A Proxy Battle Over Obama's Mideast Policy?

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An absolute disaster ,charles given the push by the neocons..our president should intervene nd gain back charles if the middle east is going to have an honest broker..short of that from beirut to jerusalem is very real..israel would fade away if they pursue natanyahoo,s ill advised policies..vp biden was right

naz shami of FL 9:08AM April 09, 2009

Retired Admiral and current Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair deserves major credit for trying to get America's head out of the sand. His recommendation of and support for Charles Freeman as Chairman of the National Intelligence Council was our last best hope for America to truly act as an honest broker in the Middle East.
As difficult as it is to find that I am in total agreement with Pat Buchanan on this issue, I couldn't agree more that America has been no friend to herself or to Isreal by caving in to the single-minded agenda of AIPAC and the NeoCons belonging to them.
The appointment of Charles Freeman AIPAC was the smartest of many by Obama and would have done more than all others to bring about peace in the Middle East. The appointment also served to undermine recruitment of Jihadist terrorists and regain the global unity against terrorists such as Al Qaeda, which the United States hasn't enjoyed since the beginning of the falsified campaign attempting to justify the 2003 attack on Iraq.
It's a pity we will all rue the day Mr. Freeman was forced to withdraw by the ignorance of the AIPAC cabal and their NeoCon allies.

David Rubenstein of PA 9:41PM April 08, 2009

Chas Freeman stands for independant, ideology-free and democratic thinking.
He was exactly the kind of person needed to try to start to bring honesty, justice and
humanity to a part of America's foreign policy and image that poisons not only the image of America abroad, but also the inner soul of it's administration at home.
The false accusations and politically motivated witch-hunt syndrome is all to common in politics. What a pity that the "change" we all seek did not see this honest, human and highly skilled man take up a role for which he was eminently qualified and for which we all needed to have somone like him in charge, not a war-mongering neo-con or a willing toady of a corrupt administration intent on maintaining the strangle-hold of the extreme right in Israel on power. Yes, the moderates and peace-activists in Israel wanted Freeman. The hawks doid not. As usual, the USA obliged and the abused Palestinians will be yet again pushed into the arms of Hamas.

Jack Meskill of AK 10:39AM March 19, 2009

I too grieve for the departure of Chas Freeman. In reviewing this news piece I feel that Chas Freeman was EXACTLY who we needed in this position and it's a shame he did not give the Obama Administration the opportunity to fight for him.
The AIPAC cabal is exercising deeply flawed judgement in maintaining such a narrow view of such a complex issue. Time is against the current status quo environment that encompasses Israel and the INTIFADA Palestinians. The cost of the inevitable change grows ever higher each passing year. The abyss draws nigh for another early 1980's Lebanon; BUT IN 21st Century PALESTINE!
This outlook is supported by the most recent conflict as a reflected extension of T.L. Friedman's FROM BEIRUT TO JERUSALEM. It should be required reading by all in Congress who opine to supporting Israel. Ted Koppel's recent documentary only underscores the coming storm.
ISRAEL NEEDS A STRONG FRIEND IN AMERICA. AIPAC fails miserably in this regard. A strong friend tells such a friend WHAT THEY NEED TO HEAR not what they want. A STRONG FRIEND INSISTS ON CHANGE, ANOTHER FRIEND MUST MAKE, THAT IS BEST FOR THAT FRIEND. A STRONG FRIEND never leaves such a friend in need but will not support that friend in bad behavior. Always that STRONG FRIEND is there SUPPORTING, ENCOURAGING and APPLAUDING SUCCESS IN POSITIVE CHANGE.
Only ISRAEL itself can answer this question: WHO DO WE WANT TO BE!! It cannot hide from answering that question much longer. It will need A STRONG FRIEND to help it find that answer BUT only ISRAEL can decide to do so and determine what that answer is to be!

Steven Crothers of WA 4:20AM March 19, 2009

I used to think Pat Buchanan's views about the Israel lobby were a little overblown ("Congress is Israeli-occupied territory", etc), and suspected that they might be colored by racist sentiment. During the last 8 or 9 years, however, I've been paying closer attention...and surprise, surprise. However much I might disagree with many of Buchanan's opinions, I now firmly believe he wasn't exaggerating about AIPAC and the rest of the Israel lobby... at all.
Ambassador Freeman's withdrawal is a real pity. Shame on the pro-Zionist dupes and demagogues who contributed to this. The biblical injunction that one cannot serve two masters, referring to God and "Mammon" applies as well to the question of primary loyalty to the United States OR Israel...a person can faithfully serve the interests of one or the other, but not both, because those interests are often in conflict. I know where MY loyalties are...I'm not at all sure about those of the Neocons in Congress.
Semper fi!

M D Levi of CA 11:53AM March 18, 2009

Very clear-eyed assessment of the blowback heading toward the AIPAC neo-conservative crowd, who wants an Israel-first stooge in the position Freeman should've had. The Lobby engineered the hit-job on Chas Freeman, provided the talking points for the smear on "background," distorted his positions, and then high-fived when he withdrew.
The problem for the neo-cons who have infiltrated the American government, is that the assassination was done in broad daylight, with millions of witnesses in the blogosphere. Much like Israel's stunningly stupid belief that they could simply propagandize their way out of the atrocities committed in Gaza, the AIPAC cabal has stupendous arrogance in thinking that they could take down Chas Freeman and not leave themselves vulnerable to charges of manipulating American foreign policy.
Is Obama in over his head with the Likudnik puppetmasters who have Congress in their back pocket? Maybe -- the Freeman test was a collosal failure for the man who promised "change you can believe in."

Hasbara Harry of NY 7:50AM March 18, 2009