Assassinate Obama editorial draws ire, Secret Service

Assassinating President Obama for refusing to wage war on Iran is an opinion Andrew Adler wishes he never published, CNN reported.

But that’s exactly what the owner of the Atlanta Jewish Times did Jan. 13, and now he’s facing a chorus of vocal opposition and a Secret Service investigation.

"Give the go-ahead for U.S. based Mossad agents to take out a president deemed unfriendly to Israel in order for the current vice president to take his place and forcefully dictate that the United States' policy includes its helping the Jewish state obliterate its enemies," Adler wrote in an opinion piece called “What would you do?”

Adler issued a quick apology on Friday, saying, “I very much regret it. I wish I hadn’t made reference to it at all.”

However, the Secret Service isn’t taking the threat so lightly, CNN said.

“We are aware of it,” Secret Service spokesman George Ogilvie told CNN. “We are taking the appropriate investigative steps."

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While the weekly Atlanta Jewish Times has a modest circulation, Gawker.com found the op-ed piece and brought it into the national spotlight.

Adler offered three options for dealing with an American president unwilling to defend Israel fighting a hypothetical war: First, strike Hezbollah and Hamas. Second, attack Iran’s nuclear facilities. Third, “order a hit” against the president.

Reaction from Adler’s fellow Jewish journalists has been swift. Chemi Shalev lamented the poor choice of words at Haaretz.com.

“It will indeed take a long time and a great effort to undo the damage that Adler has wrought: In one fell swoop, he has defamed Israel by implying that it might, in anyone's wildest dreams, consider such a kooky conspiracy,” Shalev wrote. “He has stained American Jews by appearing to supposedly represent their twisted way of thinking.”