A White House spokesman on Tuesday, January 15 condemned anti-Semitic comments made by President Mohamed Morsi before he took office, calling on him to “make clear this kind of rhetoric is not acceptable or productive in a democratic Egypt,” The New York Times reported. In a three-year-old video clip that resurfaced recently, Morsi, then a leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, urged Egyptians to “nurse our children and our grandchildren on hatred” for Jews and Zionists. Asked about Morsi’s anti-Semitic statements during a briefing at the White House, Jay Carney, the press secretary, said, “We have raised our concerns over these remarks with the government of Egypt.” Though inflammatory anti-Semitism is a staple of political discourse of all stripes in Egypt, Morsi’s vitriolic statements threaten to undermine his efforts to build a reputation as a leader for moderation and stability in the Middle East.