Friday, February 20, 2009
Looks like Obama has dipped in to the cesspool of old State Department Arabists -- you know, those guys who spend time as Ambassador to some Gulf State, go native, then retire to places like the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, or the Council for the National Interest, where they can cash in on the Sheiks' largess long-term and indulge their genteel form of country-club antisemitism amongst like-minded folks -- and rescued him from that fate with a top administration appointment. Meet Chas W Freeman Jr.:
JTA: Israel critic is reported appointment to top intelligence post
A former ambassador to Saudi Arabia with a history as a critic of Israel will reportedly be named to a top intelligence post in the Obama administration.
ForeignPolicy.com reported Thursday that Chas W Freeman Jr., who served as U.S. ambassador to the Saudi kingdom from 1989-1992 and is currently the president of the Middle East Policy Council, will be the chairman of the National Intelligence Council, which plays the leading role in producing national intelligence estimates. The publication reported Freeman has told associates that in the role, he would occasionally accompany director of national intelligence Adm. Dennis Blair to give the president his daily intelligence briefing...
Also, American Thinker: Obama Reportedly Picks Israel Hater to Lead National Intelligence Council
[h/t: Michael B]
Listed below are links to blogs that reference this entry: Old Arabists No Longer Fade Away -- They Get Jobs With the Administration.
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See? What did I tell you about old Arabists and the Sheiks' largess? Freeman says he took $1 million for Saudi "public relations" Chas Freeman, reportedly nominated to head the National Intelligence Council preparing finished National Intelli... Read More
Ah - we resurrect GHW Bush's Ambassador to Saudi Arabia - change!
I thought I was voting for a Democrat.
Sophia,
When you choose somebody or something you should go on substance and not just the postcard picture.
It seems now, with the help of the media, he played a lot of Americans for suckers.
Oy.
Beyond the election itself and the possible consequences lies this unhappy fact: Israel's enemies are vast and numerous and they are on both sides of the political spectrum, although I think the old "left" and "right" divides really don't make much sense anymore.
There's an alarming trend obviously on what's left of the Left to support repressive far right wing regimes "just because" (because WHY????? because it's edgy? Or what??????) and many people on the Right are scholarly, intellectual and make a lot of sense so to dismiss what they say out of hand is stupid.
That said I think there are some things we need to face.
a. 'Orientalism' includes a romantic view of the East, perfectly captured by the film "Lawrence of Arabia", which has probably been part of European culture since the Crusades.
b. Simultaneously people are taught that Jews are evil, manipulative and racially inferior.
c. There's a heck of a lot of oil in the Middle East and people in the industrialised world want it. This has a huge influence on state and private businesses and it's bound eventually to affect how people see inconvenient little Israel. Look at Nixon's behavior during the Yom Kippur War - the situation was totally desperate - or the way the Brits have treated the Yishuv and then Israel - it's appalling actually.
Now we have to listen to Carter et.al., from the other side:(
d. People have been squabbling over the strategic land bridges and sea ports of the M.E. for millenia.
e. OY.
f. Finally there is religious prejudice. The "holy land" isn't really seen as a home for actual Jews, it's become a symbol and that's a problem for the real people who live in Israel, the P.A. etc.
g. See point "e".
I'm worried. And I'm upset about this appointment, time to start writing letters I guess. The Jew's weapon of last resort - letters.
Big deal right? Well it's all we've got in the end isn't it - appeals to decency - our so-called "political capital" being approximately zilch - regardless of how we try to defend human rights - of course I don't believe there's a quid pro quo for doing the right thing. But it smarts nevertheless.
Durban was a shame and the treatment of Israel by the UN is a shame and the incitement of the Palestinians is a shame and now we're seeing open antisemitism become respectable again. Meanwhile people try to wriggle by saying they are just "criticizing Israel".
Right.
I think of my cousin working so hard on her own time to defend Muslims unjustly accused of terrorism - or people who are otherwise discriminated against - immigrants for example -all she gets are antisemitic rants -
:(