Former Rep. Robert Wexler (D-Fla.) is being courted to be Obama's ambassador to Israel, three Washington Middle East hands tell POLITICO.
Wexler, a strong pro-Israel ally for the Obama White House going back to the 2008 presidential campaign, has become an even more frequent and influential presence in the White House and Foggy Bottom since resigning his House seat in January to become president of the S. Daniel Abraham Center for Middle East Peace, a revived Washington think tank named after its benefactor, the Slim-Fast-heir turned Middle East peace evangelist/philanthropist.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke at the center’s debut at Washington’s swanky W Hotel earlier this month, where Wexler joked in his remarks that every morning he gets a call from Abraham asking him, "What are you doing to promote peace today, Robert?"
Wexler didn’t respond to a query. One U.S. official said he’d recently heard the same Wexler-for-Israel ambassador rumor, but when he asked Wexler about it, Wexler said no, he’s enjoying his current job. Another official had also heard the Wexler rumor in the past couple weeks, but didn't know if it was true.
But several U.S. officials and Washington Middle East hands have suggested that the administration has come to consensus that it wants to put a high-impact political appointee in the Israel envoy job, as the administration aggressively steps up its public relations outreach to the Jewish community, and seeks momentum for its Middle East peace efforts.
In some ways, the Obama administration’s stepped-up pro-Israel PR blitz the past month represents the kind of outreach Wexler has been doing for Obama all along going back to the presidential campaign -- talking up Obama’s commitment to Israel’s security and the benefits to Israel's and the region's security and prosperity that a comprehensive peace settlement would provide, to Jewish and wider audiences.
What's unclear to some associates is if Wexler would be willing to give up a position now where he has influence, frequent access to the highest levels of both Washington and Middle Eastern capitals, without the constraints and hassle (not to mention salary) of a government job. “Wexler is playing a very important role, really advancing a dialogue in the community" in his current NGO role, one Washington Middle East hand said on condition of anonymity. “He really in a short time has stepped up to the plate.”
The Middle East hand didn’t know if Wexler had recently been re-offered or would accept the ambassador job. But “when the president asks you, one is hard pressed to say no," the former official acknowledged.
Wexler, a strong pro-Israel ally for the Obama White House going back to the 2008 presidential campaign, has become an even more frequent and influential presence in the White House and Foggy Bottom since resigning his House seat in January to become president of the S. Daniel Abraham Center for Middle East Peace, a revived Washington think tank named after its benefactor, the Slim-Fast-heir turned Middle East peace evangelist/philanthropist.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke at the center’s debut at Washington’s swanky W Hotel earlier this month, where Wexler joked in his remarks that every morning he gets a call from Abraham asking him, "What are you doing to promote peace today, Robert?"
Wexler didn’t respond to a query. One U.S. official said he’d recently heard the same Wexler-for-Israel ambassador rumor, but when he asked Wexler about it, Wexler said no, he’s enjoying his current job. Another official had also heard the Wexler rumor in the past couple weeks, but didn't know if it was true.
But several U.S. officials and Washington Middle East hands have suggested that the administration has come to consensus that it wants to put a high-impact political appointee in the Israel envoy job, as the administration aggressively steps up its public relations outreach to the Jewish community, and seeks momentum for its Middle East peace efforts.
In some ways, the Obama administration’s stepped-up pro-Israel PR blitz the past month represents the kind of outreach Wexler has been doing for Obama all along going back to the presidential campaign -- talking up Obama’s commitment to Israel’s security and the benefits to Israel's and the region's security and prosperity that a comprehensive peace settlement would provide, to Jewish and wider audiences.
What's unclear to some associates is if Wexler would be willing to give up a position now where he has influence, frequent access to the highest levels of both Washington and Middle Eastern capitals, without the constraints and hassle (not to mention salary) of a government job. “Wexler is playing a very important role, really advancing a dialogue in the community" in his current NGO role, one Washington Middle East hand said on condition of anonymity. “He really in a short time has stepped up to the plate.”
The Middle East hand didn’t know if Wexler had recently been re-offered or would accept the ambassador job. But “when the president asks you, one is hard pressed to say no," the former official acknowledged.