This past week the Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) issued another one of their typically hysterical press releases. This time they were aghast at the fact that former Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE) was appointed to serve on the President's National Intelligence Advisory Board. Besides talking about this appointment as if it signaled the end of western civilization as we know it, RJC took the National Jewish Democratic Council (NJDC) to task for not denouncing such an appointment -- especially since we had pointed out in the past that Hagel was not the favorite of many pro-Israel supporters.

This attack on President Barack Obama and NJDC was picked up by more than one conservative website. We were pleasantly surprised when The Weekly Standard gave us a chance to respond to the "controversy."

Our first reaction is that it is truly fascinating that over the nearly entire course of Hagel's twelve years in the U.S. Senate (serving as a Republican Senator), RJC never found anything wrong with the Senator's record of support for the U.S.-Israel relationship. Only when Hagel's elected career was coming to an end and he expressed some sympathy for the candidacy of Democratic nominee Barack Obama did the RJC have a revelation that the Senator's record was less than stellar. It was if Matt Brooks, RJC's Executive Director, was cribbing from the old Christian hymn, Amazing Grace -- "I once was lost but now am found, Was blind, but now I see."

Our second point is that conservatives look pretty silly when they elevated a part-time, advisory position on intelligence as a potential stake in the heart for the U.S.-Israel relationship. JTA took a similar point of view of this tempest in a teapot when they said: "...the position Hagel has been named to is hardly a major one -- it's not full-time and has no day-to-day responsibilities."

The U.S.-Israel relationship is certainly robust enough that the pro-Israel community does not have to shrei gevalt (scream "woe is me") every time someone we might disagree with is appointed to any position. It is also dysfunctional to demonize someone like Hagel. We told The Weekly Standard that if Hagel had been appointed Secretary of State or Assistant Secretary for Near East Affairs, we would certainly express our concern to the press ... an appointment to an advisory board with no day-to-day responsibilities -- not so much.