Schumer Privately Tells White House He’s Concerned About Freeman On Israel
Senator Charles Schumer has privately expressed concerns directly to White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel about Chas Freeman, the Obama administration’s pick to head the group that prepares some of the intel community’s most politically sensitive assessments, a person familiar with their conversation tells me.
Obama’s choice of Freeman as head of National Intelligence Council — which has aroused opposition because of his strong criticism of Israel and other things — signaled that the President isn’t afraid to buck the pro-Israel lobby and the neocon critics who aggressively opposed the Freeman pick.
But Schumer’s concerns could create serious problems for Freeman, since Schumer is a Democrat and a high-profile voice on Israel, and could give cover for other Democrats to come out and vocally raise questions about the appointment.
The source familiar with Schumer’s conversation with Rahm tells me the New York Senator was concerned about Freeman’s positions on Israel.
“It was in a phone call to Rahm,” the source says, adding that Chuck expressed reservations about Freeman’s positions on Israel. “It was about Freeman’s positions on the Middle East.”
The source added that Chuck isn’t “threatening to block him” yet, but wanted to weigh in to the White House about his concerns. Schumer spokesman Brian Fallon declined comment on the call. The Weekly Standard first reported, with no detail or sourcing, that a conversation had taken place.
This comes as the White House is signaling that they may not be willing to go to bat for Freeman. Eli Lake today reported that Freeman’s foreign ties are now being probed by an independent inspector general. Lake quoted a spokesperson for Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair, who picked Freeman for the post, saying that he had done so without “White House approval.” Freeman will now undergo serious White House vetting.
This could get dicey. More soon.
Update: The battle over Freeman is heating up — more details here.
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Uh oh – Greg’s going for the unnamed source stories and the access.
It’s just two short steps to the cocktail weenies, dude.
LOLOLOLOL!!!! I’m just kidding.
Hmmmm – I wish I knew what this “concern over his position on Israel” means – is he not sufficiently pro-Israeli? Or his he another Likud agent in our gov – and whatever happened to the Likud agents who were working in Douglas Feith’s office?
Never mind – he’s insufficiently pro-Israeli. I see it now.
cocktail weenies! great idea. I’m heading over to Georgetown right now.
I swear this sh*t has got to end somewhere. Our blind allegience to Israel serves absolutely no purpose and really Hillary Clinton’s speech the other day where she inferred that the elected Hamas members in Gaza are not “legitimate” is ridiculous also. If they really do have a democracy in Gaza we can’t just act like their overseer and tell them that their elected officials aren’t legitimate because we don’t like who won.
.
Sooner or later someone is going to have to realize that we will NEVER have a two state solution in the middle east unless and until critics of Israel are allowed to have a voice in an administration. 8 years from now we will be talking about how dissappointing it was that a peace deal was never reached if we continue to allow Israel to hold all of the cards. Not a single person said a d*mn thing about the ambassador to Saudi Arabia Prince Bandar being allowed totally innappropriate access to Bush’s White House except Michael Moore and then everybody tried to dismiss his criticism. But now when there is a guy with a shot to have an official voice in the administration who just has ties to Saudi Arabia is going to be turned away?! Of course Greg I am sure you know they used you precisely to try to bring out more disagreement with the pick publicly but hell what are you supposed to do, not run a scoop? Still this stinks to high heavens and unless they find out the guy was trying to smuggle weapons for the Saudis I for one am going to be pissed of the Democrats come out to block him.
Oh, did the Inspector General already finish probing the Israeli government’s payments to Dennis Ross through the Jewish Agency.
http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS216643+29-Jan-2009+PRN20090129
Those inspector generals are FAST!
I’m heading over to Georgetown right now.
Don’t forget the cocktails…
Is he concerned that maybe this Freeman guy could end up looking at stuff like the so-called intelligence that the Mossad has secretly produced and provided to the US and others that proves Iran has a secret nuclear weapons program?
