Obama picks right-wing, pro-Israel Dennis Ross as MidEast advisor
Wednesday, Jul. 16, 2008 Obama's Conservative Mideast Pick
By Massimo Calabresi/Washington
Even before Barack Obama says a word upon his arrival in Israel next week, close observers of America's role in the region will get a message from the presence in his delegation of a tall, slightly disheveled diplomat well known to the power players of the Middle East. In a region where simple words and gestures can be taken as weighty indicators of intent, Arabs and Israelis alike will see much meaning in the return of Dennis Ross.
In one way, the message is simple: Ross, a career foreign service officer, was lead negotiator on Israeli-Palestinian issues for Presidents George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton, and he got the two sides as close as they've come to a peace deal before stepping down after the 2000 election. His presence alongside Obama in Israel, the Palestinian territories and Jordan is designed to signal the senator's intent to resume the active pursuit of the peace process, which Obama claims President George W. Bush has derailed through inaction.
But Ross's presence in Obama's entourage is also designed to help the Democrat handle two thorny foreign policy problems that hamper his chances in November. Israelis and some Jewish Americans distrust Obama's commitment to Israel - a recent Israeli newspaper poll found 27% of Israelis surveyed support him, compared to 36% for John McCain. And Obama's readiness to hold unconditional talks with Iran also makes him vulnerable among some voters to charges of being soft on Tehran. Both issues count in swing states like Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania where they could hurt Obama's support among Jewish voters and Reagan Democrats. But Ross is a reassuring presence on both counts.
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