Last Wednesday while speaking at the prominent pro-Israel think tank, the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, Obama National Security Adviser General Jim Jones told a joke that a week later has drawn some criticism.
At the time, the joke--about a Taliban member and a Jewish merchant--caused quite a bit of laughter (captured in the video below) and Laura Rozen at Politico noted that Jones received a standing ovation before and after his speech.
Nonetheless, Jones apologized for his "off the cuff" joke after some blistering criticism.
For their part, the Washington Institute received no complaints and executive director Robert Satloff wrote:
The tempest in a teapot about Gen. James L. Jones's opening joke in his address to The Washington Institute's twenty-fifth anniversary symposium last week diverted attention from the truly newsworthy aspects of the national security advisor's remarks. On five key issues, he made important, substantive, and at times innovative statements of policy. Given the political and strategic timing of his remarks, they should be viewed as one of the most significant statements of administration policy on Middle East issues this year.
For anybody who's interested in the actual substance of Jones' speech, you can read Jones' full remarks (joke omitted) here.
Comments