Is Shumer afraid Freeman will find there is much less to that intelligence than there was to the WMDs in Iraq, and that we have been hell-bent on attacking Iran ALSO for no good reason?
Is that what Shumer is worried about?
Is he worried that the information contained in Congressional Resolutions about a weapons program in Iran that Shumer supported may be a pack of unsubstantiated, but oft-repeated, Israeli propaganda?
I hope they get a little more specific after a few cocktails.
Keep us informed.
The Israeli Lobby is burning through your tax dollars to make certain that only AIPAC approved Israel-firsters are vetting the NIE. Why? Very simple — they want to use our American taxpayer dollars, and our young soldiers to carry out the neo-con agenda against Iran, while they continue to confiscate Palestinian land. Your government has been subverted by a foreign power, and it ain’t no conspiracy theory, my friends.
This is a bullshit post. An UNNAMED source privy to a PRIVATE converstation between Schumer or Emanuel? This had to come
1.) direct from Schumer in an attempt to create a controversy to embarrass the Obama administration, & should be outed for that reason;
or
2.) a fantasy direct from some pro-Israel apologist lobbyist who is sickened that the US might not continue to support Israeli murder;
or some combination of those 2. No way it came from anyone close to Emanuel who is at all interested in helping Obama.
YOU’VE BEEN PUNKED & are spreading bullshit.
OU’VE BEEN PUNKED & are spreading bullshi
No, actually, you’re a punk and you’re spreading a lie.
Dude, this story has a prominent place on HuffPo’s front page. This ain’t no made-up story.
So, here’s the thing, bullshit detector: You are completely uninformed and need to find out what you’re talking about —- if you’re going to use that handle.
Or look up the meaning of “irony” in the dictionary.
Please explain to me why being sufficiently proIsrael and antiPalestinian is a requirement for being in the US Federal Government.
Please explain to me why being sufficiently proIsrael and antiPalestinian is a requirement for being in the US Federal Government.
When you find out the answer to this, please pass it along. I never thought I’d say this – I was always strongly pro-Israel, until what is happening over there became inescapable – everyone knows what Israel is doing and it’s insane. They’ve been doing this the same way for almost 60 years now, expecting a different result. There are times when I wish the world would come together and just take that part of the world over and run it jointly and not let Jerusalem be the focal point for so much death and blood and horror anymore. Damn, I’d like to just raze Jerusalem to the ground – I’m not kidding. I can’t take this anymore. People have been dying over that damn city for 5000 years. When is enough enough?
In the second paragraph you firmly state, “Obama’s choice of Freeman as head of National Intelligence Council… signaled that the President isn’t afraid to buck the pro-Israel lobby and the neocon critics who aggressively opposed the Freeman pick.”
Then in the last full paragraph you say that Freeman had been picked for the post “without White House approval.” Nice.
Typical Obama. Hopefully not typical of your journalistic skills.
American Skeptic, I concur. SO tired of Israel running our government.
ummm, dudes….
Chas Freeman’s Israel position is not the problem.
The issue is his being a paid mouthpiece for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, perhaps better known to some as the intellectual and spiritual home of Al Quaida.
He is a completely bought and paid for mouthpiece for them, a case study. Lots of US pols have taken Saudi money, but as one person said to me, “No one has done what Chas has done. No One.”
Chas Freeman’s Israel position is not the problem.
The issue is his being a paid mouthpiece for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, perhaps better known to some as the intellectual and spiritual home of Al Quaida.
I had no idea. If that’s true, it’s stunning alright. I can see the source of Schumer’s discomfort.
Bullshit Detector–You can rest assured that the source of this is Schumer’s office.
100%, though I’m also sure that Rahm Emmanuel didn’t call anyone up at Schumer’s office to berate him for leaking it.
Schumer’s most important constituency are the legions of upper-middle class and rich Jews who sent him to Congress and then the Senate. They are not happy and he is hearing from them.
But what gives this legs is the Wahhabi angle. If Chas was just a “Royal-Realist,” i.e. looking to maintain some status quo ante bellum between Jordan, Syria, Egypt and Israel, that would be one thing.
