Irony overload- the strange case of Charles W. "Chas" Freeman

Irony overload

Chas Freeman resigns from his positon - PDF document on Director of National Intelligence website

In case you are in the majority, part of the 99.999999999999999999999999999999999% of clueless Americans, the name Charles W. "Chas" Freeman does not strike you as significant.

What, with Dancing with the Stars and Lost on the TV, there are more important things to consider than the future of this country.

But if you are just a tad bit curious about what this is all about...

Here's a quick primer, before the irony! overload happens.

Washington Post, March 10, 2009:

Charles W. Freeman Jr. was picked by Director of National Intelligence Dennis C. Blair to lead the National Intelligence Council. In that position, he will oversee production of national intelligence estimates and shorter assessments on specific issues, tapping experts from among the 16 intelligence agencies. The position does not require Senate confirmation.

The outspoken Freeman was assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs from 1993 to 1994 and was U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia heading into and during the Persian Gulf War. In the 1980s, he was deputy chief of mission in Beijing and then Bangkok.

Since 1997, he has presided over the Middle East Policy Council, a Washington-based nonprofit organization that is funded in part by Saudi money. In that role, Freeman has occasionally criticized the Israeli government's positions and U.S. support for those policies. In 2007, for example, he said, "The brutal oppression of the Palestinians by the Israeli occupation shows no sign of ending," adding, "American identification with Israel has become total."

As you can see, this man stands apart from the crowd of American political apparatchiks because he calls a spade a spade, and speaks truth to power.

"The brutal oppression of the Palestinians by the Israeli occupation shows no sign of ending," and "American identification with Israel has become total," is the view of people around the world, whether you go to France, Germany, Poland, Holland, Peru, Japan, or... well, pick any country in the world, on any continent.

I have traveled extensively, and in my experiences when you get to know locals, whether in France, Germany or Holland, or Poland, or Denmark, or Norway, they cannot restrain themselves once you are in a pub or in their home, drinking a decent European brew (as opposed to American pee, called American beer in this country) and ask you, the American, THE QUESTION.

They are just curious, or rather amazed, you see.

THE QUESTION inevitably comes up: "Why does your country serve Israel? What hold does Israel have over America?" and the like.

In every European country I have been to.

Which leads me to believe that Mr. Freeman is on to something important here.

Especially, since the pro-Israel organizations and prominent propaganda specialists have worked so hard behind the scenes, smearing, lying and bribing to prevent Mr. Freeman's being in the position to advise president Obama on international intelligence matters.


Lets follow the whole saga by selecting choice quotes from my favorite blog, Mr. Weiss' blog - mondoweiss, as well as a few other articles online (get ready for irony overload!):

Irony 1
These momentous events, and probably the most important sign as to whether we will see a real change in American foreign policy or if Obama is just a public relations figurehead (a "lipstick on a pig", as I believe), were NOT covered on American media.

It was a non-event.

Did not happen.

Andrew Sullivan, blog 'The Daily Dish':

There are a couple of things worth noting about this minor, yet major, Washington spat. The first is that the MSM has barely covered it as a news story, and the entire debate occurred in the blogosphere. I don't know why. But that would be a very useful line of inquiry for a media journalist.

The second is that Obama may bring change in many areas, but there is no possibility of change on the Israel-Palestine question. Having the kind of debate in America that they have in Israel, let alone Europe, on the way ahead in the Middle East is simply forbidden.

There was hardly any (if any at all) coverage of this on any MSM - Air America, NPR, Rush Limbaugh, CNN, CNBC, MSNBC, FOX... this did not exist in the mainstream media.

So Irony 1 has to be that the full transcript of Mr. Charles W. Freeman's statement in which he resigns from his National Intelligence Council position is found only on JTA - the global news service of the Jewish people (and on the incomparable Mr. Phillip Weiss' blog, of course).

I could not find the FULL TEXT of Mr. Freeman's statement on any MSM site online.

This means that non-Jewish Americans surely are not interested in this story, and so the media have collectively decided to not bring this news to the 99.999999999999999999999999999999999% of you who get their news from the TV or radio.

Here are some choice words from Mr. Freeman from his statement:

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.

Still, for the record: I have never sought to be paid or accepted payment from any foreign government, including Saudi Arabia or China, for any service, nor have I ever spoken on behalf of a foreign government, its interests, or its policies. I have never lobbied any branch of our government for any cause, foreign or domestic.

Which handily leads to Irony number 2...

