A week ago I talked to Chas Freeman and he said that if he went down, he wouldn’t go down without a yelp. I said, “Ambassador, it sort of makes me want to pull against you!” Well he did go down, and he did yelp, and now we’re getting some of the discussion we deserve. MJ Rosenberg’s letter to the Times today is a work of simple, educational genius about the central issue in the Chas Freeman case. Hurray to the Times for publishing it:
To the Editor:
Re “Israel Stance Was Undoing of Nominee” (front page, March 12), about why Charles W. Freeman Jr. withdrew his name from consideration for a top intelligence post:
How strange. This is a country where an appointee to a high government position can be on record harshly criticizing any or all policies of our own government, but not Israeli policies.
When it comes to American policies, criticism — even harsh criticism — is both standard and unremarkable. That is also how it is in Israel, which is even more open than we are about the rough-and-tumble aspects of democracy.
But criticism of Israeli policies by Americans can sink an aspirant for an appointed position or high office.
Not only that, the people who organize these campaigns do it in the dark without opening the debate to the American people. This is bad for America, bad for Israel and bad for the Jewish community.
M. J. Rosenberg
Director of Policy
Israel Policy Forum
Washington, March 12, 2009