It is another to have worked that hard for that long for people like the Saudi monarchy. That’s just asking for it.
lazy staff work on Rahm’s part. Or, a left-handed favor.
Chuck Schumer is a paid shill for the banks and for Israel. Why don’t we investigate his foreign ties? And Rahm Emmanuel’s too? Did Freeman ever sign up and fight with the Saudi army?
Foreign, incestuous and treasonous ties are OK as long as they’re with Israel. Or if you’re a Bush.
not sure that bush being in the pocket of Saudi royal family caused any big problems for these people.
I agree that support for Israel at all costs is not helping us, and to belittle the leaders of the Palestinians is rather “unhelpful” as well.
Tena,
His work and his record running the Middle East Policy Council has taken the notion of “His Master’s Voice” to a new height. I believe through 05 they had a member of the Bin Ladin family on the executive council.
Loy–Obama did not PERSONALLY appoint Freeman, but he sure as hell knew about it.
Right on Greg Sargent!
Schumer, whom I dislike, is a paid shill for the banks because they are all based in NYC. You will find that many dairy state Senators have close ties to that industry; please note that Feingold and Boxer tend to be supportive of Hollywood. There is a theme here.
The Bushes and the Saudi’s are close, but its more of a realism..favors and access thing, if that wasn’t seamy enough.
Freeman pounded the tables and worked tirelessly behind the scenes to legitimize the most profoundly inhuman, eocratic government in the world.
Also, note that for all of the love shown Bush pere and Jim Baker, his son GWB put the wood to the Saudi client state of Afghanistan and tried to plant a democracy in Iraq. The anti-terror finance actions alone still get them steamed in riyadh.
I aint backing the Iraq venture, not by a longshot, but its pretty clear that when the chips were down, the Saudi wishes were ignored.
Freeman was the guy helping them get their voice out in DC. That sucks.
Swear undying allegiance to Israel to get a job in the US Government?
I REALLY don’t understand.
Friends should be able to tell friends when they ‘re wrong. Why are we not able to do the same with our ‘best friend nation’? If my brother started beating his kids, I’d jump in to save not only the kids but also him… our unchallenging acceptance of all Israel’s actions is helpful to none involved, including Israel.
ps. I am Jewish so hold the anti semitic criticism.
So the guy has been working as the paid mouthpiece of Saudi Arabia, and thinks the Chinese aren’t being tough enough on their dissidents. Big deal.
Please explain to me why being sufficiently proIsrael and antiPalestinian is a requirement for being in the US Federal Government.
If you have to ask that question, you are really dumb.
Since you are, let me explain.
Israel is a REAL democracy. It is a vibrant society that values entrepreneurship, the rights of women. It has had the guts to put the stop to TWO nuclear development programs — Ossirak and the Syrian NK joint venture — preventing nuclear weapons from getting into the hands of the Stalinist Saddam Hussein and Syrian/Iranian fascist thugs.
Meanwhile, the Palestinians have chosen as their government a hugely corrupt entity (Fatah) or a delusional terrorist organization (Hamas) that, among other things, wants to institute Sharia law and all its ancillary medieval components (such as gender apartheid) and would rather engage in fruitless military action that get on with the business of creating an actual functioning state.
There…could that be any clearer? Apparently, for some “intelligences,” it’s too hard to grasp.
If Israel ran the US the way some of the comments here think, Iran would be a smoking crater. For those of you who complain of Israel getting special treatment, name another county whose very legitimacy and right to exists are questioned. You can’t. Freeman isn’t even neutral, he is an avowed enemy and your race to defend him despite his indefensible relations with the Saudis and comments about Tienanmen Square, place him, and you, beyond the pale. Do you pray under armed guards? I do, practically every synagogue in the world has guards or police now. Every major Jewish office and institution worldwide is also under guard. We are scouted by terrorists like the barbarians who attacked Mumbai, you tell us to shut up and do nothing. We tried that before, thanks for the advice, it is better to be hated and live than loved and be dead. I hope Freeman’s nomination does implode. I cannot know what lives in heart of those that made some of the nastier comments above but if you hate Israel, you hate the Jewish people and I suggest you look in the mirror and say the following: “it is because of people like me that Israel has developed a nuclear capability.
