Obama 2012: Campaign Assembles Team of Influential Jewish Surrogates to Fight Criticism of Israel Policy

Is President Obama fearful that the tide of Jewish support might finally be turning for him in 2012? Obama, who received nearly 78 percent of the Jewish vote in 2008 has suffered backlash among Jewish supporters after airing some of his more egregious stances on Israel -- namely his call for Israel to "return" to its "1967 borders."

Obama, who conservatives believe has never been a friend of Israel, is preparing his campaign's counterattack to criticisms on his Israel policy. Reportedly, Obama has enlisted a team of influential Jewish surrogates -- who have, despite Obama's spotted track record with Israel, remained loyal to the administration  -- to help fight his conservative critics. In addition to rallying support among voters and donors, the Jewish supporters on Obama's team will reportedly publish Op-Ed pieces in various publications that "represent the White House's viewpoint."

The initiative will be spearheaded by Obama senior adviser David Axelrod

JTA reports:

The campaign is assembling a group of high-profile figures who are respected in the Jewish community to counter criticism against Obama and to push back against attacks, Washington Post blogger Greg Sargent reported Saturday in his The Plum Line blog.

The plan comes as the campaign acknowledges that Jewish voters and donors have defected to the Republican Party following conservative attacks on Obama's Israel stance, Sargent said.

David Axelrod then leads the discussion with team members on how respond to such criticism:

“We will have highly credible spokespeople and surrogates speak out in a general manner in support of what this administration has done, and articulate it in a way that we think will resonate with voters who care about this issue,” Alan Solow, the former head of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, told Sargent in an interview. “We will meet with supporters who have expressed concerns or want to be briefed on these issues on a one-on-one basis.”

Does enlisting prime movers in the Jewish community to serve as White House mouthpieces seem manipulative to you? Are Obama's Jewish supporters prepared to abandon Israel by spinning a positive Obama administration narrative, even though the administration's history regarding Israel may not in fact positive? It makes one wonder: are Obama's Jewish -- supposedly pro-Israel -- supporters willing to see him re-elected at any and all cost?