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Newsweek: Obama's Intel Czar Resigns
Chas Freeman, the Obama administration's choice to serve in a key U.S. intelligence post, abruptly withdrew Tuesday after complaints he was too closely tied to Saudi and Chinese government interests.
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Pelosi Power
Weekly Standard Blog — ... Newsweek has a piece on Freeman's exit that jibes pretty well with how I understand things to have played out. Pelosi was reportedly dismayed by the pick, and though she didn't object publicly, there were ...

Pelosi And Freeman
The Daily Dish | By Andrew Sullivan — She didn't start the fire, but she may have put the final kibbosh on Freeman.

Remainders: Freeman
Ben Smith's Blog — ... Freeman as anyone, says the Freeman battle boosted Israel critics. Steve Clemons says it will start a fight over patriotism. Kampeas says Freeman, not Israel, sunk. Freeman, and notes that nobody tried to torpedo Samantha Power. James Fallows says our criteria for government officials is all wrong. Michael Weiss says Freeman's appointment showed insecurity. MJ Rosenberg says this isn't good for the Jews. The whole mess is a blow to Dennis Blair. The Drug Czar moves down a notch, and ...

Pelosi Won't Take Credit For Sinking Freeman
Politics on HuffingtonPost.com — ... Newseek earlier reported that Pelosi was "incensed" by Freeman's views of the Tiananmen Square massacre - he thought the Chinese were too soft -- and said that such a position was "indefensible." ...

Pelosi Won't Take Credit For Sinking Freeman
The Huffington Post | Full News Feed — ... Newseek earlier reported that Pelosi was "incensed" by Freeman's views of the Tiananmen Square massacre - he thought the Chinese were too soft -- and said that such a position was "indefensible." ...

What *did* Greenwald mean by ‘people like Chuck Schumer?’
RedState: Conservative News and Community — ... It’s amusing that this was apparently all due to “loyalty to the right-wing Israel agenda,” given the presence of Schumer, Lieberman - and noted right-wing neocon House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who will be somewhat surprised to discover that her ruse of being angry about Freeman’s rationalization of Chinese repression was so easily exposed. Nope, Nancy and the rest are doing it because of the Jews. So did I. If you objected, so did you. So did everybody else who objected. No doubt we get coded messages. ...

The Liberal Cabal
Weekly Standard Blog — ... The Times quotes precisely two congressmen for their piece alleging that Freeman's "Israel stance was [his] undoing." One is Rep. Steve Israel and the other is Senator Chuck Schumer. Neither indicates that any pressure was brought to bear by lobbyists. But the Times failed to acknowledge what Newsweek reports is the pivotal role played by Nancy Pelosi, who has a long record of advocating for human rights in China and Tibet and who is said to have viewed Freeman's views on that subject as "indefensible." Reps. Wolf and Kirk, two other vocal ...

If an appointee falls and there’s no msm, is it still a scandal?
Yourish.com — ... ) Newsweek attributed the major opposition to Freeman as coming from Nancy Pelosi because of Freeman’s support for the crushing of the Tiananmen Square protests. ...

What killed the Saudi/Manchurian candidate?
Power Line — ... Before Pillar's lament becomes conventional wisdom, interested readers should take a look at the accounts of Michael Isikoff and Mark Hosenball in Newsweek and ...

The problem with the US's intelligence analysis
Israel Matzav — ... , the main reason Freeman's appointment was controversial was not the opposition it garnered among pro-Israel American Jews. The main controversy surrounding his appointment as the Obama administration's top intelligence analyst revolved around his financial and political ties to potential and actual US adversaries. Indeed, according to Newsweek, it was these connections - and specifically Freeman's ties to the Chinese Politburo - that scuppered his appointment. According to Newsweek, the White House withdrew its support for Freeman because House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was ...

Neocons 1, Obama 0
Antiwar.com Original — ... of the Wall Street Journal – an "Israel basher." House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a strident supporter of Israeli government policies, claimed that Freeman's views were "indefensible" and urged President Barack Obama to withdraw his appointment. In his ...

Stephen Zunes: Neocons 1, Obama 0
Politics on HuffingtonPost.com — ... of the Wall Street Journal — an "Israel basher." House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a strident supporter of Israeli government policies, claimed that Freeman's views were "indefensible" and urged President Barack Obama to withdraw his appointment. ...

Dennis Blair does not learn his lesson on Chas Freeman.
RedState: Conservative News and Community — ... – lesson learned, moving on. …I’m afraid that it’s simply not true. It wasn’t us, and it wasn’t this “Israel lobby” that so exercises the pseudo-intellectual mind. One person torpedoed Charles Freeman’s nomination… and it was Charles Freeman himself. The guy was simply far too gone an apologist for too far broad a spectrum of unpleasant regimes to be tolerable, Right or Left. That being said, I was exceptionally happy to help.  I ...

Team of Rivals: Blair vs. Panetta Edition
Weekly Standard Blog — ... Prediction: An easy win for Panetta. Blair has proved himself to be completely tone deaf on political issues and sustained a "personal blow" with the withdrawal of Chas Freeman from consideration as NIC Chair. Panetta, on the other hand, just had his way with Nancy Pelosi, who would seem to be a far tougher opponent than Blair. I'm guessing a TKO for Panetta early in the second round. ...

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