Who cares if they guy thinks China should have cracked down harder on tiananmen square. Who cares that the guy cares more about a state maintaining order then students protesting for more rights. Man, the left has gone CRAZY. You people are seriously defending THIS pick? This is what you stand for now? Since he is less in support of Israel then past picks, you are all cool with his stance on China and it’s dissidents? Wow.
Wow, this is who liberals want to champion? The anti-protestor comments in defense of China is enough to get him thrown out of any deli in Manhattan, and you want him to have access to our most secret national security matters? Egads, derangement is here!
Kark K, “… and all it’s ancillary medieval components”, as a Jew with quite a few Orthodox friends, I don’t think we should be raising criticisms of other religion’s antiquated beliefs and customs.
AND… as i said in my earlier post, blind acceptance of a friend’s actions is neither loyal nor helpful.
ps. insulting people who do not agree with you is not a sign of greater intelligence.
And one more thing- Americans like me who support Israel do so we sincerely believe that Israel is a true ally and friend of the US. When you have problem in the region, the Saudis will be helpful if it is not dangerous to them, Egypt will cash any check you send and will occasionally help, but Israel ALWAYS does whatever she can for the US. Ask US commanders in Iraq if Israeli intelligence was helpful to the US in Iraq. For bonus points, name any action by the Palestinians in the last 20 years that advanced US interests and was done out of friendship. Palestinians danced in the streets on 911 and have some lovely things to say in Arabic about the US. And Yassir Arafat personally ordered the murder of two US diplomats, Moore and Noel.
Greg,
Please stop raising questions about the President’s judgment. It’s unpatriotic and, if you insist on continuing to raise questions, may result in you being added to our enemies list and publicly ridiculed at White House press conferences.
Love,
Robert G.
“Chuck Schumer is a paid shill for the banks and for Israel. Why don’t we investigate his foreign ties? And Rahm Emmanuel’s too?”
Hey, why not investigate all the Jews infecting our government? Israel is evil we all know that, look how mean they are to the sweet folks in Hamas, who are innocently trying to create a medieval theocracy.
99% of you fuckers complaining about Israel have never spent real time there. Your daddies and grandadies did not play so nice with their enemies, even when they were an ocean away (think Hiroshima, think Dresden), but you think you are morally pure.
My problem with the US government vis-a-vis Israel is that all this **** about even pretending to be a semi-honest broker is stupid. The Israelis are the good guys, as much as the Americans ever were.
I called Shumer’s office about my concerns about the mortgage subsidies, 1 billion for Arab terrorists in Gaza and yes Freeman, the guy on Saudi payroll and who that believes that it is all right for Chinese government to drive tanks over demonstrators in Bejing or for any other government in any other capital.
I am glad that my call had some effect.
UpChuck Schumer … who would of thunk it. Chucky, Americans are your constituency … specifically New Yorkers.
to Some Zionist… Great Britain a democratic monarchy who’s history includes, expansionism, colonialism, pernicious racism, slavery, genocide(the Boars), forced relocation, conscription of natives (India)etc.; is one of the world leaders for human rights and justice. One could seriously indict most countries for their history which will take us to where exactly?
I hope this is is not too far off subject but, I have read that just because a majority voted in the terrorist hamas that we must respect them as a democracy. What kind of pinhead reasoning is that.
If 9 out of ten people vote to kill non-muslims as unbelivers, am I supposed to respect that, just because the majority voted for it.
This is axactly what you get when the laws are based on islam!
Any society based on islamic law is intolorent, misogynistic and murderous towards non-muslims.
Without an underlying constitution that respects freedom and protects the minority from the majority as our constitution does will there be true freedom in any society.
