[Lt_Apple]

http://www.jstreetjive.com/2010/04/r...-words-on.html
From news article:
Think tanks and prestigious universities have suddenly decided to publicly question the basic U.S. Israel relationship. At a recent Harvard talk on "Moderating Islam", the consensus at the Kennedy School was that most of our troubles in the War on Terror can be laid at the feet of a misguided foreign policy that favors Israel. In spite of General Petraeus' "clarification" of his staff's report on the causal, dangerous nature of that relationship in Senate testimony, the effects of the report were clear.

We reported here that in order to decipher the underlying animus of Obama towards Israel, we had to look to the voices that are informing him. That view would seem to have been confirmed by recent reports that former administration officials have met with senior Hamas officials in Zurich, Damascus and other venues - clearly with Obama's approval. Robert Malley, the long time apologist for Arafat and Hamas, was central to these meetings as was Thomas Pickering, also a central figure in The International Crisis Group. Considering that Abbas has been fully informed regarding ongoing, previously planned Jewish housing - without any apparent objections until Obama's public condemnation - the administration's overtures to Hamas, his mortal enemy, will be certain to sour the PA on proximity talks. We haven't seen the names Samantha Power of Rashid Khalidi surface yet, but I have no doubt they will in the near future.

Recently senior Fatah official, Nabil Shaath, announced the next Intifada, claiming - this time - it won't be violent (and his word is unimpeachable, of course). Already, rocket attacks from Gaza have escalated, not to mention the fatal confrontation between Hamas combatants and the IDF in an attempted terror attack last week. It's now an open question as to whether the Obama administration's incompetence is outpacing its dislike of Israel.

Look back to Obama's speech in Cairo to the "Muslim World". That speech, written by a Jew and reported here equated Israel's raison d'etre with the Holocaust and its attendant sin, the Arab Nakba; the speech set the tone for U.S. obeisance to the Arab and Muslim world.

[softy54534]

http://rubinreports.blogspot.com/201...tratiions.html

By Barry Rubin
From news article:
Charles (usually called Chas) Freeman has just taken another step in revealing his out-of-control loathing of Israel, accusing it of being worse than South Africa. Who is he and why is this significant?

It matters because Freeman, with nothing more to lose from making public his true feelings, had been the Obama Administration nominee--selected by intelligence chief Dennis Blair--to be chair of the National Intelligence Council. Freeman had to withdraw and though the real reason has never before been made public, it is this: he was involved in business with Saudi Arabia which came close to the borders of legality and certainly would have been very embarassing for him and the administration if made public.

Freeman's connections with China also raised questions. In fact, many think he had to pull out of the nomination more because of his defense of China's government at a time it was violently repressing dissent than for anything connected with Israel. It is clear, however, who Freeman blames for his humiliating defeat.

By the way, note that this gentleman who finds Israel so offensive has never had anything but praise for the Saudi political system and society.
Freeman was also a client of the Saudis to such an extent that then Secretary of State James Baker, who certainly couldn't be accused of being pro-Israel, described Freeman in scathing terms in his own autobiography for always taking the Saudi line in a way that interfered in the effort to force Iraq out of Kuwait in 1990-1991.

Since losing the nomination, Freeman has been more and more hysterical publicly in expressing his hatred of Israel, with strong hints that his attitude extended to Jews generally. Presumably, he held pretty much the same views beforehand but didn't talk so loudly about them.

The story of how Freeman was kept out of office is an amazing tale of how a handful of bloggers--without support from any group or institution--forced the story into public attention. One day I might tell it to you.

Meanwhile, though, reflect on how things would be if Freeman was in a high administration position and ask yourself what kind of administration would have appointed such a man to a highly influential post. The issue here is not just attitude toward Israel but picking someone who had some questionable associations, a bad record as ambassador, and seems--judging from his public statements--emotionally excitable and fairly extremist as well. Not the kind of cool, open-minded, and balanced mentality one would want in just about the most powerful post for evaluating intelligence.

Barry Rubin is director of the Global Research in International Affairs (GLORIA) Center and editor of the Middle East Review of International Affairs (MERIA) Journal. His latest books are The Israel-Arab Reader (seventh edition), The Long War for Freedom: The Arab Struggle for Democracy in the Middle East (Wiley), and The Truth About Syria (Palgrave-Macmillan). His new edited books include Lebanon: Liberation, Conflict and Crisis; Guide to Islamist Movements; Conflict and Insurgency in the Middle East; and The Muslim Brotherhood. To read and subscribe to MERIA, GLORIA articles, or to order books. To see or subscribe to his blog, Rubin Reports.