Obama's First Cabinet Appointment: Rahm Israel Emmanuel, a Rabid Zionist Crackpot Partisan

By Mark Farrell

ccun.org, November 7, 2008

Many people voted for Obama with the underlying thoughts that he would bring together the parties of this nation and have a more balanced view of the Middle East. There are many reasons why people held such beliefs. After all, some people argued, Obama said that he would work towards unifying America. Also, while some people may argue that it is short-sighted to suggest this, there are others who still like to point out that his name, Barack Hussein Obama, does seem Middle East itself, and that he attended a Muslim-based school while in Indonesia and had even attended an orthodox Islamic Center as a child (though he claimed to never have been a "practicing Muslim").[1] Added to that, he said he would be willing to have a chat with Ahmadinejad, the president of Iran. Some people might also note that Obama is black (or, at least, half-black, though also half-white and raised by his white mother and white grandparents) and, therefore, would be more sympathetic to the discrimination and oppression faced by darker-skinned Arabs and Muslims who live in Palestine.

For those people who had hoped that Obama's policies might differ, however, it seems that all such hope was lost after his first major appointment: Rahm Israel Emmanuel was appointed as Obama's Chief of Staff. Rahm will serve as a senior aide and be the highest ranking member of the Executive Office of the President. Many people view Rahm as a Democratic "attack dog." Indeed, Rahm even has earned the nickname "Rahm-bo," based on the movie Rambo, where Sylvester Stallone plays the part of a virtually indestructible mercenary who takes on a foreign army by himself.

Those who look at Rahm's soft smile and learn that he was a ballerina as a child (who even won a scholarship to Joffrey Ballet) would be surprised to learn of the darker nature of this man. Indeed, if you listen to him, he's the best thing since buttered bread, calling himself a "strong, effective voice for Chicago in Congress." His congressional website notes, "As Chair, Emanuel led the Democratic Caucus in fulfilling its campaign promise to pass legislation reflecting the values and priorities of the American people."[2]

You might wonder, then, how did he get this nickname of "Rahm-bo"? The night after Clinton was elected to office, following the sexual scandals concerning Clinton and his many lovers, Rahm apparently was standing at a table during a celebration and a "little" upset. He called off the names of Clinton's "enemies"—those people Rahm believed had been involved. After each name, Rahm would take the steak knife in his hand, pounding the blade into the table, and then screaming, "Dead! Dead! Dead!" An interviewee for the magazine Rolling Stone stated, "When he was done, the table looked like a lunar landscape. It was like something out of The Godfather. But that's Rahm for you."[3] CNN Headline news also mentioned that he uses expletives like no other.

Also, according to the same article in Rolling Stone, Rahm once sent a fish to a Democratic pollster as a "gift."[4] While some may think that such a gift would be nice of him, you also have to realize that the fish was a rotting, dead fish. There is a saying among Sicilians that is often accompanied with the gift of a dead fish: "You'll be sleeping with fish tonight," meaning that the person will be tossed in the river with concrete galoshes.

Perhaps, Rahm's aggressiveness has to do with his upbringing. Rahm attended an exclusively Jewish school, the Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Day School, as a child, learning a bit of Hebrew. Still, it was Rahm's father who may have had the biggest impact on his upbringing: His father was a radical Zionist, who had been a member of the Israeli terrorist organization Irgun when he was young.[5] The Irgun organization, of which Rahm's father was a member, was responsible for bombing the King David Hotel, hanging a couple Englishmen, and murdering other non-Jews, including children, in Israel. Perhaps, the Irgun's biggest "claim to fame" was Deir Yassin, when the members of that Israeli terrorist organization murdered every man, woman, and child in a village who was not Jewish, leaving their bloodied corpses throughout the village. (Pictured: The King David Hotel after it was blown up by the Irgun.)

Rahm's father, Benjamin, even named Rahm after Rahamim, a member of the terrorist organization the Stern Gang. Indeed, the family's last name, "Emmanuel," was changed in commemoration to Emmanuel Auerbach, Rahm's Zionist paternal uncle who died fighting Arabs.[6]

As Rahm grew older, he may not have wanted to fight for America's army, but he had no problem with traveling across the globe and helping the Israeli army, or Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), as it's called. Indeed, when the Gulf War broke out, Rahm left Clinton's office to assist the IDF.[7] It should then come as no surprise that Rahm also supported Bush's new-found powers to authorize the Iraq War, much to the chagrin of other Congressional Democrats, a war which benefited Israel and no others.[8]

For those people who supported Obama and believed that, because he was black and had a unique upbringing, he would improve relations in the Middle East, they are now facing the cold reality of American politics. Indeed, those people hoping for change in the way America handles the Middle East are now greeted with a rather disturbing surprise with the appointment of Rahm Israel Emmanuel to his post. America has a new President. He is black, and there is certainly a change in that perspective. Yet, as for the rest of America's political structure, it appears that it may continue as usual, with an Israel-first mentality, while its citizenry watches its rights diminish under an Israeli-first leadership.

References:

1.) The Obama File - Religion.  For those curious about the various allegations about Obama, the website The Obama File ( www.TheObamaFile.com ) seems to provide much information.

2.) Congressional Website of Rahm Emmanuel - About page

3.) The Enforcer, Rolling Stone (October 20, 2005)

4.) The Brothers Emmanuel, New York Times (June 15, 1997), p. 1 (of online article)

5.) The Brothers Emmanuel, New York Times (June 15, 1997), p. 1 (of online article)

6.) The Brothers Emmanuel, New York Times (June 15, 1997), p. 2 (of online article)

7.) Obama's Israeli adviser: Next White House chief of staff? YNet News (11-2-08)

8.) Issues important in 5th District - Franklin Park Herald-Journal [IL] (October 30, 2002)

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