Why do you think the OIC came up with their own human rights charter directly contradicting the international human rights charter agreed to in the UN?
The islamic one says O.K. but only as long as it agrees with the sharia’ (islamic law). That is insane.
Get a clue people, you cannot apply our own enlightened values and morals to an outside world that is not based on truth or anything that even comes close. You can’t plead for peace with someone who is trying to destroy you!
Do some research and maybe study a little history as well folks.
I swear that some peoples opinions I read seem to be based on nothing more than the most recent propaganda.
Search for the truth, but don’t look for it in the media or from our elected officials!
McGruder: Precisely. He sure as heck knew about it. Hence the insult to intelligence to claim plausible deniability AND take credit for it at the same time. Like I said: typical Obama.
And it appears typical responses in journalistic types, also.
Karen: Exactly.
Hey, Barry J, I can mock the antiquated customs of ANY religion, especially one that keeps women in perpetual servitude, and whose more extreme adherents have no compunction about sending teenagers with explosive vests onto crowded buses to dismember innocents.
As for “blind acceptance” — well, those are YOUR words, and weak ones at that. I know what Israel is, what it does, and why. There’s a very high degree of moral clarity here, except for those who engage in the sloppiest sort of moral equivalence.
shorter comments section: joooooooooooooos!
Shumer, another American Jew slowly and ever so reluctantly coming to realize that the international Left is virulently anti-Israel and even anti-Semitic now, as amply evidenced in the comments above. Sure, Hamas is just the legitimate representative of a “democratic” process among a nation in exile, not a twisted death cult of gangsters and murderers. And, sure, the “Israel lobby” controls our foreign policy (just as the Jews control, what was it again, the banks, and Hollywood, and, well all that stuff.) It’s not that Israel is a real democracy, a real, civilized state in the middle of a region of barbaric tyrannies and backward cultures. Nope, it’s the “Israel lobby.”
Well, Shumer, and Marty Peretz and all the other American Jews who stiil vote Democrat and who don’t deign to notice that the Dems are not run by the liberals any more, but by the international Left that hates Jews as much as they hate “capitalists,” don’t wake up. Continue voting Democrat and then be shocked…shocked! when they continue to sell you down the river.
Interesting how a lot of the antisemitic types seem to pop up as soon as Israel is mentioned…Along with all their conspiracy theory baggage.
I would make the observation that Israelis despite the Palestinian issue are far more reliable and sane people to deal with than the current Palestinian leadership which seems to be divided in to two the Syrian/Iranian supported Hamas religious radical neo Nazi nutcases and the somewhat more secular PLO types. Let me also make the observation I’d far rather deal with Israel than whatever state might replace it if it falls.
I have my doubts on Freedman being sufficiently impartial a type to be running out intelligence as near as I can tell he has his own ideological axes to grind and then there is that memo that leaked that he wrote on the Tiananmen square protesters which really raises questions on his ethics…
I don’t suppose it has anything to do with things like this which show that Chas Freeman is a walking, talking repudiation of American values on foreign policy.
Interesting the turn the comments have taken. One would think some trolls were directed here but I digress. In answer to the question about what other nation has their existence questioned I have a simple answer for you: PALESTINE! Why do you think we have been pushing for a two state solution? It surely isn’t because Israel doesn’t have a state. Not only that but the settlements are still going up in the west bank. What exactly has Israel done in terms of “standing with us”? They surely haven’t helped in Iraq or Afghanistan but that is to be expected. So what is it they have done? The truth is most if not all of the anger and venom directed at the US from the Middle East is due to our relationship with Israel. That would be all fine and good IF Israel wasn’t phucking over the Palestinians by closing off the border and their access to utilities like electricity and water. The palestinians in Gaza and to a lesser extent the West Bank are basically living in an open air prison and they have no way of leaving or thriving in their own lands. The mistake a lot of people make is conflating the palestinian people with Hamas. Not every Palestinian or even most Palestinians is a member of Hamas and its against every international treaty to collectively punish these people. Its a tool of the intellectually lazy to say someone is anti Israel just because they state the facts of what is going on over there and thats why peace will never come until we take off our rose colored glasses. And guess what, if there isn’t peace in the Middle East you can bet your a$$ that sooner or later that unrest will reach our shores. With the Israelis having just elected the pro war Bibi Netanyahu this is even more of a possibility. Like I said before, we had Prince Bandar helping craft foreign policy when Bush was in office so if there weren’t any complaints about him there shouldn’t be a many complaints about Freeman.
