Glenn Greenwald: Charles Freeman fails the loyalty test

[laststeamtrain]

Glenn Greenwald
Tuesday March 10, 2009 16:58 EDT
Charles Freeman fails the loyalty test

(updated below - Update II - Update III)

Obviously, John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt are rabid, hateful paranoids -- total bigots and anti-Semites -- for having suggested that there are powerful domestic political forces in the U.S. which enforce Israel-centric orthodoxies and make it politically impossible to question America's blind loyalty to Israel. What irrational lunacy on their part:

"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."

In situations like this, it is often impossible to know whether the appointee really did voluntarily withdraw or whether he was forced out and is merely being allowed to say that he withdrew. To his credit, Adm. Blair was in the Senate this morning defending Freeman from the likes of Joe Lieberman, but everything that is publicly known about Freeman makes it seem unlikely that he would have voluntarily withdrawn due to the shrieking criticisms directed at him. If he were forced out -- and there's no basis for assuming he was until there's evidence for that -- then that reflects quite badly on the Obama administration's willingness to defy the Bill Kristols, Marty Peretzes, and National Reviews of the world when it comes to American policy towards the Middle East.

In the U.S., you can advocate torture, illegal spying, and completely optional though murderous wars and be appointed to the highest positions. But you can't, apparently, criticize Israeli actions too much or question whether America's blind support for Israel should be re-examined....http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2009/03/10/freeman/index.html
*

Ah, the neo-continuity of it all.

Reaching across the aisle & giving a reach-around.

Same: 1
Change: 0

All show & no go. Gutless.

[wildbilln864]

1. k&r! nt

[BrklynLiberal]

2. The squeaky door gets oiled. There are not enough loud-mouthed

Jewish people in this country who are willing to stand up and say that they do not think that the US should unequivocally stand by the Israeli govt, no matter what they do. At least they could not be accused of being anti-semitic.

[Wilber_Stool]

8. No, they are called

self hating Jews.

[FLAprogressive]

3. Thank Chuckles Wall Street-AIPAC Schumer, DiFi, and Holy Joe.

[waiting for hope]

4. Rosen - he's a real peach too in all of this -

Alleged spy for Israel tries to get MJ Rosenberg fired for supporting Ambassador Freeman

[burythehatchet]

5. Rosen has been leading the charge. Here's his blog.

http://www.meforum.org/blog/obama-mideast-monitor/

[mod mom]

13. Here's more back-up suggesting Rosen from Max Blumenthal:

http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-03-10/obamarsquos-mideast-policy-smackdown

[waiting for hope]

18. Lovely -

Rosen’s tactics follow a familiar pattern he has displayed throughout his career, in which he viciously undermined anyone in the foreign-policy community deemed insufficiently deferential to Israel—even his own boss.

Have much of an agenda? :sarcasm:

[aquart]

6. Real impressed, Glenn.

[burythehatchet]

7. Have another hit of this fine Hopium (thanks to the inventor of Hopium)

[JohnyCanuck]

9. K&R n/t

[Freddie Stubbs]

10. Loyalty test? How about being too biased against our only ally in the region?

:shrug:

[anonymous171]

11. "Ally"? What have they done for us lately besides complicate our ME foreign policy?

:shrug:

[Freddie Stubbs]

15. They support US foreign policy

[marmar]

12. Whatever. Intellectually dishonest rhetoric like that is what makes it difficult.....

..... to have a rational discussion on this issue.

[Freddie Stubbs]

16. What is intelectually dishonest about pointing out that Israel is our only ally in the region?

:shrug:

[marmar]

19. First off, I think Egypt, Jordan, Turkey are considered US allies too, so you're not correct.....

.... The intellectual dishonesty is the automatic labeling of criticism as being anti-Israel.

[Kingofalldems]

14. I bet your boy traitor Joe didn't like him either

:shrug:
:shrug:

[Freddie Stubbs]

17. Apperenly he is moving closer and closer to the Democratic Party Platform