Israel. Obama denounced Israel’s fence–which he called a “wall” and “barrier to peace”–to keep out terrorists and favored working with Yasser Arafat. When members of the Chicago Jewish community circulated his responses, Obama said that the answers were not his positions, but the work of a low-level intern. He submitted new answers. But that was a lie, the insider says. In fact, they were the work of Obama’s Policy Director, Audra Wilson. Moreover, Obama told the insider that he blamed the Mideast conflict on the Jews:

Barack told me that he felt that Jewish community was too inflexible, and that was why the situation in the Mideast could not be resolved.
This is the man who says in a new campaign ad that Hillary Clinton will say anything but change nothing. Barack Obama will say anything, but change his answers.

Palestinian activist and Islamist Ali Abunimah, who was a close friend of Obama’s, attended an Arab fundraiser at which the late Edward Said–plagiarist, fabricator, and prominent PLO/Arafat advisor–was the keynote speaker, and at which the Obamas were notably in attendance. Pictures on Abunimah’s site, posted above, show Obama and wife, Michelle, sitting next to Said and engaging in conversation. Abunimah, in a must-read article, says the Senator has since “changed” his proclaimed views from those he expressed privately, in order to get Jewish donors and votes.

And he has succeeded in spades. Lee Rosenberg a top Illinois official of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), the pro-Israel lobby is a big Obama donor. Ditto for former national AIPAC official Bob Asher. And Penny Pritzker of the pro-Israel family that owns Hyatt hotels. And there are so many others who have bought in to Obama’s newly pro-Israel views. The insider says Obama pulled the wool over their eyes.

Then, there’s Bettylu Saltzman, also Jewish and one of Obama’s first major supporters and donors. She is a major Peace Now devotee, officer of the far-left, pro-capitulation New Israel Fund, and wrote a letter to a Chicago newspaper praising Jimmy Carter’s book calling Israel an apartheid state. The Obama insider says she has Obama’s ear on the Mideast and “will be a major policy person for Barack. Very dangerous.”

The insider points to Mr. Obama’s changing views in Iraq as another area of uncertainty. He has highlighted his opposition to the War in Iraq. The insider says there is strong speculation that Obama attempted to get his crony, Federal Indictee Tony Rezko, a contract to build a nuclear power plant in the new Iraq. Rezko, a Syrian Arab who helped Obama in a deal to purchase his home, was in a partnership with NOI founder Elijah Muhammad’s son, Jabir.

Barack Obama can denounce Louis Farrakhan ad infinitum. But with supporters like Ms. Saltzman, high-level staffers who are Nation of Islam members, and constantly morphing views on Israel merely for donor appeal, a Barack Obama White House bodes poorly both for Israel and–far more important–for America.

Is Farrakhan Influencing Obama Through Jeremiah Wright?

Political Night Train believes the following articles are very revealing about Barack Obama’s relationship with Louis Farrakhan, a relationship that needs closer scrunity.  Also of question is influence the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Jr. and other leaders of Trinity United Church will have on Obama’s policies and how he would conduct his administration. Obama Decries Farrakhan StatementsBy Shailagh Murray
Sen. Barack Obama’s campaign moved quickly today to quell another race-related flap, this one involving Nation of Islam leader, Louis Farrakhan. Columnist Richard Cohen stirred the pot this morning in an op-ed column in The Washington Post, writing:Barack Obama is a member of Chicago’s Trinity United Church of Christ. Its minister, and Obama’s spiritual adviser, is the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr. In 1982, the church launched Trumpet Newsmagazine; Wright’s daughters serve as publisher and executive editor. Every year, the magazine makes awards in various categories. Last year, it gave the Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr. Trumpeter Award to a man it said “truly epitomized greatness.” That man is Louis Farrakhan.Cohen chronicled Farrakhan’s long record of inflammatory statements, from denigrating the Holocaust, to accusing Jewish people of victimizing African Americans. He did stipulate, “It’s important to state right off that nothing in Obama’s record suggests he harbors anti-Semitic views or agrees with Wright when it comes to Farrakhan.” But, he suggested, “Farrakhan, in a strictly political sense, may be a tough issue for him.” The column spread like wildfire around the blogosphere — especially on the right — and, this afternoon, the Obama campaign responded with an unequivocal statement on it from the candidate himself.“I decry racism and anti-Semitism in every form and strongly condemn the anti-Semitic statements made by Minister Farrakhan,” Obama said in the statement. “I assume that Trumpet Magazine made its own decision to honor Farrakhan based on his efforts to rehabilitate ex-offenders, but it is not a decision with which I agree.”

