Top intelligence pick withdraws

It's time that the US stopped letting Israel set middle east policy. I thought that Obama was about change!

I'm curious about something...When we (U.S. Americans) critisize Israel's treatment of Palestinians that makes us "pro-Arab"? Or maybe, it makes us pro human rights! I don't know this guy, but I'm sick of people equating a critisizm of the Israeli government with being antisemitic or (as in this article) pro-arab. I have the same amount of issue with Judaism as I have with christianity and/or islam-pretty much none. I do have a lot to say about the Israeli government, though, and that doesn't make me pro-arab (what does that mean anyway? Can we not be rpo-arab now?). I have a lot to say about my own government, but that doesn't make me anti-american.

We need to remove the influence of the "National Jewish Democratic Council" and the "Republican Jewish Coalition". These groups are not objective and should not be influencing our foreign policy. Mr. Freeman has been an expert in this area for years so it is a disgrace that he can not tell the truth at the risk of being called an anti-semite. The whole world knows that the US spends BILLIONS on civilian and military aid to Israel each year and they would not survive on their own despite their tough exterior and the fact that they repeatedly thumb their nose at suggestions for peace from the US while keeping their handout. Most unusual is the fact that they are our only "ally" that continues to have spies against us and have been repeatedly caught stealing US secrets ever since the Rosenbergs. Many people question this "friendship" and feel that we are bought by the Israeli lobby. Time to let them go on their own and fend for themselves.

This is the new McCarthyism. Speak the truth about Israeli oppression of Palestinians and face smears, innuendo, character assassination, and demotion.

Give me a break!!!!!! You can't even breath sympathy for the Palestinian plight without being crucified (no pun intended). You can't call what Israel is doing anything but brutal collective punishment with them thumbing their nose at the entire world!!! Might is right and nobody will influence them any different. They will continue stealing land, tearing down families homes and orchards, surround Jerusalem and eventually either kill or run every Palestinian or Arab out of their "Jewish State". The most racist and prejudice goverment sponsered society on earth.

I am very disappointed! We need more people in government who are not so one-sided when it comes to the middle east. As a taxpayer and American citizen I am sick to death of seeing my money poured down that rat hole! If Israel cannot get along with its neighbors that is their problem NOT ours!

Why so harsh a judgement of an experienced who showed less bias than those attacking him?

It's unfortunate that anybody who even hints at being unbiased in the Middle East comes under attack by all the forces the Jewish community can muster. For Representative Steve Israel (gosh, could he be Jewish?) to say that Freeman's departure preserves the impartiality of US intelligence is laughable. What he means is that U.S. intelligence will continue to be filtered through a Jewish lens - just as it was during the Bush administration. Lest we forget, it was largely the Jewish neoconservative element in the Bush administration that cherry-picked intelligence, and in fact wrote the speech naming Iraq, Iran and North Korea the "axis of evil."

Freeman's withdrawal is unfortunate. His presence on the Council would have made a statement to the world that we are genuinely interested in solving the problems in the Middle East, and that diplomatic negotiation that gives voice to all involved is truly our goal

With Ambassador Freeman’s departure, we have preserved the partiality of US intelligence

The first sentence of this article reads: "Another top Obama administration official pulled the plug today on their appointment..." Shouldn't that be "Another top Obama administration official pulled the plug on *his* appointment"? "Administration official" is singular, so the pronoun that replaces it should also be singular.

What? Another mistake by the "chosen one"? I thought Obama was flawless, that he could never make a bad appointment. I'm afraid Pres. Barry hasn't thought through many of his hurried decisions. It seems that he has been trying to make some record of things accomplished in the fewest number of days in office. Unfortunately for America, our country is not something to be toyed with. America is not "too big to fail". I hope the country can wake up before it is too late. Please, Mr. Obama, talk to someone other than your bare armed wife when making decisions.

Impartiality, Arabist... Wow! US' identification with Israel is truly complete. And it is also a foregone conclusion that Israel-Palestinian problem will never be resolved under US "leadership". US is a junk leader and should be removed from its pedestal as soon as possible.

