Soccer Dad On Chas Freeman At American Thinker

Writing at American Thinker, Soccer Dad notes that the conspiracy theories that the Israel Lobby was behind Chas Freeman's decision to withdraw from his appointment as head of the National Intelligence Council just don't add up. First of all:

The Washington Post in reporting on Freeman's withdrawal, managed to list every single person with a Jewish name who opposed Freeman, but also noted that the opposition to Freeman on Capitol Hill really increased after the NIC's Inspector General started looking into Freeman's financial dealings.

Yes there was a lot of opposition in pro-Israel circles to the Freeman nomination. But there was just as much support for Freeman among those who are critical of Israel. Given that the former group came mostly from those who didn't vote for President Obama, it's hard to see why their views would hold much sway with the administration. And given the lack of coverage of the nomination, there was no popular opposition to it from the general electorate. How then did the pro-Israel crowd sink the nomination? There was no way for the opposition to gain traction within the administration.

Another problem with claims about the power of the Israel Lobby can be found within current events themselves:

For example, recently Secretary of State Clinton announced a $900 million aid package to rebuild Gaza. Despite her assurances there's no way that Hamas won't benefit. The United States also participated in planning sessions for the upcoming UN conference on racism. While the administration eventually withdrew, pro-Israel activists had cautioned against participating at all.

Recently, in three major areas, precisely one result has gone the way of the all-powerful Israel lobby. Perhaps the lobby isn't nearly as formidable as its critics contend.

Read the whole thing.

Still, you can be sure that the same group--and more--will continue to warn about the all-powerful and intimidating Israel Lobby, while touting their bravery in being consistently able to do so.

Technorati Tag: Chas Freeman.