The sad news has emerged that Congressman Robert Wexler of Boca Raton, Florida, my Congressman, is leaving the House of Representatives, effective January 3, 2010.
Wexler will become the President of the Center For Middle East Peace, a think tank dedicated to the search for a solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Wexler will play an important role in the quest for peace in the most tumultuous area on earth. He leaves behind a great legacy in the halls of Congress for the past 13 years.
Wexler is best remembered for his defense of President Bill Clinton in the House Judiciary Committee hearings on the impeachment of the President in late 1998. He was also the first Congressman in South Florida to back Senator Barack Obama when he announced his run for President. He brought about large scale Jewish support for Obama in the presidential race in 2008.
Wexler also worked constantly and with great loyalty for his constituents, heavily senior citizens, in his district, and was always a man of principle in his views and voting record on domestic and foreign policy issues.
He is noted for displaying courage and steadfastness when he came under attack, and was proud to write his memoir on his years in Congress with the title “Firebreathing Liberal”!
Who could not admire a political leader who was proud to call himself a liberal, in a time when most politicians and intellectuals have been unwilling to promote what they believe in, because of the constant attacks on liberalism and progressivism?
As a professor myself proud to be a progressive and a liberal, I salute Robert Wexler for his service to the nation and wish him God speed in his work in his new position!
I have a feeling we will hear more about Robert Wexler in a public sphere in future years! 🙂