Israel is a REAL democracy.
lol. Sure it is, unless you are an Israeli Arab.
Code monkey. Try to find a source other than the Weekly Standard that has reported that incident. I have looked several times but it always comes back to the NEOCON Weekly Standard. And that is more than a little fishy.
And what’s up with all the Zioclown Hasbara trolls? Did GIYUS.org or some other reflexively pro-Israel Ziotentacle catch wind of someone possibly criticizing poor defenseless Israel over the Interwebs? Someone call Abe Foxman and Jamie Kirchickenhawk!
Must be, because they are here to…
Rock the Hasbara!
Rock the Hasbara!
much more on this battle, which is heating up:
http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/foreign-policy/battle-over-chas-freeman-heats-up/
Karl K:
“sloppiest sort of moral equivalence…” — Isn’t that a bit redundant?
Proper Hasbara technique:
How to make the case for Israel and win.
The case for Israel is made of four propositions that should always be presented in the correct escalating order.
1. Israel Rocks!
2. Arabs Suck!
3. You Suck!
4. Everybody Sucks!
http://jewssansfrontieres.blogspot.com/2008/07/how-to-make-case-for-israel-and-win.html
Apologize for Israel like a pro.
You begin by saying how great Israel is. Israel want peace; Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East; the desert blooms; kibutz; Israelis invented antibiotics, the wheel, the E minor scale; thanks to the occupation Palestinians no longer live in caves; Israel liberates Arab women; Israel has the most moral army in the world, etc.
This will win over 50% of your listeners immediately. Don’t worry about the factual content. This is about brand identity, not writing a PhD. Do you really think BP is ‘beyond petroleum’?
Then you go into the second point: They suck. Here you talk about the legal system of Saudi Arabia, gay rights in Iran, slave trade in the Sudan, Mohammad Atta, the burqa, Palestinians dancing after 9/11, Arafat’s facial hair, etc.
There is only one additional principle you need to understand here. It will separate you from the amateurs. You need to know your audience. If you’ve got a crowd already disposed to racist logic, go for it with everything you have. But if you get a liberal crowd, you need to sugar coat the racism a bit. Focus on women rights, human rights, religious tolerance, “clash of civilizations”, terrorism, they teach their children to hate, etc. Deep down your audience WANTS to enjoy racism and feel superior. They just need the proper encouragement so they can keep their sophisticated self-image. Give them what they crave and they’ll adore you! But be careful not to ‘mix n match,’ because it will cost you credibility.
When you’re done, there will always be dead-enders insisting that abuse of **** in Iran does not justify ethnic cleansing in Palestine. Take a deep breath, and pull the doomsday weapon: You suck!
You’re a Jew-hater, Arab-lover, anti-Semite, you’re a pinko, a commie, a dreamer, a naive, a self-hater, you have issues, your mother worked for the Nazis, Prince Bandar buys you cookies, you forgot you were responsible for the holocaust, etc. The more the merrier. By the time you end this barrage, only a handful would be left standing. For mopping them up, you use the ultimate postmodern wisdom: Everything sucks.
War, genocide, racism, oppression are everywhere. From the Roma in Italy to the Native-Americans in the U.S., the weak are victimized. Why pick on Israel? It’s the way of the world. Look! Right is only in question between equals in power; the strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must. Ethics, schmethics. Life is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. Eat, drink! Carpe diem! The Palestinians would throw us into the sea if they could. Ha ha!