Irony 2
March 06, 2009, Mr. Weiss:

Why is accused spy Steve Rosen leading the charge against Chas Freeman, Obama's pick for the National Intelligence Council?

Everybody - meet the guy who accused Mr. Freeman of working for the benefit of a foreign government, a guy named Steve Rosen.

Which is somewhat ironic, as Stevie Rosen was caught red handed spying for - you guessed it - a foreign government (you only have one guess which one).

Here's what I wrote about the AIPAC treason trial (google AIPAC if you are one of the 99.999999999999999999999999999999999% clueless) back in July 2008, AIPAC Treason Trial:

The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Va., upheld the standard of proof set by a federal district court in the case of Steve Rosen and Keith Weissman, who were indicted in 2005 for communicating classified information. The two former Aipac officials are accused of receiving classified information from Pentagon analyst Larry Franklin and passing it on to Israeli diplomats and journalists.

(In Espionage Trial of Ex-Aipac Employees, Appeals Court Sets High Bar for Prosecution; Forward, the Jewish Daily)

Isn't it great that an organization, which officially is NOT a foreign power lobby group (AIPAC, you see, is all American and not classified as a foreign power lobby group) concerns itself with Israel's place in the world?

Jeez, a political Lobby group should concern itself with something that is dear to Americans' interests - I don't know - guns, abortions, the economy, the mortgage crisis, the oil bubble speculation - but a foreign country?

The kicker to this story?

In the earlier district court decision, Judge T.S. Ellis III ruled that in order to make the case that Rosen and Weissman had broken the law, the prosecution would need to prove a series of assumptions, among them: That the defendants knew the information they were relaying was classified national defense information, that they knew it was unlawful to disclose the information and that they “had a bad-faith reason to believe the disclosures could be used to the injury of the United States or to the aid of a foreign nation.”

(The Forward, same article)

Did you catch all this?

Lets take it point by point.

What we have here is two Americans (Jewish-Americans if anyone is paying attention) passing secret documents from the Pentagon to their Israeli spy handlers.

There is no fucking "alleged" here - they were caught red handed - hence the trial.

The judge in this case, one T.S. Ellis III, has ruled that to prove the two traitors (oh sorry, "alleged" traitors) guilt, the prosecution would have to prove:

1) "the defendants knew the information they were relaying was classified national defense information"

Of course the two had no clue what they were carrying, perhaps they just took some toilet paper from the Pentagon? The big "top secret" stamps on the documents were there for a joke, haha!

2) "that they knew it was unlawful to disclose the information"

This is great to know.

I will now go to the nearby Boeing company HQ, ask a friend of mine to open a safe which has some juicy weapons systems plans, photocopy them and then I will sell those plans to the Chinese "diplomats" for, say, $200,000.

Now, I will be innocent, because, you see, I didn't know that it was unlawful to disclose the information.

Do you see how absurd this is, how this cannot be proven by even the best prosecution team in the world?

After all, when the two traitors will undoubtly say that "gee, we didn't know that passing top secret documents from the Pentagon to Israeli spy handlers was illegal", what can the prosecution do (perhaps cry)?

And finally, the judge has ruled that to prove the two traitors guilt,

3) "that they “had a bad-faith reason to believe the disclosures could be used to the injury of the United States or to the aid of a foreign nation.”"

Well, this is unprovable.

You see, the defense team can point out to the 2008 AIPAC meeting, and show a few short films showing Obama, Clinton, McCain, Pelosi, Reid, Boehner all saying the same thing - that Israel is America's greatest friend.

Well then, since Israel is America's greatest friend, giving our greatest friend and ally, the best thing to happen to the world since sliced bread was invented, a few measly "top secret" documents stolen from the Pentagon, is not treason, nor can it be proven to cause injury to the United States.

Because Israel is our greatest friend and ally.

Because American and Israeli interests and goals are the same.

Because we will ALWAYS support Israel, no matter whom its security officials torture, jail, kick on the ground, starve, spit on... according to Obama, McCain, Pelosi, Reid, Boehner, and EVERY OTHER Congress and House member, save perhaps for Ron Paul, Mike Gravel and Kucinich.

The 1, 2 and 3 are unprovable by ANY prosecution team.

Case closed.

America loses.

March 7, Phillip Weiss

On Foreign Policy's website, one of Freeman's defenders, Stephen Walt, cracked about one of Freeman's pursuers, Jeffrey Goldberg, that his idea of public service was moving to Israel and serving in the Israel Defense Forces. Jacob Heilbrunn, biographer of the neocons, leapt to Goldberg's defense at the National Interest site, saying that this was "idealistic" of Goldberg.

