After several days of awkward silence, the National Jewish Democratic Committee has decided to condemn the comments made by Barack Obama’s ambassador to Belgium, Howard Gutman.

Gutman, you’ll recall, excused antisemitism and even blamed its very existence on Israel’s insistence on defending itself. Gutman gained his post by donating to Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign.

The National Jewish Democratic Committee “no commented” me when I asked for its take on the Howard Gutman controversy yesterday afternoon, but the group has finally taken a stance on the issue. The NJDC’s spokesperson points me to this statement director David Harris gave to WJW’s Adam Kredo last night:

In an interview this evening, David Harris, the NJDC’s top official, told me that “Ambassador Gutman’s comments were wrong and unfortunate, and the White House was right to issue their immediate, tough statement on Saturday.”

Kredo notes tha, “Harris, however, declined to say whether or not he believed Gutman should resign or be fired from his post.”

Far from the committee’s spin, however, the White House has decided to back Gutman and reassert the president’s confidence in his ability to represent America’s views and interests in Belgium.

So long as Gutman continues to serve as ambassador to Belgium, the White House is saying Barack Obama approves of Gutman’s outrageous views. That’s the bottom line. Ambassador Gutman needs to resign or be fired.