So long as the US is incapable of ridding itself of the domestic politics that drive its belligerent foreign policy against Muslims, the world will be condemned to decades more of large scale and unecessary violence and hatred. The Muslim world will not sit quietly and watch the US enable the theft of critically important
land by the Israelis. Eventually the military advantage will be neutralized, heralding a massive holocaust of Arabs, Jews and Westerners. The fools that drove this man out, unless they are themselves undeclared Israelis, better start realizing that domestic poltical balance is the US's only way out of this.

It would have been helpful to have some one in the office who would questioned all of those who seem as committed. if not more so, to the welfare of Israel as that of the Unites States.
As long as we sleep with Israel there will be no peace in the Middle East or elsewhere. What happend to the trial of the AIPAC agents who were caught spying on the U.S.? Why are we giving millions of dollars of aid plus arms and ammunition to Israel? We know what Israel has done to its friends and foes. My question is what has it done for U.S.?

What is the DEAL ??? Doesn't Obama have a clue concerning what the people he is appointing believe?? He is a VERY POOR Presdent already!!!

Very curious. I would think it is Blair who deserves close examination. Remember East Timor? If you read FOX's story on this, it states: "Also, The Weekly Standard recently posted a 2006 e-mail from Freeman to a listserv in which he said the Chinese government was "overly cautious" in its effort to "intervene on a timely basis to nip the demonstrations in the bud" during the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests." So who is Blair,??? I'm OK with the Israel critique.

FOX News' James Rosen contributed to this report.

Once again our so-called 'leaders' bent over to AIPAC. This is utterly disgusting. We send Israel 5+ billions a year and we take orders from them because our Congress is filled with Likudnik spies.

This isn't going to end well.

So, if you don't tow the line of Israel, you are a reject. Something is rotten in Jerusalem. America needs a world view not an Israeli, Arab or nationalist US view. That is her role. It is not to be one sided. It is to make sensible decision for the global good with peace, lasting peace as the motive. Peace can only come with a balanced view and hard trade offs on both sides in the Holy Land.

Like Douglas, I could not get past the improper subject -verb agreement in the first sentence. If you folks at the paper actually read any of these comments, I would expect to see a correction soon.

I a lot of truth in what the man said about Israel's treatment of Palestinians. He speaks way too clearly to work for a Democratic administration. WWII doesn't justify it.

Shame on Obama to cave to the zionist lobby.

Another unfortunate example of undue Israeli and Jewish American influence over our government that has undermined our safety and respect amongst nations. And ironically hasn't made Israeli any safer in the process.

Stop allowing comments telling everybody to read Fox News. That company is already detrimental to human intelligence.

I hope that impartiality in the Middle East situation is what is strived for. It is really disturbing that the US policy has beenand will continue to only represent one side of the story. Look at what happened to Jimmy Carter- he was crucified after all he did was speak from the place of objectivity. This may go on for a few more decades- but eventually, justice will be forced down our throats by the rest of the world.

Thank God, we only have 4yrs. of suffering with this administration!!!!!

Yes the pro-Israel lobby has a hold on American foreign policy just as it did four years ago. However I am not convinced by the crowing of the Israel critics that they know anything other than they do not like Obama. In the intelligence area, someone who does not have close ties to either side would be the best choice.

I believe that Israel's actions are exactly 50% of the Arab-Israeli problem. I believe our policy in the past eight years has been too skewed toward Israel. I do not believe that that means that Mr Freeman was the right choice for the job. I will reserve judgement on Obama and Israel until his first term is over. If there is no progress towards peace or if there has not been friction between Obama and Israel, I will agree that dumping Freeman was a harbinger that Obama is weak on the Middle East. I doubt that is the case for as the Republicans are learning Obama does not back down when policy objectives are on the line.

Here are some quotes;
"We learned from eight years of the Bush administration that intelligence cannot be cherry-picked. It cannot be colored by opinion or even the appearance of conflict," Israel (NY) said.

Freeman, in his online statement, criticized as dishonorable and deceitful the tactics of the "Israel lobby" he said aims to control the policy process by vetoing 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.
In any event- some of us- know the truth - and that number is climbing.

