Why Freeman and Walt are wrong, from a Freeman admirer http://blogs.jta.org/ENTRY_PERMALINK_HERE/why-freeman-and-walt-are-wrong-from-a-freeman-admirer/ David Rothkopf says Stephen Walt and Charles Freeman are wrong about the ‘Israel Lobby’ en-us efingerhut@jta.org Copyright 2009 2009-03-12T;22:55:02-05:00 Comment by David Sternlight david@sternlight.com 1. Rothkopf has finally decisively put paid to M&W;’s shameful advocacies clothed in polite academic language. Rothkopf’s critique, more succinct and to the point than most, should be widely disseminated. 2. US ambassadors to Saudi Arabia are notorious for having been brainwashed by the Saudis, returning to the US as (in the words of the Washington in-joke) the Saudi Ambassador to the US. Ever since Jim Atkins urged a suicidal (and wrong) policy toward Israel to prevent us from “freezing in the dark” (it never happened), the Saudis have pursued this success, usually following up with generous funding for these puppets in the US. Freeman appears to be no exception and is thus unfit for any senior US position involving the middle east, though he has every citizen’s right to voice his views. David Sternlight, Ph.D. Los Angeles (for identification purposes only, the writer has been Chief Economist of a major international oil company and a close observer of Middle East and Inter-Arab politics for over 20 years.)c 1. Rothkopf has finally decisively put paid to M&W;’s shameful advocacies clothed in polite academic language. Rothkopf’s critique, more succinct and to the point than most, should be widely disseminated.

2. US ambassadors to Saudi Arabia are notorious for having been brainwashed by the Saudis, returning to the US as (in the words of the Washington in-joke) the Saudi Ambassador to the US. Ever since Jim Atkins urged a suicidal (and wrong) policy toward Israel to prevent us from “freezing in the dark” (it never happened), the Saudis have pursued this success, usually following up with generous funding for these puppets in the US. Freeman appears to be no exception and is thus unfit for any senior US position involving the middle east, though he has every citizen’s right to voice his views.

David Sternlight, Ph.D.
Los Angeles

(for identification purposes only, the writer has been Chief Economist of a major international oil company and a close observer of Middle East and Inter-Arab politics for over 20 years.)c

]]> 2012-05-23T;03:01:00-05:00 Comment by Stephen Folkson stephenfolkson@gmail.com What concerns me is that the Obama administration had to see this coming.  Rahm Emanuel is not a pushover, and should have solved this problem as soon as it appeared.  I was not impressed with the selection of Dennis Blair, andhe should be made to take responsibility for something that happened on his watch.  Israel is the only democracy in the middle east, and the United States knows it will stick with it through thick or through thin.  American jews (myself included) take a substantive interest in Israel, and rightly so.  Freeman sounds as if he is a member of the Saudi Arabian foreign ministry.  I was not a fan of Bush and thought he was far and away, the worst president we had in years, but for the most part he stood with Israel and that is something I respected.  I am not so sure that Obama will do the same.  I hope I am wrong. What concerns me is that the Obama administration had to see this coming.  Rahm Emanuel is not a pushover, and should have solved this problem as soon as it appeared.  I was not impressed with the selection of Dennis Blair, andhe should be made to take responsibility for something that happened on his watch.  Israel is the only democracy in the middle east, and the United States knows it will stick with it through thick or through thin.  American jews (myself included) take a substantive interest in Israel, and rightly so.  Freeman sounds as if he is a member of the Saudi Arabian foreign ministry.  I was not a fan of Bush and thought he was far and away, the worst president we had in years, but for the most part he stood with Israel and that is something I respected.  I am not so sure that Obama will do the same.  I hope I am wrong.

]]> 2012-05-23T;03:01:00-05:00 Comment by Herman J. Cohen hancohen@aol.com I know and admire Chas Freemen greatly. We were Foreign Service colleagues together. One must look at the job. The Chairman of the National Intelligence Council should not have a background of speaking out in public on foreign affairs issues. The two are incompatible. The main reason Chas was dropped, in my view, was his regular and strong public statements condemning the Bush administration for Iraq and its Middle East policies, as well as for overall incompetence in foreign affairs. This made it a sure thing that the Republicans would oppose his appointment. According to press reports, the Republicans made the strongest arguments against him. Appointing a person with strong public views on foreign policy to that job is just not appropriate. The appearance of conflict of interest is just too apparent. I know and admire Chas Freemen greatly. We were Foreign Service colleagues together. One must look at the job. The Chairman of the National Intelligence Council should not have a background of speaking out in public on foreign affairs issues. The two are incompatible. The main reason Chas was dropped, in my view, was his regular and strong public statements condemning the Bush administration for Iraq and its Middle East policies, as well as for overall incompetence in foreign affairs. This made it a sure thing that the Republicans would oppose his appointment. According to press reports, the Republicans made the strongest arguments against him. Appointing a person with strong public views on foreign policy to that job is just not appropriate. The appearance of conflict of interest is just too apparent.

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