Interesting stuff on the Web - 3/10/09

Charles "Chas" Freeman, who withdrew Tuesday as chairman of the National Intelligence Council, says the "Israel Lobby" did him in. In The Daily Beast, Max Blumenthal picks up this theme, asserting that the campaign to knock out Chas was spearheaded by Steven Rosen, a former director of the American Israel Political Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and one of two guys accused of passing secrets to Israel. But Chuck Schumer is claiming credit for blocking Freeman. Memeorandum has a roundup of reactions in the blogosphere. Say what you want about Freeman, he did unite a lot of people the on the right and the left to get him dumped! I think no one as sharply opinionated and loose-lipped as Freeman (who called the recent Tibetan uprising a "race riot") should hold any senior intelligence post. How could anyone trust his analyses?

Off with their heads! Camille Paglia says Obama should rid himself of "the flacks, fixers and goons -- his posse of smirky smart alecks and provincial rubes" responsible for the flubs that have marred Obama's debut in office. If only she would speak her mind!

Department of You Can't Make This Stuff Up -- Employees at Facebook are filling out "awesomeness" surveys. Gawker has the inside scoop.

According to Politico, Obama tells the centrist New Democratic Coalition that he's a centrist too. I think he is, but I'd be more impressed if he told it to MoveOn.org.

Mickey Kaus is ticked at the almost total non-coverage in the MSM of Warren Buffett's measured but telling criticism of the President on the economic crisis.

Rasmussen finds that 53% of Americans "think the United States is at least somewhat likely to enter a 1930’s-like depression within the next few years." What on earth gave them that idea?

Shades of Smoot-Hawley. Is Obama channeling Herbert Hoover, not FDR? At Below the Beltway, Doug Mataconis sees a new trade war developing on the horizon.

At Donklephant, donkeys, elephants and various hybrids are duking it out -- civilly, moderately, transpartisan-ly -- over massive (or is it not massive enough?) spending.

Moderate Democrats foiling Obama's plans? The folks at Think Progress seem to think they are "not being productive." But gee, if Obama can't even corral all the Democrats, maybe he should re-Think his plans to make more Progress.