Trust me, that’s as far as words can go. If you followed this method faithfully, you’ve done your work. You should leave the few who are still unconvinced to the forces of order.
Speaking of REAL democracy. How about the Racist Lieberman? That’s Israeli “Democracy” for you.
Oh, and say hi to Vanunu for me, Democracy lovers.
“lol. Sure it is, unless you are an Israeli Arab.”
In which case your definition of democracy is “everybody is required to obey every word I say, and voting is just used to identify people who disagree with me so my death squads can kill them for treason.” Thus, Israel is clearly NOT a democracy by Arab standards.
I’m curious about why you say Lieberman is a racist Chris. I think that term is thrown around a lot these days, but if you do have evidence that he is I’d like to know about it.
That’s being a good racist, Tatterdemalian. Let that Ziohate flow flow through your veins.
And TruthBeTold, you can do your own homework, like this little goy did. I have nothing but contempt for Zioclowns and their mealy-mouthed propaganda.
Gah! Can there be NO ONE at high levels that doesn’t bow down to the Israel lobby???
This is America, not Israel. Israel is nothing but a foreign country to 300 million Americans regardless of how the minority 5 million Jews in America feel about Israel.
You would think that after 21 centuries of repeating the same mistake over and over, of history repeating itself again and again, the Jews would catch on to the fact that it is normal for most countries to expect their citizens to be loyal to the country they live in…but evidently not.
Looks like the typical display of a few arrogant> Nazi-Jew Idiotsantisemitic criticism or that stupid
>You’re a Jew-hater, Arab-lover, anti-Semite do suck – big time< !
I met Chas Freeman on several occasions in Saudi Arabia. Setting Arab/Israeli biases to the side for the moment, the man’s actual knowledge and understanding or the broader Middle East are second to none.
I do not have the knowledge to conclusively deny the allegation that he is “on the Saudi payroll;” but from what I have been able to discern, that would be seriously out of character. Because of that, and because I do know that the AIPAC lobby and their ilk will readily smear anyone they deem to show insufficient fealty to Israel as pro-Arab out of dubious motivations, I serioulsy doubt Freeman’s views are purchased by Riyad.
Yes, Freeman is critical of Israel; but what is wrong with taking counsel from an advisor who can back up his critisism with facts and sound analysis? Unless one is of the all-too-prominent school that believes that everything that Israel does is by definition right (or will at any rate pretend that is so), one would recognize that the President getting cogent, informed advice that does not follow the Likud party line is a good thing.
here are three substantive issues. One is whether clearance by the Israel lobby, represented by Jewish members of Congress and Senate and acting as judge, jury, prosecutor, with suspects deemed guilty until proven innocent, is required for government posts. Secondly, what has become of Jewish intelligence? Let us suppose the slander directed at a distinguished and devoted public servant works, and the Freeman appointment is terminated. That would end the absurd chorus of denials that there is an Israel lobby which met, for instance, the publication of the Mearsheimer-Walt book, It would also, however, evoke a large backlash not least in the permanent government, where many think as Freeman does and are not much longer (to judge by what a Washington resident like myself can learn in conversation) prepared to tolerate being pushed around by Israel’s partisans. We would then face the public discussion of an issue which the leadership of American Jewry has avoided like the plague, dual loyalty. Finally, of course, American Jews have made great contributions to this, our country, in art, culture, science, education, business and public affairs. The “community leaders” grouped around the Israel issue seem to feel less connected to the US, are more haunted by images of the ghetto past or the fate of European Jewry, as if we faced an imminent threat here –and, in fact, the organisations they lead do not number much more than a third, if that, of the US Jewish population. The figure of a Dershowitz, recently threatenting Hampshire College (where a disinvestment process has begun) in terms of limitless hatred, suggests that there are psycho-cultural dimensions of attachment to Israel which merit examination…..The issue is not alone one of foreign policy but involves the imperfect integration in the US of segments of a group which has prospered splendidly here, but elements of which which seems unable to resolve the tensions this generates. Jews aren’t the only ones, of course —-but for the moment, the onslaught on Freeman has made the issue acute.
