It is now old news that Barack Obama’s first pick to be Chairman of the National Intelligence Council [NIC] - an in-house think tank that is the center of the nation’s 16 intelligence agencies - Chas Freeman stepped aside after pro-Israel groups, journalists and politicians launched a campaign against.

[Will another American patriot be brought down by the Israel lobby?]

Freeman is a life-long distinguished diplomat who served his country in China - he was Nixon’s translator on the historic trip - and in numerous other nations. Freeman also speaks Arabic and was U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia during the Gulf War. But in recent years, Freeman has uttered some criticism of Israel and the pro-Israel lobby seeks to enforce a zero-tolerance policy on dissent from pro-Israel dogma. They launched the campaign against him and won. Freeman has now returned to private life.

Anthony Zinni - former retired four-star General in the United States Marine Corps and a former Commander in Chief of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) - has known been announced as Freeman’s replacement. But in today’s Washington even second-choice Zinni may not pass muster with the pro-Israel lobby.

What is ironic about Zinni’s nomination is that Zinni was originally chosen to be the U.S. Ambassador to Iraq by the Obama administration. But that job has then denied Zinni after pro-Israel groups raised complaints. Their reason: Zinni is opposed to Israel using military action against Iranian nuclear facilities and the pro-Israel lobby - acting on behalf of Israeli interest - worried that if Zinni were stationed in Baghdad he would object to Israel flying over Iraqi airspace and may even resign in protest. Therefore creating at least a diplomatic spat for Israel. Unlike their overt effort towards Freeman, they worked behind the scenes to undermine Zinni and, again, won.

They may not rest assured with Zinni as head of the NIC either. First, if he would object to an Israeli air attack as Ambassador why would he not object as head of the NIC as well? Of course, he would. And as head of the NIC he would also have the president’s ear since we would occassionally brief him. Further, Israel and its lobby are further worried about the NIC’s estimates because an estimate release not too long ago stated that Iran ended efforts to obtain a nuclear weapon. Israel hotly denies the NIC’s estimates. So having a more hawkish person as head of the NIC is something the pro-Israel lobby deeply cares about and the same objections to Zinni as Ambassador are relevant toward the position of Chairman of the NIC. And even more so since Zinni would draft the intelligences estimates, thus his remit is extended.

Further, Zinni served briefly as a special envoy to Occupied Palestine/Israel in 2002 and was known for his even-handedness. While most people who agree that fairness is a virtue, the pro-Israel lobby strongly goes after any deviation from a unconditional pro-Israel maxim.

Thus there are two objections to Zinni from the pro-Israel point-of-view. Freeman was booted out, Zinni may get another chance to be the unwillingly recipient of such dogmatic behavior.