You be the judge.
Was Charles Chas Freeman tarred and feathered?
Or was he obviously unfit to be President Obamas choice for the head of the National Intelligence Council?
After he withdrew his name earlier this week, Freeman had this to say. We quote him in his own words, in full:
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.
Does this sound like a balanced individual, qualified to head the production of dispassionate national intelligence estimates?
If Freemans record were, in truth, selectively misquoted, willfully distorted, fabricated and falsified, why would he withdraw? Would he have a thing to worry about? Would he have lost the confidence of the president or himself?
The sheer bile and out-of-control quality of Freemans remarks suggest that his critics were right on the mark. The real truth is Freemans record, not any distortion of it. Freeman was the US ambassador to Saudi Arabia. Were willing to be corrected, but we do not recall any comments or actions by Freeman suggesting any criticism of Saudi Arabian justice, under which peoples hands are chopped off, or of Saudi Arabian citizenship, under which Jews or any other non-Muslims need not apply.
Following his service as ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Freeman came under the indirect employ of that country, leading for 12 years the Saudi-funded Middle East Policy Council. Nothing illegal about that, but surely a disqualifier for a high American government position that requires objective intelligence estimates. Would a person who had been employed by the Israeli government be considered for the head of the National Intelligence Council? We think not, and rightly so.
Oh, and this: Freeman defended the infamous Chinese crackdown on dissidents in Tiananmen Square.
Not to mention, Freeman primarily blamed Israel for the failure of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. When, precisely, did Israel fail, Mr. Freeman? In 2000, when Israel and President Bill Clinton offered Yasir Arafat a state on a silver platter, only to have Arafat reject it? Did Israel fail during the second intifada, 2000-2005, when Palestinian suicide bombers and other terrorists blew up Israeli pizzerias and similar locations? Did Israel fail shortly after the signing of the Declaration of Principles in 1993, when the new Palestinian Authority and its associates launched a series of bus bombings in Jerusalem and other Israeli cities? Did Israel fail when it withdrew unilaterally from Gaza in 2005, only to be greeted by missile attacks on its cities by Hamas? Please specify, Mr. Freeman, exactly when Israel failed.
Rep. Steve Israel (D-NY) said of his opposition to Charles Freeman: He is a walking opinion, not an independent intelligence analyst.
No one knows this better than Freeman himself.
That is why he withdrew.
No other reason.
The critics got his number.
His post-withdrawal bombast only confirms this.
The middle name of Charles Freeman is not Chas, but Conflict of Interest.
Read the related news article, “Freeman withdraws intelligence bid”.