So, going all the way to the idiotic end with this argument, spying for Israel is idealistic also, if serving in the Israeli army is so.

Hell, in that case, spying for Israel is not just idealistic - it is public service!

Which leads to Irony number 3...


Irony 3
Continuing this train of thought to the bitter, bitter end about idealism and public service, American elite style...

Mr. Rahm Emanuel, Obama's White House chief of staff (a very powerful position, the closest man to the president, his right hand man if you will - think a mafia consiglieri to the all powerful mafia don), should be admired because during the Gulf War 1 he went to serve his country.

(He went to Israel, to serve in the Israeli army, silly - what, you think he joined the US Marines?).

One of mine here:

Second, during the 1991 Gulf War, Emanuel was a civilian volunteer in Israel, "rust-proofing brakes on an army base in northern Israel." (Wikipedia, New Republic). This is peculiar on two counts. Here the U.S. goes to war with Iraq, but Emanuel, a U.S. citizen, volunteers not for his country, but for Israel. Moreover, here is a well-connected Illinois political figure with a father who had been in the Irgun, but he is assigned to "rust-proof brakes" on "an army base." Maybe.



During the first American war with Iraq, Mr. Emanuel went to Israel.

This powerful Democratic politician was hammering nails on an Israeli Army base.

Forgive me while I laugh for a full minute.

Third, immediately upon his return from his desert sojourn, Emanuel at once became a major figure in the Clinton campaign "who wowed the team from the start, opening a spigot on needed campaign funds."



Interesting.

After hammering in nails onto Israeli Army's buildings, Mr. Emanuel becomes the chief "money man" for Bill Clinton and the Democrats.

Mr. Emanuel has a very interesting past, and his meteoric rise to power happened after his training in Israel - uh, I mean, err, his working as a carpenter on an Israeli army base (a second coming if there ever was one, eh?).


Which leads to this last, poignant irony number 4...


Irony 4: the final irony
NPR.org, Freeman Withdraws From Key Intelligence Post, dateline March 10, 2009:

Chas Freeman, picked by the Obama administration to lead the National Intelligence Council, has withdrawn his agreement to serve in that position.

Freeman, a veteran diplomat who was ambassador to Saudi Arabia during the first Persian Gulf war, had come under fire for statements he has made in the past about China and Israel and for alleged ties to foreign governments.

The council is a kind of think tank for the U.S. intelligence community, preparing "National Intelligence Estimates" for policymakers on key security issues and global hot spots.

But in recent years, as a private citizen, Freeman has been an outspoken critic of some U.S. policies regarding China and Israel, as well as aspects of the war on terrorism.

Because of that, his appointment to the National Intelligence Council was vigorously criticized.

In The Cable message, Freeman writes, "I have never sought to be paid or accepted payment from any foreign government, including Saudi Arabia or China, for any service, nor have I ever spoken on behalf of a foreign government, its interests, or its policies. I have never lobbied any branch of our government for any cause, foreign or domestic."

Rep. Steve Israel (D-NY), one of Freeman's chief critics, said Tuesday that Freeman's resignation "preserved the impartiality of U.S. intelligence."

"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 said.

Again, for a final irony overload.


The Final Irony (this takes the cake)

Rep. Steve Israel (D-NY), one of Freeman's chief critics, said Tuesday that Freeman's resignation "preserved the impartiality of U.S. intelligence."

"We learned from eight years of the Bush administration that intelligence cannot be cherry-picked."

Forgive me for finding a Brooklyn born Jewish guy named Israel at the trough in Washington questioning the loyalty of a guy named Freeman because Mr. Freeman dared to criticize a foreign country and to look out for this country's interest.

For being a patriot.

For having the courage to speak truth to power.

But the final sentence which is the final straw, the symbol of American subservience to the pro Israel lobby, of American politicians' cowardice and the joke that is the so called American "democracy".

"We learned from eight years of the Bush administration that intelligence cannot be cherry-picked."

A pro Israel shill, covering for the neocon cabal (feel free to start reading the section to the right, Neocons and Israeli Lobby in the USA, possibly starting with the most important post on this blog), whose sole purpose is to cherry pick intelligence, to obfuscate and lie and cajole and work tirelessly so that this country is an obedient slave to Israel's political elites and the elites in this country... has said that.

This just boggles my mind.