Baker's controversial past examined

Some students are singing his praises, some have no idea who he is and others are "appalled" by the University's decision to bring in James Baker to speak at graduation.

Yesterday's announcement of Baker as this year's commencement speaker has raised controversy among Jewish and pro-Israel campus groups about whether Baker, a former U.S. cabinet member and co-chairman of the Iraq Study Group, is an appropriate choice for graduation.

During his tenure as secretary of state from 1989 to 1992, Baker famously clashed with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a pro-Israel lobbying group, when he said there was "no greater obstacle to peace" than Israeli settlements in the early 1990s.

Occurrences like this one, as well as an infamous anti-Semitic remark that Baker allegedly made, have been cited by the Penn Israel Coalition as causes for concern.

Hillel president Ezra Billinkoff likewise acknowledged that Baker is a divisive figure, but that he is, ultimately, a "suitable" choice.

"While some people might be concerned about Secretary Baker's record on the state of Israel, I by no means interpret the University's selection of him as any sort of comment on the Jewish community at Penn," said Billinkoff, a College senior.

But he noted that Penn's Jewish community contains a diverse array of opinions on Baker, some more heated than others.

PIC president Max Schapiro, for example, called the selection of Baker "appalling."

"It's hard to imagine a red flag not to go up on this choice," he said.

Some of that sentiment may stem from a remark allegedly made by Baker and quoted in a 1992 New York Post newspaper column. In that column, New York City's former Democratic mayor Edward Koch attributed to an anonymous source that Baker had recently said, "Fuck the Jews. They didn't vote for us anyway."

Since then, although the quote's validity is still debated among professional journalists and government officials, it has followed Baker, whose name is often associated with these remarks.

But Penn officials and the leadership of the Class of 2007 are sticking by the decision.

Penn Trustee and noted broadcast journalist Andrea Mitchell, who sat on the committee that ultimately decided on Baker, called Baker "an esteemed Secretary of State, long praised for his devotion to Middle East peace."

University Secretary Leslie Kruhly - whose office oversees the selection of commencement speaker - noted that the Trustee Committee on Honorary Degrees "is extremely thoughtful and reviews people's careers over an extended period."

The committee "did look at [Baker's] whole record but did not dwell on any single aspect," she said.

University President Amy Gutmann declined additional comment on the matter.

"Criticisms have to be in the context of James Baker's actions," senior class president Andy Kaplan said.

Kaplan, a Wharton senior, referred to Baker as "one of the most influential individuals" over the past 40 years.

Praise notwithstanding, it is clear that Baker is a controversial figure.

Political Science professor Ian Lustick wrote in an e-mail that Baker "can be ruthless and, as a result, has many enemies, including among the Israel Lobby, for telling AIPAC in 1989 that Israel had to withdraw from the occupied territories eventually."

However, Lustick added that he believes Baker is an "extremely smart politician and statesman" and a "great choice" for commencement speaker.

As of yesterday, Schapiro said he did not yet know whether PIC would put together any plan to protest the selection of Baker.

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