As a certain segment of the political world speculates about what Barack Obama’s early personnel choices might mean for his Middle East policy, one New York consultant – whose client list has included Chuck Schumer, Michael Bloomberg, Christine Quinn, Scott Stringer, Joe Lieberman, 1199 SEIU and 32BJ – has gone to work for a candidate not normally associated with Democratic-leaning types: Benjamin Netanyahu.
The hard-line former Israeli prime minister, who is currently facing a challenge from the right (!) in a primary fight of his hawkish Likud Party, will be opposed in the general election by Labor candidate and F.O.B. Ehud Barak and Tzipi Livni of the centrist Kadima party.
Back in Netanyahu’s heyday, his American political rabbi was reclusive Republican mastermind Arthur Finkelstein, who basically invented George Pataki.
In an email, Isay declined to go into further detail on his work in Israel.
