AIPAC and Joe Lieberman have forced outspoken Israel critic Charles W. Freeman to withdraw as the leading candidate for the National Intelligence council.
After the Director of National Intelligence stuck his head out of the window to support the anti-Israel/pro-China choice, Senator Lieberman embarrassed President Barack Obama by forcing the nominee's withdrawal.
Lieberman - Obama: 2 - 0
http://www.politico.com/...
The withdrawal came after Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-Conn.) grilled Blair at a Senate Armed Service Committee hearing Tuesday. Lieberman cited his "concern" about "statements that [Freeman] has made that appear either to be inclined to lean against Israel or too much in favor of China."
In particular, Freeman has described "Israeli violence against Palestinians" as a key barrier to Mideast peace, and referred to violence in Tibet last year – widely seen in the U.S. as a revolt against Chinese occupation – as a "race riot."
His writing drew criticism of members of Congress, but Blair said the words were taken "out of context" and allies warned that Obama was allowing domestic politics to skew intelligence analysis and continuing the Bush Administration’s stance of sidelining critics of Israeli policy toward Palestinians.
"If they withdraw his appointment prior to the conclusion of [Freeman’s formal vetting] that would be seen as abject caving in on people who are extreme partisans of Israel," Nicholas Veliotes, a former Ambassador to Egypt, and one of 17 former diplomats who signed a letters supporting Freeman, said Tuesday before the withdrawal was announced.
So far Lieberman has forced his chairmanship and sunk one of Obama's appointees.
Interestingly, the Obama people didn't consider Freeman's conflicts of interest regarding China and Saudi when pushing him for appointment. WTF are they thinking?
Any comments?
Update:
http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/...
Chuck Schumer’s office sends over a statement from the Senator himself, saying he’s the one who got Chas Freeman dumped from the post of National Intelligence Council chief:
"Charles Freeman was the wrong guy for this position. His statements against Israel were way over the top and severely out of step with the administration. I repeatedly urged the White House to reject him, and I am glad they did the right thing."
As I reported the other day, Schumer had privately communicated his doubts to White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel. Looks like those conversations had their desired effect: Schumer’s statement says straight out that that the White House engineered Freeman’s ouster.
Update II
http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.co...
The second is that Obama may bring change in many areas, but there is no possibility of change on the Israel-Palestine question. Having the kind of debate in America that they have in Israel, let alone Europe, on the way ahead in the Middle East is simply forbidden. Even if a president wants to have differing sources of advice on many questions, the Congress will prevent any actual, genuinely open debate on Israel. More to the point: the Obama peeps never defended Freeman. They were too scared. The fact that Obama blinked means no one else in Washington will ever dare to go through the hazing that Freeman endured. And so the chilling effect is as real as it is deliberate.