From the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, we hear that another Democratic member of Congress has come forward to denounce the award. Shelley Berkely of Nevada declares:

The biased views expressed by Mary Robinson against the nation of Israel remain deeply troubling and her tarnished record of actions on this issue cannot be erased with the awarding of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. This includes her role in the U.N.’s infamous Durban Conference, the scene of highly-charged anti-Jewish attacks against Israel and its supporters. Mary Robinson’s one-sided criticism of Israel and her actions while serving as a U.N. commissioner deserve to be condemned and I add my voice to those already expressing concern about her shameful record when it comes to this issue. I respectfully request that the President of the United States reassess the awarding of this prestigious medal to a woman with such a blatant record of inappropriate and inexplicable bias against America’s most reliable ally — and the region’s only democracy — the State of Israel.

Meanwhile, lawmakers including Sens. Specter, Gillibrand, and Schumer, who profess to be great friends of Israel, remain mute despite multiple requests for comment.

But this is not going away, not by a long shot. Newsweek, the mainstream media outlet most sympathetic to Obama, delivers a knock-out blow. Gregory Levey reviews her abominable record and concludes:

When Robert Gibbs, the White House spokesman, reaffirmed the president’s support for Robinson, conceding only that the president didn’t agree with everything she has ever said, it sounded tone deaf. Even to many moderates who support Israel, Robinson is not just an annoyance who has made unfortunate statements. She is an outright villain.

So even if she does deserve the award for other work, White House vetters should have known that giving it to her was going to touch a deep nerve among people the president needs on his side as he tries to finagle a seemingly impossible peace. For those of us who wholeheartedly support Obama’s Middle East policies and hope they will succeed, that sort of inattentiveness is distressing. Middle East diplomacy can often turn as much on nuance, signals, and body language as on overt communication. And to the people listening, this sends the wrong message.

So now what does the White House do?

UPDATE: U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Ranking Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, issued a statement today as well:

“Mary Robinson was the poster-child for the anti-Israel bias that pervades the United Nations system.

“During her tenure as High Commissioner, she never missed an opportunity to single out Israel for condemnation, while often excusing violent Palestinian extremism.

“Just recently, Robinson bordered on bigotry when she blamed opposition to this award on ‘bullying by certain elements of the Jewish community.’

“Under her leadership – or lack thereof – Durban I was hijacked by the world’s most intolerant regimes and transformed from an anti-racism conference into an anti-Israel, anti-Semitic, anti-American hate-fest.

“The U.S. did the right thing by walking out – and by staying away from a biased Durban Review Conference that reaffirmed Durban I’s declaration. 

“The U.S. can do the right thing again by denying Robinson this undeserved honor.  The cause of freedom is too important to be linked with Mary Robinson.”