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Sen. Barack Obama is under fire once again for what others are speaking on his behalf. This time, it’s the Rev. Jesse Jackson.

Jackson told participants in the first World Policy Forum in France last week that although Zionists have controlled American policy for decades, Israel will lose a great deal of its political muscle if Obama’s campaign for the White House is successful. Decades of putting Israel’s interest first in the Middle East, he promised, would end.

Indeed, Jackson promised “fundamental changes” in U.S. foreign policy. He declared the need for America to “heal wounds” it has caused to other nations. He insisted we need to repent for the “arrogance of the Bush administration.”

In an interview with New York Post writer Amir Taheri, Jackson revealed a few reasons why he knows so well what Obama plans to do. Jackson pointed to the fact that his son has been a close friend of Obama’s for years, and his daughter went to school with Obama’s wife Michelle.

“We helped him start his career," Jackson told the Post. "And then we were always there to help him move ahead. He is the continuation of our struggle for justice not only for the black people but also for all those who have been wronged."

An Obama victory, he said, would be a huge step in the direction African-Americans have wanted the nation to take for decades. He said Obama’s thirst for justice is rooted in his black culture. While he denies being an Obama advisor, Jackson does hope Obama will push his views in the White House.

Perhaps Jackson only dreamed of being so close to standing in the office of the president of the United States of America as Obama is. Jackson’s two campaigns for presidency in the 1980s failed. Could his White House dreams be the reason he’s taking liberties one might feel a right to as “a neighbor or, better still, a member of the [Obama] family,” has he put it? Or does Jackson have other motives?

One can only wonder what it would have been like under a President Jesse Jackson in the 1980s – or can one? Jackson’s words to participants in the first World Policy Forum give us a glimpse of what it would have been like. Jackson, a Christian minister, seemingly wants to turn his back on Israel.

Noteworthy is the fact that Jackson said he would engage in direct dialogue with the leaders of Iran. And he would reach out to Muslims – and he is betting Obama will, too.

"Barack is determined to repair our relations with the world of Islam and Muslims," Jackson told the Post. "Thanks to his background and ecumenical approach, he knows
how Muslims feel while remaining committed to his own faith."

Obama’s campaign was not immediately available for comment on whether or not the Illinois senator would forsake Israel and embrace Islam.

Jennifer LeClaire is the editor of The Voice magazine and author of "Doubtless: Faith that Overcomes the World." You can visit her online at www.jenniferleclaire.org.