The Political Inquirer

Rob Malley is an analyst at the Washington, D.C. based International Crisis Group, specializing in the Israeli-Arab conflict.  The International Crisis Group mission statement is as follows. 

“The International Crisis Group (Crisis Group) is an independent, non-profit, non-governmental organisation, with some 145 staff members on five continents, working through field-based analysis and high-level advocacy to prevent and resolve deadly conflict.”

Rob Malley is also a middle East policy adviser to Barak Obama.  Barak Obama has stated that as president he would not meet with Hamas.  I have to ask, what is the problem? 

If you are against the Iraq War but you enlist the support of a retired Iraqi war general is that a conflict of interest, or a credible source of information?  If you are against legalizing homosexual marriage and also have a homosexual working on your staff, are you a hypocrite or an open minded person?  If you have a great grandfather who supported the Nazi’s in WWII, are you yourself an Anti-Semitic?  If you have a preacher who expresses views that you have stated you disagree with does that make you a liar because you never severed the  relationship with the person previously, or are you someone who can listen and discern for yourself what you believe?  If you talk to your child about the dangers of using drugs and underage drinking even though you yourself have engaged in such activities, does that make you a hypocrite or a credible source of information through personal experience?

Finally, if you have a Middle East policy adviser who met with extremist groups, does that make you a terrorist sympathiser yourself or just a wise leader who positions advisers around him with real experience and not personal acquaintances who blindly support your pie in the sky ideals?