SoccerDad ("With something like a 10-60 record as coach of my children's soccer teams why do I do it? Because I'm Soccer Dad! ") evaluates the Freeman nomination.
Money quote(s):
"In the area of foreign policy there is a divide. On the one side there are the ideologues who can be identified as being conservative, Republican or pro-Israel and then there's everyone else. Since Freeman cannot be clearly identified as one of those three groups, he is, therefore, implicitly non-partisan and beyond suspicion. Never mind that an appointee who is as close to Israel as Freeman is to Saudi Arabia would get plenty of scrutiny. Chalk it up to an implicit "Israel lobby" bias."
"How good has the Saudi Arabian anti-terror program been? Well if one refers to their deprogramming techniques, the results of those efforts have been, shall we say, inconsistent."
&
"(T)he news broke that Freeman withdrew his name for consideration for the post as head of the NIC. Two observations: it took until the very end of the process for either the NYT or WaPo to cover this appointment. Why not? Also, the administration did not appear to fight very hard for Freeman. Again, why not?"
_____
Hat tip to The Glittering Eye.
Showing posts with label National Intelligence Council. Show all posts
Showing posts with label National Intelligence Council. Show all posts
Monday, March 23, 2009
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
re: "Today's Good News (Chas Freeman Bows Out)"
George Smiley at In From the Cold ("Musings on Life, Love, Politics, Military Affairs, the Media, the Intelligence Community and Just About Anything Else that Captures Our Interest") is happy with this decision.
Money quote(s):
"In our view, Mr. Freeman's positions in support of China (and against Israel) were enough to disqualify him for the NIC job. Lest we forget, the council is supposed to provide policymakers with unvarnished and unbiased information. Given his obvious biases, any National Intelligence Estimate coordinated under Freeman's watch would have been suspect, at best.
But there was another (and equally important) reason to reject Ambassador Freeman as the next council chair: his lack of intelligence experience. As a career diplomat, Mr. Freeman is a long-time consumer of intel information, but he has virtually no expertise in the underlying trade craft."
Money quote(s):
"In our view, Mr. Freeman's positions in support of China (and against Israel) were enough to disqualify him for the NIC job. Lest we forget, the council is supposed to provide policymakers with unvarnished and unbiased information. Given his obvious biases, any National Intelligence Estimate coordinated under Freeman's watch would have been suspect, at best.
But there was another (and equally important) reason to reject Ambassador Freeman as the next council chair: his lack of intelligence experience. As a career diplomat, Mr. Freeman is a long-time consumer of intel information, but he has virtually no expertise in the underlying trade craft."
re: "News Report: Freeman Pulling Out (UPDATED)"
Charlie at Undiplomatic ("dedicated to covering the intersection of diplomacy, global issues, U.S. politics, and pop-culture") had more detailed news of this.
Money quote(s):
"Chas Freeman has asked that his name be withdrawn from consideration for the position of Chair of the National Intelligence Council."
&
"I have a hunch there’s more to this story than pressure from the Israel lobby. Chances are that there were financial issues that in normal circumstances would not have been a problem, but given the heightened attention as a result of the campaign against him, might have had an impact."
Money quote(s):
"Chas Freeman has asked that his name be withdrawn from consideration for the position of Chair of the National Intelligence Council."
&
"I have a hunch there’s more to this story than pressure from the Israel lobby. Chances are that there were financial issues that in normal circumstances would not have been a problem, but given the heightened attention as a result of the campaign against him, might have had an impact."
Sunday, March 15, 2009
re: "Chas Freeman and John Bolton"
Charles at Undiplomatic ("dedicated to covering the intersection of diplomacy, global issues, U.S. politics, and pop-culture") contrasts the nominations of two former ambassadors.
Money quote(s):
"(T)here has been quite a storm brewing over President Obama’s appointment of Charles W. “Chas” Freeman, Jr. to head the National Intelligence Council, which is responsible for producing the often important but sometimes off-the-mark National Intelligence Estimates."
"Freeman has come under fire for his often critical views on Israel, his sympathetic attitude towards the Saudis, and his opinion that the Chinese should have cracked down earlier on the Tiananmen protests. Freeman is a hyper-realist, believing that the use and conservation of hard power should trump any and all other considerations. He clearly is an unconventional thinker, and his views have often placed himself outside the mainstream of conventional foreign policy views.
Freeman brings to mind another famous free-thinker on foreign policy, John Bolton. "
"Although both believe in American power, Bolton sees it as something to project while Freeman regards it as something that should be conserved. Bolton views certain American allies, particularly Israel, as so indispensible that they should be forgiven for any and all transgressions, while Freeman, as the current controversy demonstrates, believes that Israel has made significant mistakes and should be held to account. Interestingly, the two switch sides when it comes to China, with Bolton far more critical of the current regime and Freeman more likely to tolerate its excesses."
