Obama's Muslim Outreach Has Him Backpedaling Furiously To Assuage His Jewish Base

Tuesday morning I wrote that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid Breaks With Obama Over 1967 Lines As Borders For Israel

I wrote at the time that Reid was basically making it politically acceptable to break with Obama on Israel, especially in terms of what Obama said in his Mideast speech about the 1967 lines.

Now Peter Wallsten of the Washington Post writes that Democrats join Republicans in questioning Obama’s policy on Israel:

Top Democrats have joined a number of Republicans in challenging President Obama’s policy toward Israel, further exposing rifts that the White House and its allies will seek to mend before next year’s election.

The differences, on display as senior lawmakers addressed a pro-Israel group late Monday and Tuesday, stem from Obama’s calls in recent days for any peace deal between Israel and Palestinians to be based on boundaries that existed before the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, combined with “mutually agreed swaps” of territory.

Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (Nev.), House Minority Whip Steny H. Hoyer (Md.) and other Democrats appeared to reject the president’s reference to the 1967 lines in his latest attempt to nudge along peace talks, thinking that he was giving away too much, too soon.

As a result, Not only have Obama's comments alarmed pro-Israel activists, but in addition Obama suddenly finds himself isolated on an issue that he (again) went out of his way to raise.

Now the White House spin team has been called in and a conference call with Jewish leaders has been arranged as well.

Part of Obama's problem is t hat besides the internal rift between the White House and supporters, there is also the rift among Obama's supporters as well, creating a tightrope he will have to negotiate:

Democrats and Obama must balance the need to pursue delicate international diplomacy while retaining the party’s traditional support among Jewish campaign donors and voters, particularly in competitive states such as Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania. The party’s liberal base, however, is divided, with many on the left urging more concessions by Israel.

The result is that Obama is having to reassure his pro-Israel supporters at the same time he is making his much-touted outreach to the Muslim world.

Maybe Muslims don't watch the news.

Technorati Tag: Obama and Israel.