It was Hofstader that came to GNU and wanted to make an initiative, not the FSF who tapped him. He seems to be getting some positive work done on a historically neglected part of GNU, and managed to get support from Richard.
In that context the conclusion of this article completely disregards the steps being taken from the bottom up in GNU. But what can you expect with an article that misreads a press release, claiming that the FSF has somehow made heavy-handed, blundering appointment...