Obama Rebuffs Neocons, Appoints Freeman

[Purveyor]

By M.J. Rosenberg - February 26, 2009, 4:10PM

It's a new day. For the first time in years, a President has rebuffed the neocon/rightwing lobby on an issue dear to their hearts. He informed the Senate that he will make Charles Freeman head of the National Intelligence Council despite the full-court press led by the neocons and the rightwing of the pro-Israel lobby against him.

Read all about it here. http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0209/Freemans_in.html?showall

Here is my post from earlier today about the push against Freeman. I was wrong about one thing. Steve Rosen was only the public face against the appointment. Quietly, behind closed doors (including doors in the White House), a major effort to block Freeman was made. And it didn't just come from the fringes.

Obama did not back down. In fact, I hear, he never considered backing down.

TPM: http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/02/26/obama_rebuffs_neocons_appoints_freeman/

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. Spine of steel

I don't see Obama backing down on most things he's carefully considered. Don't know anything about Freeman--why is the pro-Israel lobby against him?

[madrchsod]

4. google-- he`s an interesting choice for the job.

there`s going to be a change in the weather in the middle east.

[Cha]

2. Wow, Freeman must be

the best person for the job in ObamaTeam's estimation.

[scarletwoman]

3. Anyone who pisses off AIPAC is fine by me. (nt)

[wcepler]

5. Does this mean we're no longer the United States of Israel?

Does this mean we're no longer the United States of Israel? Gee, America's foreign policy has been a tail wagged by the dog of the AIPAC & lunatic right wing fringe of Israel for so long, does this mean AMERICANS actually get to decide our foreign policy again? One thing is certain, to the degree Obama doesn't rescue America from the AIPAC, etc., everything else is moot, since it's now obvious to barnyard animals that the obscene Israeli/Palestinian conflict has been from the beginning an attempt of the right wing (mostly religious fanatic) crazies of Israel to TALK OVER THE ENTIRE COUNTRY OF PALESTINE -- a pretty ambitious agenda from a country that was poofed into existence by English elites just a few decades ago.

[Peace Patriot]

6. On Latin American foreign policy, we're the United States of Miami.

These two fascist forces--the rightwing in Israel, and the rightwing Batista spawn in Miami--have been in control of U.S. foreign policy, in their particular spheres, for many decades. Interestingly, they recently joined forces, in the virulent rightwing campaign to paint Hugo Chavez as anti-semitic. (He is not.) The Miami Herald, the Washington Post and the whole putrid corporate media gang joined in. The Simon Wiesenthal Center started it off a couple of years, and was resoundingly criticized for it by the major Jewish groups in Venezuela.

As I have been following events in Latin America very closely for many years, I notice how wrong, and, indeed, how insane, U.S. foreign policy is, as to Latin America. It's like WMDs in Iraq deja vus all over again, every day. Absolute, total, unblinking lies--about Cuba, about Venezuela, about Bolivia, about Ecuador, about the corrupt, failed, murderous, billion dollar boondoggle known as the U.S. "war on drugs," about the narco-thugs running Colombia, about "illegal immigration," about everything. The Miami mafia controls Washington's policy, and the corpo/fascist 'news' monopolies copy and paste whatever the Beltway gets from the Miami mafia.

And I imagine that people closely following the Israel/Palestine conflict, and other Middle East issues, feel the same way. AIPAC controls Washington's policy, and the corpo/fascist 'news' monopolies trumpet those "talking points."

And both of these super-lobbies receive massive funding from guess whom? You and me and other U.S. taxpayers. We pay Israel and the Miami mafia to distort U.S. policy!

Your comment triggered this analogy or parallel. These two situations seem very similar to me, and both pose grave problems for our democracy. U.S. foreign policy cannot be crafted in our interest--nor even in the best interests of other parties involved--in the Middle East, or in Latin America, because of long-standing, entrenched, rightwing forces, who are receiving federal welfare at our expense.

[zeemike]

7. Well I hope this leads to policy changes toward Latin America.

We have been meddling in their affairs for way to long.
It is time to make them our partners not our possessions.

[whathehell]

8. Agreed....I travel a lot and I've actually been interested in visiting Venezuela but

I'm afraid I'll be put on the "no fly" list!

[zeemike]

9. The one place i would like to go is Costa Rica.

I met someone from there and he was extremely well educated and fascinating to talk to.
I sense learned that they put a high value on education.

[Peace Patriot]

10. No, it's not that bad yet. You can visit Venezuela--no problemo!

I haven't done it myself, but I helped people go to the Global Social Forum there, a couple of years ago. Do go, and report back to us on the Bolivarian Revolution, from the heart of it.

[whathehell]

11. Well, thanks for the heads up...Just might do it!

[roody]

12. I've been to Cuba twice with Pastors for Peace, and I am not on the

no-fly list.