Submitted by Katie, Aug 22, 2008 19:04

Kurtzer is a member of the American Bar Association. The conference he attended in Syria, which he attended completely independently of the Obama campaign, was about expanding the rule of law in Syria. Imagine that! A conference promoting American ideals and views on government. Kurtzer, an orthodox Jew, supporter of Israel, and a former ambassador to Israel, spoke with the Syrian foreign minister about continuing peace negotiations with Israel, something Israel is already doing. While his advice might go unheeded, the truth is, Kurtzer engaged in no questionable behavior, made no bargains or deals, and said nothing on behalf of Barack Obama. Let us not forget that Kurtzer is not a paid adviser for the Obama campaign.

What is your issue? Do you think a pro-Israel orthodox Jew is out there cheerleading for Syria? Do you criticize Kurtzer promoting peace talks between two countries where peace talks are already taking place? Do you criticize any and all forms of diplomacy with foreign nations with whom we do not have good relations? Considering that Obama has no affiliation with this visit anyhow, I don't know how Obama could be showing poor judgment upon Kurtzer's trip to begin with. But I don't see any poor judgment on Kurtzer's behalf, either. Is every person who has ever spoken with, associated with, or offered even the tiniest of advice to Obama to be treated like an operative of a rogue foreign government, simply by virtue of the fact that they have at some point been associated with Obama? I hate to point this out, but if that's the case, picking Daniel Kurtzer, whose faith and strong ties to Israel make him a strange candidate for Muslim governments who would be happy to see Israel wiped off the planet, was a pretty stupid choice.

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