America can't have one representative or appointee with a view AIPAC/Israel disapproves of, but Israel can put Avigdor Lieberman and his racist anti-goyim ideology in power as foreign minister and we should support them financially and militarily? Does David Duke sense any comeback potential from this?

Our commitment to Israel is self-evident and in the USA's best interest and the interest of freedom-loving respectful peoples everywhere. The alternative is what?

Another appointment failure...Can this Obama not do something correctly? For an experienced Community organizer and part-time Professor and in the Senate for 146 days before beginning his campaign... Oh...I think I might have answered my question.
Sorry. Go to bed everyone. Our Obama is hard at work.

Freeman statement further states:
" 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...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 (ie 9/11)."
And this folks gets to what the future holds if we continue down this path with blinders on.

Freeman statement further states:
"The injustice of the accusations made against me has been obvious to those with open minds. Those who have sought to impugn my character are uninterested in any rebuttal that I or anyone else might make." I
This gets to the fact it's all about continuing the lies caked on decades of lies.
A TRUE American Freeman will not be able to serve because he truly does have the security of the US at heart. Whose security does Leiberman and Israel have?

Is impartiality only when the US does not say anything about Israel's actions: the land taking, the brutal campaigns against Palestinians? Look, I am no friend of Arabs but I think Israel could not be doing all it wants and denounces ALL criticics as anti-semite. President Obama must find the courage from SOMEWHERE not to be blackmailed. The world needs some measure of peace an fairness.

Geez, so much for the careful vetting. Finally they found somebody who's not a tax cheat and instead he's a tout for Saudi pro-Islam propaganda "textbooks" intended for American school kids. Obama should just grab some homeless dudes off the streets of Washington, they're liable to be more ethical.

This is so extreme and sad. If the United States really wants peace and justice in the Middle East, we need people like Ambassador Freeman. Forcing him not to take up this appointment because of his reasonable and measured position is truly extreme and dangerous. America can't afford this unjust foreign policy. It is very costly to everyone including Isreal.

What a sad article. I just quotes the people who opposed him. Were there no people who supported him who could be reached.

Why not listen to the man himself as to his reasons for resigning:
"I am not so immodest as to believe that this controversy was about me rather than issues of public policy. These issues had little to do with the NIC and were not at the heart of what I hoped to contribute to the quality of analysis available to President Obama and his administration. Still, I am saddened by what the controversy and the manner in which the public vitriol of those who devoted themselves to sustaining it have revealed about the state of our civil society. It is apparent that we Americans cannot any longer conduct a serious public discussion or exercise independent judgment about matters of great importance to our country as well as to our allies "and friends.

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.

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. 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. 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.

I must confess that I am ashamed that the Obama administration allowed themselves to be pushed around-- this time against this apparently worthy individual. And for what? Vote trading on a budget?

Obama's appointees are about as well vetted as the President himself. What a joke. Freeman may have been a fine pick, but given how much at odds his policies are with the Democratic majority and the White House, one must question what Obama is thinking.

Obama is thinking about Change Mary....remember!! We cannot keep the same people running our foreign policy, and national interest...that's why we have 2 wars and are very disliked by the world...remember? How can you effect change, if you don't introduce people who ARE at odds with the current status quo?

Making Israel's enemies our own.
Leading the charge is Rosen, currently still charged with syping for Israel and yet retains unfettered access to the congressional offiicials, is able to influence important AMERICAN policy making descisions. Would we allow the spy Hansen continued access after he was arrested? This is absolutely nuts! Has reality turned on it's head?
Moslem countries were our alies until the ascendency ot thie Isreali lobby. Laws were changed to allow dual citiizen of Israel to serve in our governent.
It is important that our leaders swear and display fealty to America, not Isreal.

wI

pro-Israel lobby did not concentrate on Chas Freeman’s mainstream UN views to bar his NIC appointment. It chose instead to highlight his former presidency at the Middle East Policy Council, a tiny Washington-based think tank that receives approximately $72,000 a year from the government of Saudi Arabia