The answer goes back to the exposure that Professor Shaheen has done of the film and TV industries' vilification of Arabs in his books, including Reel Bad Arabs, The TV Arab, and his latest (2008) Guilty: Hollywood's Verdict on Arabs After 9/11.

In his research of nearly a thousand films from 1896 to the present that included Arab characters or references, Shaheen found that only 12 gave positive depictions, 52 were neutral and some 900 were negative.

Rahm Emanuel’s father brought his son up as an Israeli-American. Apparently, Emanuel still has dual citizenship. If he is to devote himself to America as a public servant, he should give up his Israeli ties, particularly since he will be in a position to have great influence on the president.

There should remain some doubt about whether or not Rahm Emanuel, who once served in the Israeli army, can relinquish his ties with Israel. To be an American supporter of Israel has obviously become entirely acceptable politics in Washington.

One has to go as far as Jonathan Pollard and provide Israel with stolen secrets before getting into trouble. It’s easy to suspect that even Pollard thought he could get away with it, noting the abject devotion of Americans to Israel.

However, returning to the elder Emanuel’s comment about his son. Even if he apologized for his son’s sake, we need to realize that he knows his son well. No doubt, his observation about Rahm’s loyalty to Israel was an accurate picture of Emanuel family reality.