The following is extracted from a statement from Chas Freeman about his withdrawal of his previous acceptance of the ill-conceived invitation to chair the National Intelligence Council.
It demonstrates that he indeed is unsuited for such a position.
Unfortunately, the problems go deeper; the fact that Dennis Blair, Director of National Intelligence, would even consider such an appointment does not bode well for the operation of our national intelligence in the near future.
The full text of Freeman's statement may be found <here>.
It demonstrates that he indeed is unsuited for such a position.
Unfortunately, the problems go deeper; the fact that Dennis Blair, Director of National Intelligence, would even consider such an appointment does not bode well for the operation of our national intelligence in the near future.
The full text of Freeman's statement may be found <here>.
You will by now have seen the statement by Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair reporting that I have withdrawn my previous acceptance of his invitation to chair the National Intelligence Council.
I have concluded that the barrage of libelous distortions of my record would not cease upon my entry into office. The effort to smear me and to destroy my credibility would instead continue. I do not believe the National Intelligence Council could function effectively while its chair was under constant attack by unscrupulous people with a passionate attachment to the views of a political faction in a foreign country. I agreed to chair the NIC to strengthen it and protect it against politicization, not to introduce it to efforts by a special interest group to assert control over it through a protracted political campaign.
…
The libels on me and their easily traceable email trails show conclusively that there is a powerful lobby determined to prevent any view other than its own from being aired, still less to factor in American understanding of trends and events in the Middle East. The tactics of the Israel Lobby plumb the depths of dishonor and indecency and include character assassination, selective misquotation, the willful distortion of the record, the fabrication of falsehoods, and an utter disregard for the truth. The aim of this Lobby is control of the policy process through the exercise of a veto over the appointment of people who dispute the wisdom of its views, the substitution of political correctness for analysis, and the exclusion of any and all options for decision by Americans and our government other than those that it favors.
[This vicious lashing out at Jews, with undercurrents of anti-Semitism, is hardly indicative of the objective analysis one needs from the chair of the National Intelligence Council. It continues in the rest of Freeman's angry statement.]
There is a special irony in having been accused of improper regard for the opinions of foreign governments and societies by a group so clearly intent on enforcing adherence to the policies of a foreign government - in this case, the government of Israel.
[This is a not-very-subtle accusation of treason.]
I believe that the inability of the American public to discuss, or the government to consider, any option for US policies in the Middle East opposed by the ruling faction in Israeli politics has allowed that faction to adopt and sustain policies that ultimately threaten the existence of the state of Israel.
[And this is a parroting of the bigoted rantings of Walt, Mearsheimer and Jimmy Carter.]
It is not permitted for anyone in the United States to say so. This is not just a tragedy for Israelis and their neighbors in the Middle East; it is doing widening damage to the national security of the United States.
The outrageous agitation that followed the leak of my pending appointment will be seen by many to raise serious questions about whether the Obama administration will be able to make its own decisions about the Middle East and related issues. I regret that my willingness to serve the new administration has ended by casting doubt on its ability to consider, let alone decide what policies might best serve the interests of the United States rather than those of a Lobby intent on enforcing the will and interests of a foreign government.
[Again, accusations of treason.]
JTA has published an article The Freeman fight: Was it all about Israel? by Eric Fingerhut indicating that Freeman's knee-jerk hatred of all things Israeli was only the tip of the iceburg in terms of the inappropriateness of Freeman for any important intelligence post - or any foreign policy post for that matter.
Once again, it has been the Jews who have served as "the canary in the coal mine."
If it was opposition to Freeman's hatred of Israel which led to his withdrawal from this appointment - rather than there really being other factors behind the scenes and his using the Jews as a convenient scapegoat - then we in America have again been well-served by our friendship with Israel.
Once again, it has been the Jews who have served as "the canary in the coal mine."
If it was opposition to Freeman's hatred of Israel which led to his withdrawal from this appointment - rather than there really being other factors behind the scenes and his using the Jews as a convenient scapegoat - then we in America have again been well-served by our friendship with Israel.
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