&
"I think there are serious and important differences between the Bolton nomination and the Freeman appointment, enough so that I have less of a quarrel with those who support Freeman than I do with those who oppose him. But I think it is at best inconsistent and at worst intellectually disingenuous to suggest that Freeman’s past statements are irrelevant if you also were one of those who argued that Bolton’s past statements were damning."
Money quote(s):
"(T)here has been quite a storm brewing over President Obama’s appointment of Charles W. “Chas” Freeman, Jr. to head the National Intelligence Council, which is responsible for producing the often important but sometimes off-the-mark National Intelligence Estimates."
"Freeman has come under fire for his often critical views on Israel, his sympathetic attitude towards the Saudis, and his opinion that the Chinese should have cracked down earlier on the Tiananmen protests. Freeman is a hyper-realist, believing that the use and conservation of hard power should trump any and all other considerations. He clearly is an unconventional thinker, and his views have often placed himself outside the mainstream of conventional foreign policy views.
Freeman brings to mind another famous free-thinker on foreign policy, John Bolton. "
"Although both believe in American power, Bolton sees it as something to project while Freeman regards it as something that should be conserved. Bolton views certain American allies, particularly Israel, as so indispensible that they should be forgiven for any and all transgressions, while Freeman, as the current controversy demonstrates, believes that Israel has made significant mistakes and should be held to account. Interestingly, the two switch sides when it comes to China, with Bolton far more critical of the current regime and Freeman more likely to tolerate its excesses."
&
"I think there are serious and important differences between the Bolton nomination and the Freeman appointment, enough so that I have less of a quarrel with those who support Freeman than I do with those who oppose him. But I think it is at best inconsistent and at worst intellectually disingenuous to suggest that Freeman’s past statements are irrelevant if you also were one of those who argued that Bolton’s past statements were damning."
Saturday, March 14, 2009
re: "Charles Freeman, the right man in the right job at the NIC"
Pat at Sic Semper Tyrannis ("(A Committee of Correspondence) ") favors the appointment.
Money quote(s):
"Charles Freeman is a man awesomely educated, of striking intellect, of vast experience and demonstrated integrity.
The business of the NIC is the description of reality. Feeman is undoubtedly a realist in both senses of the word. Who could possible be better for this job?"
Money quote(s):
"Charles Freeman is a man awesomely educated, of striking intellect, of vast experience and demonstrated integrity.
The business of the NIC is the description of reality. Feeman is undoubtedly a realist in both senses of the word. Who could possible be better for this job?"
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
re: "Chas Freeman and the National Intelligence Council"
John at Crossroads Arabia is not so alarmed at this appointment.
Money quote(s):
"There’s a major brouhaha roiling in the US over the appointment of Charles (Chas) Freeman, former US Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, and his appointment as Director of the National Intelligence Council (NIC). Many, particularly conservatives, are severely disappointed with his appointment and believe that the US deserves better."
"Freeman, in whose name a chair for Chinese studies has been endowed at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), has had some powerful—and to my mind, ugly—things to say about Chinese politics, here in reference to the Chinese government’s reactions to Tianamen Square. I’m not a ‘China expert’ by any means, so I cannot fully assess this statement. I can, however, say that I don’t like it very much at all.
When it comes to allegations about being in the pocket of Saudi Arabia, however, I think little is being blow up to extraordinary—but not uncommon—proportions. "
"Personally, I don’t like Freeman’s politics. I think he tends to pander to all thing Arab, assuming the best of intentions for any Arab government or group and assuming the worst of anything related to Israel, including American support for Israel. I’ve felt sufficiently insulted by Freeman’s remarks to walk out of conferences when he spoke."
&
"I do protest, however, the bashing of Freeman—and Saudi Arabia—over the donation of Saudi money to a Middle East-oriented think tank. The simple fact is that think-tanks solicit funds. They may sell reports, they may earn fees from speaking engagements, but they cannot exist without donations from outside sources. For Middle Easter Studies, whether at universities or independent think-tanks, the sources for funding are limited and largely restricted to those who see merit in supporting those studies. "
Money quote(s):
"There’s a major brouhaha roiling in the US over the appointment of Charles (Chas) Freeman, former US Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, and his appointment as Director of the National Intelligence Council (NIC). Many, particularly conservatives, are severely disappointed with his appointment and believe that the US deserves better."
"Freeman, in whose name a chair for Chinese studies has been endowed at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), has had some powerful—and to my mind, ugly—things to say about Chinese politics, here in reference to the Chinese government’s reactions to Tianamen Square. I’m not a ‘China expert’ by any means, so I cannot fully assess this statement. I can, however, say that I don’t like it very much at all.
When it comes to allegations about being in the pocket of Saudi Arabia, however, I think little is being blow up to extraordinary—but not uncommon—proportions. "
"Personally, I don’t like Freeman’s politics. I think he tends to pander to all thing Arab, assuming the best of intentions for any Arab government or group and assuming the worst of anything related to Israel, including American support for Israel. I’ve felt sufficiently insulted by Freeman’s remarks to walk out of conferences when he spoke."
