FREEMAN NOT HOME FREE - AT 7:30 A.M. ET:  As readers know, we've been following the bizarre appointment of Charles Freeman Jr. to head the National Intelligence Council, which prepares the sensitive National Intelligence Estimates.  Among other sins, Freeman approved China's Tiananmen Square Massacre, but said it wasn't tough enough, and has an ongoing love affair with Arab dictatorships, especially Saudi Arabia.  Some Republican members of Congress have spoken out.  Now another joins the dissenters.  From Fox News:

The ranking Republican on the House intelligence committee called on the Obama administration to withdraw its pick for the top intelligence analyst post, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Charles Freeman, a veteran diplomat and former senior Pentagon official, is expected to assume his new job as chairman of the National Intelligence Council in the coming weeks.

He has stirred controversy with several statements, including one in which he said the Chinese government acted too slowly to crack down on protesters in Tiananmen Square in 1989. Mr. Freeman has also criticized American policies supporting Israel.

Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R., Mich.) said in an interview, "I hope that this is one that's withdrawn."

COMMENT:  This is an insane appointment.  It violates fundamental American values of support for democracy and opposition to dictatorships.  There are so many qualified people available for this post, so why choose this one?  That's the question that Congress should be asking.  What message does the administration want to send?  By the way, so far only the Murdoch-owned news organizations are giving the story any serious play.  Zip in The New York Times or the Washington Post.  What message does that send?

March 4, 2009