Sabotage?

The New York Post reported last night that Jesse Jackson told a World Policy Forum audience in France last week that if Barack Obama is elected the U.S. will no longer make Israel's needs paramount to the nation's foreign policy. Zionists, Jackson said, will "lose a great deal of clout" if Obama wins office.

"Obama is about change," Jackson told the NYP. "And the change that Obama promises is not limited to what we do in America itself. It is a change of the way America looks at the world and its place in it."

John McCain's campaign seized on Jackson's remarks:

"According to a prominent Democratic supporter of Barack Obama, the 'Zionists who have controlled American policy for decades' will 'lose a great deal of their clout when Barack Obama enters the White House,'" said Randy Scheunemann, senior foreign policy advisor, in a statement. " It should not surprise anyone that Obama’s supporters see what others, from the terrorist group Hamas to Iranian President Ahmadinejad, have seen: an Obama presidency would bring real change to America’s policy of support for Israel. Barack Obama has claimed that nobody has suffered more than the Palestinians, praised a former spokesman of a Palestinian terrorist group for reminding him of his own 'blind spots' and 'biases,' and told the New York Times that Hamas and Hezbollah have 'legitimate claims.' Barack Obama expressed support for Jerusalem being the undivided capital of Israel and switched his position 24 hours later in the face of criticism from Palestinians. Barack Obama has said it is a “disgrace” that the United States has not met unconditionally with leaders committed to Israel’s destruction. Now, Barack Obama claims to be a strong supporter of Israel but his supporters -- here and abroad -- know better."

Obama's national security spokesperson, Wendy Morigi, pushed back, saying that Jackson has no formal position with the campaign and doesn't speak for the candidate. She called his remarks about Obama's Israel position "false charges."

"Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. is not an adviser to the Obama campaign and is therefore in no position to interpret or share Barack Obama's views on Israel and foreign policy. As he has made clear throughout his career and throughout this campaign, Barack Obama has a fundamental commitment to a strong U.S.-Israel relationship, and he is advised by people like Dennis Ross, Daniel Kurtzer, Rep. Robert Wexler, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, and Senator Joe Biden who share that commitment. As President, he will ensure that Israel can defend itself from every threat it faces, stand with Israel in its quest for a secure peace with its neighbors, and use all elements of American power to end Iran's illicit nuclear program. No false charges can change Barack Obama's unshakeable commitment to Israel's security."

With friends like these ...