Where the hell is Obama???

It's important for him to stand up for Israel.....

Napoleon Bonaparte once defined a leader as "a dealer in hope." But Americans and Israelis yearning for leadership amid crisis from the incoming American president, who during the 2008 campaign was the great purveyor of hope, have thus far been sorely disappointed.

As missiles continue raining down on southern Israel, and the IDF's Gaza campaign enters its second week, only a conspicuous silence has emanated from President-elect Barack Obama's private Hawaii vacation compound.

While President George W. Bush, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and their spokespeople have unequivocally backed Israel's actions and blamed Hamas for abrogating the cease-fire, Obama has declined comment, saying instead that "there's only one president at a time." David Axelrod, Obama's chief strategist, told CBS News that "the Bush administration has to speak for America now" and that "it wouldn't be appropriate for me to opine on these matters." Incoming Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has maintained a similar reticence.

BUT THE Obama team's silence on this important issue is as surprising as it is unfortunate. In the immediate wake of his election, Obama proactively built a team designed to resuscitate the ailing US economy and reassured Americans - while ruffling the Bush administration's feathers - that "help is on the way." Obama presumably acted to calm the markets and to restore the confidence of those who had lost their jobs or retirement savings.

So why not ease the current international turmoil by offering a simple, succinct statement of support for Israel's efforts, something along the lines of "while President Bush speaks for America until I take office, I want to reiterate our president's strong support for Israel's right to defend herself and to strongly encourage Hamas to cease its destabilizing rocket fire." Such a statement would bolster Bush's final efforts to secure a durable cease-fire in the region. It would reassure Israelis that the incoming administration will continue the outgoing one's backing for the Jewish State, even in the face of a hostile "international community." And it would squelch any Hamas fantasies that, if they can only hold out until late January, help will be on the way for them, too.