There have been unwritten rules in the political worlds for centuries. And for years, it has been understood by American politicians that if you oppose (or are seen to oppose) Israel you can kiss your D.C. hopes goodbye.
Throughout the years, Israel has claimed many political victims; the most recent: Charles Freeman Jr.
Freeman, who was nominated by President Barack Obama to be chairman of the National Intelligence Council, withdrew his name from contention after a number of pro-Israel lobbying groups had rallied against his nomination.
The International Herald Tribune reported:
Freeman’s withdrawal Tuesday from consideration as chairman of the National Intelligence Council came just hours after Dennis Blair, director of national intelligence, vigorously defended him and said his comments had been taken out of context…
…
In the intelligence post, Freeman would have been in charge of producing all U.S. intelligence estimates, documents that represent the consensus judgment of the government’s 16 intelligence agencies.
Opposition to Freeman’s appointment had been building on Capitol Hill, and several lawmakers said they had been lobbying the White House to withdraw its support for Freeman. Senator Charles Schumer, Democrat of New York, said Freeman’s “statements against Israel were way over the top and severely out of step with the administration.”
Freeman was once an ambassador to Saudi Arabia, and has questioned the U.S’ unapologetic support for Israel.
My question: Why is this a bad thing?
No, I’m not anti-semitic, and no, I don’t think we should let Israel “run into the Dead Sea” as many of the leaders of surrounding countries have threatened, but I do believe that by holding Israel’s hand we are undermining the country’s sovereignty.
Israel can defend itself. The country has proven this multiple times in recent years, and a country would ensure nuclear war if it were to invade Israel.
Yes, we should support democracies across the globe, but that does not mean dogmatically supporting their domestic and foreign policies. While Israel has been the victim of many unjustified attacks, it has perpetrated just as many.
Calling out unethical and ideologically wrong practices by the Israeli government should not mean political suicide, and the American people need to allow its leaders to stay critical of any and every foreign government.
Until then, the casualties will continue.
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Mr. Freeman's problems did not stem from what Mr. Lowery (mis)describes as “the US's unapologetic support for Israel.” It stems from his out-of-the-mainstream comments in support of dictatorships (such as China and Saudi Arabia) – such as his infamous comment about China's “failure” to more brutally crack down on the democracy demonstrators in 1989, his post-9/11 focus not on America's enemies but on “America’s lack of introspection about September 11,” and real questions about his reliance for his personal income and that of his foundation on cash from China and Saudi Arabia.
There are certainly legitimate things to criticize about any country or person – no state or human being is perfect – but there is a line between criticism and hatred, and Mr. Freeman has signalled that he may have crossed it.
April 23, 2009 at 7:56 amHave something to add?