White House Ignores Criticism And Honors 2001 Durban Conference Chair Robinson

The Jerusalem post reports that "despite fierce opposition from pro-Israel advocates, including Jewish groups and bipartisan lawmakers, the White House awarded its highest civilian honor Wednesday to Mary Robinson, a former UN official who presided over the 2001 Durban conference on racism... It was an award that riled critics who slammed her role in the Durban conference, known for its anti-Israel and anti-Semitic rhetoric, as well as her track record on Israel during her tenure as UN High Commissioner on Human Rights. On Wednesday, President Barack Obama called Robinson a 'crusader' for women and those without a voice who 'illuminated a better future for our world.' But as late as Wednesday morning, critics urged the president to reconsider honoring Robinson. And one day earlier, 45 Republican lawmakers wrote a letter to President Obama that cited Robinson's 'failed, biased record' at the United Nations. 'Awarding this nation's highest civilian honor to Mary Robinson risks putting our imprimatur on a biased record that contravenes our nation's deepest values,' they wrote. A Democratic member of Congress, Rep. Eliot Engel of New York, separately called the award 'a mistake.' Indeed, critics said the Obama administration's decision to honor Robinson reflected a detachment from mainstream American public opinion on foreign policy. 'Those in the administration who recommended her either ignored her anti-Israel history, or missed it entirely, as they either ignored or overlooked her hostility toward America's role in promoting international peace and security. Or perhaps they share Ms. Robinson's views,' wrote John Bolton, the former US Ambassador to the United Nations, in the Wall Street Journal on Monday. 'The administration's tin ear to the furor over Ms. Robinson underlines how deep that detachment really is,' he wrote."

The following JTA op-ed does a decent job explaining some of the objections to Mary Ronbinson's award: http://jta.org/news/article/2009/08/12/1007200/theres-something-about-mary Tweet