**** Israel, we’ve done enough for that piece of **** country and gotten nothing but grief and terrorism in return. Enough is enough!
Time to give Israel its independence. Time to end dual citizenship in the US. Let’s feed starving Americans before we give them one more cent.
Obama will betray Israel when the circumstances are right. Its only a matter of time. Sen Schumer had better be prepared to do more than privately express his concern.
Hey, Some Zionist:
I generally support Israel and a viable two-state solution. I have never understood why Jerusalem could not be “internationalized” and run by the U.N.? As a retired U.S. Army Military Intelligence officer, however, I am still mad at Israel for its unprovoked and deadly attack on the USS Liberty in international waters in June of 1967. LBJ and the Israelis conspired to cover up this vicious attack on the one country who was supporting Israel in its 1967 war. So, I don’t trust Israel all that much.
Jews are the trouble of the present. Hitler failed to respond to the “Jewish question”! In order to obtain peace and prosperity again we must get rid of the Jews in Congress and in Obama’s cabinet.
All these Israehell lovers should be detained and exposed to hard labor.
www americanfreepress net worth your time!
The middle section of this article talking about RFK is pretty interesting.
Its from Reuters so pretty legit!
http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS216643+29-Jan-2009+PRN20090129?sp=true
As one acquainted with Amb. Chas Freeman, I can only feel relief that he is not back in government– not just yet. As a free citizen he has punched incredibly large holes in Israel’s fraud perpetrated on the American citizens it deems “dumb goyim.” And the most he did he did with facts and with sheer logic. He has been the father of MEANINGFUL DIALOGUE on Mideast issues, like a good physician relieving the pressure for outrage and retribution. From the point of view of American Jews, he pushes the Krystalhacht in America clock’s hands back further. Without Freemen free to speak his mind and encourage others to do so in his panels and journals, the pressure would greatly rise as people realize that, in contrast to America’s fully American Jewish mass, a few nominal Jews– like the ex-Leninist neocons, representing no one but the financial interests that pay them, of late Radical Zionism– are trying to dominate America. From the point of view of President Obama, having chosen as Chief of Staff an American who abrogated his US Citizenship by going to fight in the Israeli Army in the 1970s, losing Chas Freemen in a position of letting truth in to the President from within his own administration is a terrible loss. The Zionist run image of America is brought much larger into the public’s focus by the departure of Amb. Freeman, to the unfair peril of American Jews. But AIPAC, after all, works for Israel, takes its order from Israel and delivers stolen secret documents for Israel. Freeman’s withdrawal because of AIPAC perilously moves the minute hand on the Krystalnacht clock, a tragedy. Alas, the real issue is that a lot of Zionist activists see this as getting even with the “dumb goyim” Americans by imposing only pro-Israel choices on them. It is vital, they feel, to that personal “mensch-hood” maleness status of which they themselves feel deficient. So they go to extremes, foolishly believing that there’s no blowback to fear. All of us who fear anti-Semitism reborn here must deeply regret the pushing of Amb. Freeman out of government. But those of us who so value Amb. Freemen’s unsupressable brilliant analysis of Mideast Affairs this is a celebration of truth’s freedom to be heard in the public square. For he will richly provide for the millions seeking the truth past the insulting hasbara Israel chooses to dump on us “dumb goyim” a public bridge of facts over the BS. Welcome back to us all, Amb. Freeman. Working in Gov you would only be denied to us again.
Keep working ,great job!
Tremendously enlightening blogs. I just ran into your posts, and though I haven’t work through more than a few, I am finding your thoughts informative. We need more thinkers.
Jimmy Root, Jr
Author “Distant Thunder” Aug. 2009
Great info=) will definitely come back soon:D
What a gem!!! I found your site on yahoo looking for something else entirely- and now I’m going to need to go back and go through the old posts! So much for my free time this morning, but this was a really awesome find!