THE O JESSE KNOWS - JACKSON ON OBAMA'S AMERICA

Jackson: Expects Obama to stop "putting Israel's interests first" in making Mideast policy.

"Jackson believes that, although "Zionists who have controlled American policy for decades" remain strong, they'll lose a great deal of their clout when Barack Obama enters the White House."

Who's he kidding? Jesse knows that AIPAC has a tight cord cinched around Obama's fuzzy yarbels. And, he'd be well off not even contemplating any future heists. Obama's family jewels are heavily guarded by alien art students from planet Mossad.

By AMIR TAHERI

October 14, 2008
EVIAN, FRANCE (Flouride in the water?)

PREPARE for a new America: That's the message that the Rev. Jesse
Jackson conveyed to participants in the first World Policy Forum, held
at this French lakeside resort last week.

He promised "fundamental changes" in US foreign policy - saying
America must "heal wounds" it has caused to other nations, revive its
alliances and apologize for the "arrogance of the Bush administration."

The most important change would occur in the Middle East, where "decades of putting Israel's interests first" would end.

Jackson believes that, although "Zionists who have controlled
American policy for decades" remain strong, they'll lose a great deal
of their clout when Barack Obama enters the White House.

"Obama is about change," Jackson told me in a wide-ranging
conversation. "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."

Jackson warns that he isn't an Obama confidant or adviser, "just a
supporter." But he adds that Obama has been "a neighbor or, better
still, a member of the family." Jackson's son has been a close friend
of Obama for years, and Jackson's daughter went to school with Obama's
wife Michelle.

"We helped him start his career," says Jackson. "And then we were
always there to help him move ahead. He is the continuation of our
struggle for justice not only for the black people but also for all
those who have been wronged."

Will Obama's election close the chapter of black grievances linked
to memories of slavery? The reverend takes a deep breath and waits a
long time before responding.

"No, that chapter won't be closed," he says. "However, Obama's
victory will be a huge step in the direction we have wanted America to
take for decades."

Jackson rejects any suggestion that Obama was influenced by Marxist
ideas in his youth. "I see no evidence of that," he says. "Obama's
thirst for justice and equality is rooted in his black culture."

But is Obama - who's not a descendant of slaves - truly a typical American black?

Jackson emphatically answers yes: "You don't need to be a
descendant of slaves to experience the oppression, the suffocating
injustice and the ugly racism that exists in our society," he says.
"Obama experienced the same environment as all American blacks did. It
was nonsense to suggest that he was somehow not black enough to feel
the pain."

Is Jackson worried about the "Bradley effect" - that people may be
telling pollsters they favor the black candidate, but won't end up
voting for him?

"I don't think this is how things will turn out," he says. "We have
a collapsing economy and a war that we have lost in Iraq. In
Afghanistan, we face a resurgent Taliban. New threats are looming in
Pakistan. Our liberties have been trampled under feet . . . Today, most
Americans want change, and know that only Barack can deliver what they
want. Young Americans are especially determined to make sure that Obama
wins."

He sees a broad public loss of confidence in the nation's
institutions: "We have lost confidence in our president, our Congress,
our banking system, our Wall Street and our legal system to protect our
individual freedoms. . . I don't see how we could regain confidence in
all those institutions without a radical change of direction."

Jackson declines to be more concrete about possible policy changes.
After all, he insists, he isn't part of Obama's policy team. Yet he
clearly hopes that his views, reflecting the position of many
Democrats, would be reflected in the policies of an Obama
administration.

On the economic front, he hopes for "major changes in our trading policy."

"We cannot continue with the open-door policy," he says. "We need
to protect our manufacturing industry against unfair competition that
destroys American jobs and creates ill-paid jobs abroad."

Would that mean an abrogation of the NAFTA treaty with Canada and Mexico?

Jackson dismisses the question as "premature": "We could do a great deal without such dramatic action."

His most surprising position concerns Iraq. He passionately
denounces the toppling of Saddam Hussein as "an illegal and unjust
act." But he's now sure that the United States "will have to remain in
Iraq for a very long time."

What of Obama's promise to withdraw by 2010? Jackson believes that
position will have to evolve, reflecting "realities on the ground."

"We should work with our allies in Iraq to consolidate democratic
institutions there," he says. "We must help the people of Iraq decide
and shape their future in accordance with their own culture and faith."

On Iran, he strongly supports Obama's idea of opening a direct
dialogue with the leadership in Tehran. "We've got to talk to tell them
what we want and hear what they want," Jackson says. "Nothing is gained
by not talking to others."

Would that mean ignoring the four UN Security Council resolutions
that demand an end to Iran's uranium-enrichment program? Jackson says
direct talks wouldn't start without preparations.

"Barack wants an aggressive and dynamic diplomacy," he says. "He
also wants adequate preparatory work. We must enter the talks after the
ground has been prepared," he says.

Jackson is especially critical of President Bush's approach to the Israel-Palestine conflict.

"Bush was so afraid of a snafu and of upsetting Israel that he gave
the whole thing a miss," Jackson says. "Barack will change that,"
because, as long as the Palestinians haven't seen justice, the Middle
East will "remain a source of danger to us all."

"Barack is determined to repair our relations with the world of
Islam and Muslims," Jackson says. "Thanks to his background and
ecumenical approach, he knows how Muslims feel while remaining
committed to his own faith."