Comment E-mail Print

Page 4 of 5

Finally, did Freeman step down voluntarily, or was he pushed? He told Fareed Zakaria on CNN, when asked if Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York had anything to do with his withdrawal, that "I have no reason to believe he was. I'm sure he did talk to Rahm Emanuel and others at the White House, as he said he did. But I have no reason to believe that that had any particular influence on the decision. It certainly didn't have any influence on my decision, and it was ultimately my decision."

He told the American Conservative magazine, just before withdrawing, that "If the administration does not stick with me, then it's destroying the argument that the Israel lobby is only a mythic entity and does not control the public space...It will show the world that it is not able to exercise independent thinking on these issues."

He told Zakaria that it isn't necessarily an Israel Lobby, but rather "It's the far-right wing of the Jewish community here in alliance with the far right wing in Israel." But how does that explain, for example, Chuck Schumer. Not far-right by any measure. And according to Newsweek, the pressure to get rid of Freeman had more to do with Nancy Pelosi and her concerns about his views on human rights in China.

Taken together, these statements would indicate that he was pushed out, and it wasn't his decision. Otherwise, why would he say "I have no reason to believe he [Schumer] was" responsible for his departure if he knew that it was voluntary, or that "If the administration doesn't stick with me..." Which coming on the heels of the other nominees having to drop out, would suggest that Obama is probably not too happy with the people he perceives as having forced out Freeman, a major embarrassment to them both.

Freeman represents an attitude that has come more and more into focus during these first months of the Obama administration. During the campaign and even since being elected, Obama has sought to comfort people to whom Israel's security is an important issue. But his actions have consistently said otherwise. His advisers have included other harsh critics of Israel, such as Samantha Powers and Zbigniew Brzezinski. Obama has supported as much as $900 million in aid to Gaza, which one way or the other will be helpful to Hamas, the terrorist organization, supported by Iran, and in charge of Gaza. Adam Hasner, the Majority Leader of the Florida House of Representatives has written a piece for American Thinker (web site) in which he documents these and other examples that Obama is providing "pro-Israel talk" and "anti-Israel walk." For example, he pointed to "President Obama's initial decision to send a delegation to the negotiation sessions of the upcoming Durban II conference. The U.S. representatives' silence in the face of repeated attempts to demonize Israel and vilify Zionism did plenty to gratify the gathering of wolves, before the President ultimately realized that America's presence was making things worse rather than better." And his naïve outreach to Iran while it continues to threaten Israel's very existence, as if all we have to do is say we respect them and they will become a peace-loving democratic state, is another troubling dimension of this same situation.

>> Continued -- Page 1 2 3 4 5