http://washingtonindependent.com/33232/freemans-out Director of National Intelligence Dennis C. Blair announced today that Ambassador Charles W. Freeman Jr. has requested that his selection to be Chairman of the National Intelligence Council not proceed. Director Blair accepted Ambassador Freeman’s decision with regret.
I don't know much about the guy, so I have no idea if he'd be a good advisor or not. But if Obama thought he would be, then stand by him. They knew of all his statements and views before - the whole reason they wanted him was to get a different perspective and voice in the room. This isn't a Senate confirmed position and it's not like this guy was Obama's only advisor on these issues - there was no need to back down. This is pretty lame on Obama's part and more of the same in terms of not hearing any views that might potentially criticize Israel.
Chas Freeman's views on China could have formed the backbone of Obama administration's China policy. Very regrettable loss.
qft AIPAC is the most glaring example but there are many more. The answer is simple: simply fund and enforce the Foreign Agents Registration Act.
ok, so apparently i missed the interwebs memo. what does "QFT" mean? "Quite ****ing Time?" "Quit ****ing Tom?" "Quakers ****ing Trannies?"
I disagree, i think obama needs to hold off on political moves like this, he can hold off on trying to change the dialogue on israel. making an appointment like this would give be a political gift for the neocons this early in his admin.
Now's the time to do that, though. He's in a honeymoon period and the focus is on so many other things. At the end of the day, people simply don't care about foreign policy right now. Republicans b****ing about that while the economy is the primary focus would just make them look that much more out of touch. If he does it a year or two or three from now, he'll take a whole lot more criticism.
Don't think that Obama and his administration aren't thinking that the loss in stock market value has weakened Jewish interests in foreign policy. Madoff's concentrated impact on Jewish wealth and the stock market's decline has seriously impacted their power. Wealth = Influence in politics, make no mistake about it. Expect Obama to feel more free to disagree with Israel and promote Palistinian policies as a result. This is the type of sickening calculus that you would expect out of the Chicago-style political machine...
WaPo b**** slaps the whiners and conspiracy theorists. [rquoter]Blame the 'Lobby' The Obama administration's latest failed nominee peddles a conspiracy theory. Thursday, March 12, 2009; A18 FORMER ambassador Charles W. Freeman Jr. looked like a poor choice to chair the Obama administration's National Intelligence Council. A former envoy to Saudi Arabia and China, he suffered from an extreme case of clientitis on both accounts. In addition to chiding Beijing for not crushing the Tiananmen Square democracy protests sooner and offering sycophantic paeans to Saudi King "Abdullah the Great," Mr. Freeman headed a Saudi-funded Middle East advocacy group in Washington and served on the advisory board of a state-owned Chinese oil company. It was only reasonable to ask -- as numerous members of Congress had begun to do -- whether such an actor was the right person to oversee the preparation of National Intelligence Estimates. It wasn't until Mr. Freeman withdrew from consideration for the job, however, that it became clear just how bad a selection Director of National Intelligence Dennis C. Blair had made. Mr. Freeman issued a two-page screed on Tuesday in which he described himself as the victim of a shadowy and sinister "Lobby" whose "tactics plumb the depths of dishonor and indecency" and which is "intent on enforcing adherence to the policies of a foreign government." Yes, Mr. Freeman was referring to Americans who support Israel -- and his statement was a grotesque libel. For the record, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee says that it took no formal position on Mr. Freeman's appointment and undertook no lobbying against him. If there was a campaign, its leaders didn't bother to contact the Post editorial board. According to a report by Newsweek, Mr. Freeman's most formidable critic -- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi -- was incensed by his position on dissent in China. But let's consider the ambassador's broader charge: He describes "an inability of the American public to discuss, or the government to consider, any option for U.S. policies in the Middle East opposed by the ruling faction in Israeli politics." That will certainly be news to Israel's "ruling faction," which in the past few years alone has seen the U.S. government promote a Palestinian election that it opposed; refuse it weapons it might have used for an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities; and adopt a policy of direct negotiations with a regime that denies the Holocaust and that promises to wipe Israel off the map. Two Israeli governments have been forced from office since the early 1990s after open clashes with Washington over matters such as settlement construction in the occupied territories. What's striking about the charges by Mr. Freeman and like-minded conspiracy theorists is their blatant disregard for such established facts. Mr. Freeman darkly claims that "it is not permitted for anyone in the United States" to describe Israel's nefarious influence. But several of his allies have made themselves famous (and advanced their careers) by making such charges -- and no doubt Mr. Freeman himself will now win plenty of admiring attention. Crackpot tirades such as his have always had an eager audience here and around the world. The real question is why an administration that says it aims to depoliticize U.S. intelligence estimates would have chosen such a man to oversee them.[/rquoter]