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/01/15/obama_decries_farrakhan_statem_1.html?hpid=topnews

 Obama ‘repudiates’ Farrakhan?Ed Lasky
The New York Sun is reporting that Barack Obama repudiated the views of Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan that were discussed in Richard Cohen’s Washington Post column. Cohen’s criticism regarding Obama’s ties to the Church and the Pastor that gave an award to Farrakhan were reaching a large audience that included potential Democrat voters who might be swayed to withdraw support from Obama. This statement by Obama is a political maneuver that should be given little credence. Obama is very actively involved in his church; he knew of this award long before Richard Cohen publicized its grant to Farrakhan. Furthermore, Pastor Wright has had a long relationship and alliance with Louis Farrakhan.  Obama did not object to these ties between Pastor Wright and Farrakhan before; nor has Obama rejected the anti-Israel diatribes of Wright. Regardless, Obama adheres to a church and a minister that have long espoused positions inimical to the American-Israel relationship, let alone the trumpeting of black values and racial exclusiveness.  This follows a pattern for Obama: he shows extreme loyalty to a church and pastor whose controversial views eventually become publicized. Then Obama “disappears” the Minister and Obama’s campaign (not Obama himself) issues a statement that Obama does not agree with everything that Wright espouses.  He solicits and gains support from the controversial George Soros, a man whose anti-Israel passions and allegations regarding America’s Jewish community and Congress are well-known. When these ties become publicized, Obama’s campaign (not Obama himself) issues a statement that Obama does not agree with Soros on this topic.  When Obama articulates anti-Israel positions in off-the cuff remarks, his campaign (not Obama himself-stop me if you have heard this before) issues clarifications that attempt to explain away the plain English import of Obama’s (the supreme orator) expressed views. In other words, Obama only disavows when it is politically opportune to do so. He seems to have never objected to these views before they become publicized and create a political firestorm because they belie his image of peace, compassion, unity.  Obama is not a profile in courage and his disavowals are political pabulum. 

http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2008/01/obama_repudiates_farrakhan.html

 Barack Obama and IsraelBy Ed Lasky Here are some excerpts from this article …… One seemingly consistent theme running throughout Barack Obama’s career is his comfort with aligning himself with people who are anti-Israel advocates. This ease around Israel animus has taken various forms. As Obama has continued his political ascent, he has moved up the prestige scale in terms of his associates. Early on in his career he chose a church headed by a former Black Muslim who is a harsh anti-Israel advocate and who may be seen as tinged with anti-Semitism. This church is a member of a denomination whose governing body has taken a series of anti-Israel actions.   As his political fortunes and ambition climbed, he found support from George Soros, multibillionaire promoter of groups that have been consistently harsh and biased critics of the American-Israel relationship.  There are literally hundreds of churches on the South Side of Chicago that Obama could have chosen from. He selected one that was headed by Reverend Jeremiah Wright, Junior. The anti-Israel rants of this minister have been well chronicled. Among the gems:  The Israelis have illegally occupied Palestinian territories for almost 40 years now. It took a divestment campaign to wake the business community up concerning the South Africa issue. Divestment has now hit the table again as a strategy to wake the business community up and to wake Americans up concerning the injustice and the racism under which the Palestinians have lived because of Zionism 

Pastor Wright is a supporter of Louis Farrakhan (who called Judaism a “gutter religion” and depicted Jews as “bloodsuckers”) and traveled with him to visit Col. Muammar al-Gaddafi, archenemy of Israel’s and a terror supporter.

Read the rest of this article here:  http://www.americanthinker.com/2008/01/barack_obama_and_israel.html

 Political Night Train also thinks it is time for the media to begin looking into Michelle Obama’s work with Trinity Unitied Church, especially some of the anti-white and anti-Jewish views of groups within the church.