Freeman Exits, Snarling

Michael Goldfarb at The Weekly Standard gives the details on Charles Freeman’s choice lines just before he exited the scene - but not before he let the door hit him in the behind on his way out.

Mr. Goldfarb also notes that the poor choice of Freeman as our National Intelligence Director was roundly ignored by the MSM. Remember, this would have been the guy feeding the President his daily intel briefing:

If there was ever any doubt that Chas Freeman is exactly what his critics claimed--an intemperate man with poor judgment and bizarre views, unsuited to the position for which he was selected--we now know that’s what he is. Freeman was convicted by his own mouth, and it’s good he’s not going to be in charge of our intelligence estimates. What’s amazing is that the Obama administration signed off on, and Dennis Blair made, this pick.

[…]

The only thing everyone can agree on is that the New York Times, and to a lesser extent the Washington Post, failed to give this story the coverage it deserved. The New York Times didn’t have a single report or op-ed on the Freeman debacle prior to today, when the paper reported that he’d withdrawn his name from consideration. Supporters like Sullivan and critics like Marty Peretz commented how remarkable it was that our allegedly major sources of information could have avoided this story for so long. And as Ben Smith points out, the Freeman controversy proves that a story “doesn’t need ever to cross into more traditional media precincts to play out with congressional involvement and executive action.” The New York Times looks ridiculous, which always makes me happy, but you really have to wonder what their role in our political debates is anymore.

Their role? It’s the same part they’ve always played: to push their favorites, to demonize their enemies, and to ignore the rest.

[ends here]