Republicans deny 'Israel Lobby' made them reject Freeman
On the Hill, Republican lawmakers deny charges by Chas Freeman that the mythical 'Israel Lobby' had anything to do with their decision to reject his nomination as chairman of the National Intelligence Council (Hat Tip: Memeorandum).Republicans on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence said pro-Israel lobby groups did not spur their opposition to Charles Freeman.Those evil Jooooos are so sneaky, eh Chas?
Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-Fla.), a senior member of the House intelligence panel, also denied that the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) was involved in derailing Freeman’s appointment to head the National Intelligence Council.
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Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla), a member of the Intelligence Committee, who signed the letter to Blair, said activities by pro-Israel lobbyists “had nothing to do with his opposition.
“When you see someone make those kind of statements that’s going to be in that position and was unqualified to be there in the first place — it was the wrong appointment,” said Coburn.
Sen. Kit Bond (R-Mo.), the vice chairman of the Intelligence panel, said Freeman’s accusations against pro-Israel lobbying groups were off base.
“Unfortunately Ambassador Freeman is suffering from some kind of delusion. I think a lot of people objected to his previous statements regardless of any lobbying.”
Bond said he did not receive any contact from AIPAC and said he had not even heard of two Jewish groups that came out against Freeman’s nomination: the Zionist Organization of America and the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs.
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Sen. Saxby Chambliss (Ga.), another Republican on the Intelligence panel who objected to Freeman, said he was not contacted personally by any pro-Israel lobbyists.
“He had absolutely no analytical experience, that’s what caused me great concern,” Chambliss said of Freeman.
Hastings told The Hill that the House intelligence panel was scheduled to meet with Freeman the same afternoon he withdrew his name.
Hastings said he was not contacted by any lobbyists prior to that scheduled meeting, which was then cancelled.
“I’m close to AIPAC. If they did come out against Freeman, I was not in the loop because no one called me to say a word about Charles Freeman,” said Hastings.
Heh.
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 2:26 PM
3 Comments:
I don't think anyone needed to respond to the nonsense accusation in the first place
If the Jews were so powerful, Freeman wouldn't be whining about them in the first place.
So much for the Elders Of Zion getting any one to reject Freeman's rise in Washington's national security establishment.
Heh
UPDATE: Caroline Glick just posted a piece on Chas Freeman and and what the outcome of his failed appointment means for US national security and US-Israel relations. First, as she points out, US intelligence is now being guided by wishful thinking rather than objectively looking at the real picture of the world. That could set in store the potential for the US to be surprised by a future 9/11, not a good development for its national security.
Second, there is the worsening impact on US-Israel relations created by the rise of a powerful anti-Israel lobby in Washington and the fact Freeman came to such prominence shows how much the attitude under the Obama Administration has changed from viewing Israel as an ally to seeing Israel as an adversary of US interests in the Middle East. That colors into the wishful thinking that now guides the US outlook on what is happening in the world at large.
Intelligence And The Anti-Israel Lobby
Freeman may be gone but how the US deals with foreign events over the next couple of years and how Israel fits or rather doesn't fit into that picture will tell us a great deal as to how it will all shake out.
Read it all.
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