Charles Freeman, Obama’s reported pick for chairman of the National Intelligence Council, talked business with the Bin Laden family even after September 11.
Ashley Rindsberg, Feb. 24, 2009
Amid the criticism that has already emerged about President Obama's reported pick for the powerful position of chairman of the National Intelligence Council, there is an as-yet unmentioned problem that is likely cause even bigger troubles: He had business ties to the bin Laden family after the 9/11 attacks.
Charles “Chas” Freeman, a former US ambassador to Saudi Arabia, had business connections with the bin Laden family and their Saudi Binladen Group, a multibillion-dollar construction conglomerate founded by the father of Osama bin Laden. As chairman of Projects International Inc., a company that develops international business deals, Mr. Freeman asserted in an interview with the Associated Press less than a month after September 11 that he was still “discussing proposals with the Binladen Group—and that won't change.(excerpt) read more at thedailybeast.com
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Obama pick for NIC has ties to the bin Laden family after the 9-11
Charles “Chas” Freeman was a former US ambassador to Saudi Arabia and he had strong business connections to the father of Osama bin Laden. For the last dozen years, Freeman, has been President of the Middle East Policy Council (formally known as the American Arab Affairs Council) a lobbying group for the Arab world. This is a very anti-Israeli organization. The Obama Administration is going to be the most pro-Arab Presidency in US history.
It's not a big deal that this guy has had business ties to the enormous bin Laden family. So does the Bush family. This business seems to have been done in Saudi Arabia, where Osama's citizenship has been revoked. There might be as many as 600 members of the bin Laden family. That somebody had some business with them at some time, even after 9/11, means little.
ReplyDeleteWhile I wouldn't be too excited about any administration being pro-Arab, I would also not prefer an American administration that favored either the Israelis or Arabs over the other. I highly doubt the Obama administration would be pro-Arab/Muslim anyway. Rahm Emanuel and David Axelrod are both Jewish, Rahm once served in the IDF, while Hillary and Biden are very pro-Israel themselves. Plus, last summer Obama declared for the whole world to see that he would be dedicated to the survival of Israel. There is no shortage of favoritism toward Israel in this administration.
What's bad is that we send out billions in foreign aid to both Israel and Arabs, so it looks like we're hedging our bets, while most of all, all of that utterly disregards the advice in George Washington's farewell address.
Washington did not want the U.S. to become permanent allies with anyone because that inevitably drags the country into unnecessary conflicts. He called passionate attachments to another country something that would produce "a variety of evils." The portion under consideration can be found here: http://www.barrettforcongress.us/georgewashington.htm