Who Runs Gov

Okay, another key development in the war against Charles “Chas” Freeman, Obama’s pick for National Intelligence Council chief, who’s taking heavy fire from neocons and the pro-Israel lobby over his views on Israel and his foreign ties.

Dianne Feinstein, the chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee and a high-profile voice on intel matters, is summoning Freeman to meet with Senators from both parties on the committee to assuage any concerns they might have about the pick, Feinstein spokesperson Gil Duran confirms to me.

This could be a make or break moment for Freeman. The fact that Feinstein is bringing Freeman in could signal that some Dem Senators are on the verge of going public with opposition to him.

On the other hand, if Freeman succeeds in persuading the Senators that there’s nothing here, they could remain quiet or even come out in support of him, which would likely turn the tide against Freeman’s opponents. If this battle breaks publicly along party lines, it’s more likely that Freeman will survive.

It’s unclear whether a date for the meeting has been agreed upon. More when I know it.

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