&
"I do protest, however, the bashing of Freeman—and Saudi Arabia—over the donation of Saudi money to a Middle East-oriented think tank. The simple fact is that think-tanks solicit funds. They may sell reports, they may earn fees from speaking engagements, but they cannot exist without donations from outside sources. For Middle Easter Studies, whether at universities or independent think-tanks, the sources for funding are limited and largely restricted to those who see merit in supporting those studies. "
Monday, March 9, 2009
re: "ODNI inspector general reviewing Chas Freeman"
Laura Rozen at ForeignPolicy.Com's The Cable ("Reporting inside the foreign policy machine") has this update.
Money quote(s):
"In a letter today responding to 10 congressmen led by Rep. Mark Kirk (R-IL) who have raised concerns about the appointment of Chas Freeman to chair the National Intelligence Council, Edward Maguire, the inspector general of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, has written that he is reviewing the matters they have raised."
Money quote(s):
"In a letter today responding to 10 congressmen led by Rep. Mark Kirk (R-IL) who have raised concerns about the appointment of Chas Freeman to chair the National Intelligence Council, Edward Maguire, the inspector general of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, has written that he is reviewing the matters they have raised."
re: "Where was due diligence?"
Melanie Phillips at The Spectator ("Champagne for the brain") defines the problem.
Money quote(s):
"Concern about the appointment of Chas W Freeman as chairman of the National Intelligence Council has now reached such a pitch that Congress has launched an investigation into his foreign financial links. As I reported here and here Freeman, whose designated role will give him access to and make him gate-keeper over intelligence about countries posing a threat to America such as Saudi Arabia, China and Iran, has financial ties to Saudi Arabia, China and Iran."
"Topping the list of concerns is Freeman’s position on the international advisory board of the China National Offshore Oil Corp. The Chinese government and other state-owned companies own a majority stake in CNOOC -- which has invested in Sudan and Iran. Then there is Freeman’s chairmanship of the Middle East Policy Council which is funded by the Saudis.
It is astounding that such a man is to be entrusted with the most sensitive intelligence regarding America’s security."
&
"(T)he White House is saying the Director of National Intelligence, Dennis Blair, did not get Obama’s approval before he announced Freeman’s appointment. Is this really likely? And if it is so, then one has to wonder at Obama’s pick of Dennis Blair who can make such an appalling appointment as Chas W Freeman and without even doing due diligence on his choice."
Money quote(s):
"Concern about the appointment of Chas W Freeman as chairman of the National Intelligence Council has now reached such a pitch that Congress has launched an investigation into his foreign financial links. As I reported here and here Freeman, whose designated role will give him access to and make him gate-keeper over intelligence about countries posing a threat to America such as Saudi Arabia, China and Iran, has financial ties to Saudi Arabia, China and Iran."
"Topping the list of concerns is Freeman’s position on the international advisory board of the China National Offshore Oil Corp. The Chinese government and other state-owned companies own a majority stake in CNOOC -- which has invested in Sudan and Iran. Then there is Freeman’s chairmanship of the Middle East Policy Council which is funded by the Saudis.
It is astounding that such a man is to be entrusted with the most sensitive intelligence regarding America’s security."
&
"(T)he White House is saying the Director of National Intelligence, Dennis Blair, did not get Obama’s approval before he announced Freeman’s appointment. Is this really likely? And if it is so, then one has to wonder at Obama’s pick of Dennis Blair who can make such an appalling appointment as Chas W Freeman and without even doing due diligence on his choice."
re: "Just whose side is he on?"
Melanie Phillips at The Spectator ("Champagne for the brain") doesn't think much of this appointment.
Money quote(s):
"Chas W Freeman has now been confirmed as Obama’s pick for the chairmanship of America’s National Intelligence Council. This appointment, to a post which oversees production of America’s National Intelligence Estimates and shapes America’s understanding of the threat posed by the world’s rogue regimes and terror organisations, has caused even Obama supporters to choke into their cappuccinos."
&
"Given this man’s closeness to the enemies of America, doesn’t his appointment to the heart of American intelligence compromise the security of that intelligence – and at a time of maximum danger from the regimes with which he is involved, threaten all of us in the free world as a result?"
Money quote(s):
"Chas W Freeman has now been confirmed as Obama’s pick for the chairmanship of America’s National Intelligence Council. This appointment, to a post which oversees production of America’s National Intelligence Estimates and shapes America’s understanding of the threat posed by the world’s rogue regimes and terror organisations, has caused even Obama supporters to choke into their cappuccinos."
&
"Given this man’s closeness to the enemies of America, doesn’t his appointment to the heart of American intelligence compromise the security of that intelligence – and at a time of maximum danger from the regimes with which he is involved, threaten all of us in the free world as a result?"
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