Mere Rhetoric reports on Charles Freeman’s complaints via Iran’s Press TV (he had to find a sympathetic ear somewhere) about his treatment by the Obama administration – and leads us back to a Freeman comment, about Israel, during a Jewish Daily Forward phone interview:

It’s a foreign country, and while maybe 40 years ago many of its values were convergent with ours, I think there’s been a divergence of values.

This is “foreign” unlike, say, Canada, England, France…China…Saudi Arabia…Iran….

This is “divergent” values, unlike the convergence of values the U.S. has experienced with China, Saudi Arabia, Iran…Hamas.

As Julia likes to say, “Let’s make a list!”

I’ll start. Feel free to fill in any blanks and continue. The U.S. and

Israel —————————————-China, Saudi Arabia, Hamas

1. Republicanism
2. Democracy
3. Constitutional Rule of Law
4. Unversall Suffrage
5. Equal Rights for Women
6. (Expanding) Gay Rights

I’ll have more to say about Charles Freeman another time, but the many good poeple who supported his aborted appointment to chair the National Intelligence Council will always have to answer for their horrendous judgment.

AJA