Dan Shapiro

Daniel B. Shapiro is a longtime political operator in the US Senate and Congress, with a brief interlude at the National Security Council. He is touted as: "He is a foreign policy specialist with particular expertise in the Middle East." In 2007, Shapiro emerged as an advisor/strategist ("work on Middle East issues and Jewish outreach") for Sen. Barack Obama's presidential campaign. Shapiro's ascendance coincided with Obama's emphasis on proving his pro-Israel credentials in the form of several speeches in fromt of Jewish audiences; Obama will also deliver a major speech at the 2007 AIPAC conference. James D. Besser writing for the Jewish Week outlines the effect Shapiro's recruitment will have:

With millions of campaign dollars at stake as well as votes in a handful of key primary states, the presidential campaign of Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) is poised to dramatically increase its Jewish outreach.
That includes the recruitment of top Jewish donors and advisers, and an expected major speech on Israel and the Middle East that a Democratic insider said “will set the baseline and establish Sen. Obama as a reliable, strong supporter of Israel.”^[1]

While Shapiro was advisor to Bill Nelson, Nelson co-sponsored legislation with Ileana Ros-Lehtinen to restrict US contacts with Palestinians, to criminalize Middle Eastern groups, and to torpedo the Dubai-Port Authority deal.

Career

• (2007) Advisor, strategist and fund-raiser for Sen. Barack Obama. Shapiro will concurrently work with Timmons and Company (a lobbying firm with cable-industry clients) -- VP (possible he is working for the Obama campaign via Timmons & Co. [2]
• (2003 - 2007) Legislative advisor, and later deputy chief of staff to Senator Bill Nelson [3]
• National Security Council -- official during the Clinton administation; Congressional liaison for National Security Adviser Sandy Berger
• (1995 -1999) Legislative assistant and senior foreign policy adviser to Senator Dianne Feinstein.
• (1993 - 1995) as a professional staff member on the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Europe and the Middle East, under Chairman Lee Hamilton (D-Indiana).
• State Dept. position at the US embassy in the United Arab Emirates

External Sources

• James D. Besser, Obama Set For Big Jewish Push, Jewish Week, 16 Feb 2007.