Shortly after Barack Obama returned from Paris, France, the ads started running about Paris, Britney.

Obama, the presumptive Democratic nominee, acted like he was already elected on his recent tour of Europe and the Middle East. That didn’t sit well with John McCain and his newly recruited band of ex-Karl Rove employees. Out with the nice guy campaign team, replaced with the veteran Swift Boat Veterans for Truth team and a powerful wave of negative ads.

They ran over 4,000 TV commercials comparing Obama’s celebrity treatment in Europe and Israel to the empty, sinful ways of Paris Hilton and Britney Spears.

The Straight Talk Express ran out of gas.

This should be no surprise to Americans. It’s difficult for the person behind the media attention category to remain positive. What surprises me has been the ugliness I’ve heard in the Jewish community.

One local rabbi told me a congregant said, “I can’t vote for that schvartza,” using the Jewish equivalent of the “N” word. An educated 34-year-old Jewish female friend said she heard Michelle Obama talking about “whitey” on YouTube. The problem is the video doesn’t exist. A Jewish woman in her 80s called me and said she couldn’t vote for Obama because people at her synagogue told her Obama gets money from Muslim terrorists and will be beholden to them. I got an email from a Jewish man with the subject line “Never Again” which went on to make innuendos about Obama.

These are sad, yet typical statements from the Chosen People. It was in 2000 that we cheered on Joe Lieberman for the second most powerful position in the world. At the same time we held our breath waiting for someone to say, “I wouldn’t vote for that kike.” But it never happened; his team garnered more votes than his opponents. Eight years later, Jews are essentially saying that about a black candidate with a traditionally Muslim middle name.

Obama doesn’t exactly have the most extensive resume in presidential history. (Ironically, long resumes make it difficult to get elected because it leads to distorted votes and Swift Boating.) Obama isn’t perfect, and he should be scrutinized. He doesn’t deserve the treatment from Team McCain/Karl Rove either. Worse, he doesn’t deserve this treatment from the American Jewish community.

Jewish issues are not the same as they were a generation ago, or even four years ago. Being pro-Israel no longer means will you stand by the Jewish State in her time of need? Every American president has and will continue to do that. Now, being pro-Israel means having a plan to bring peace to the Middle East like Clinton did with Jordan. It means outlining a real vision that allows America to quickly wean itself off of oil which, in turn, would limit terrorist funding from Iran and Saudi Arabia.

Being pro-Jewish may also entail talking to Iran. Maybe that’s why McCain is so angry. Just when he was making an issue about Obama’s lack of international experience, the Iraqi Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki, agreed with Obama’s troop pullout plan. Then, Secretary of State Condi Rice unconditionally met with Iranian leaders, an act once tabbed by Republicans and McCain as appeasement. Perhaps Obama’s policies — or in reality those of his advisors ??— aren’t so naive about what’s needed in this new world.

Neither candidate has any substantive anti-terror energy policy which would force Iran into nuclear compliance and dissuade it funding of Hezbollah and Hamas. The debate then becomes which candidate can bring us closer to peace in the Middle East and lessen Iran’s nuclear threat.

Let’s talk about those issues and not about skin color, just as we expected the nation to focus on what Lieberman could do and not his religion. Jews should be the light unto our nation and not be highlighting racist stereotypes like other Americans.