Former Republican Senator Chuck Hagel, the President’s nominee for Secretary of Defense, had a tough go of things during his confirmation hearing Thursday…
In typical Republican fashion, the Reps choose to
rake one of their own over the coals, while letting Democrat Senator John Kerry cruise to confirmation for Secretary of State. Kerry a man with as many verbal miscues and controversial stands as Mr. Hagel.
From listening to the hearing (I haven’t had a television since 2004 and spend a lot of time monitoring C-SPAN on my phone), I was somewhat taken aback by what appeared to be Hagel’s complete lack of preparation for his grilling by the Senate.
Did he not contemplate that his every word would be parsed, his positions scrutinized?
So why do Republicans hate Mr. Hagel so much?
For starters, according to Republican Senators anyway, he’s committed the heresy of believing that the “surge” in Iraq didn’t work and was a bad idea to begin with. Senator John McCain was practically frothing at the mouth while
haranguing Hagel and inferring that the Iraq War was “won” because of the surge.
Hagel contests that “history will be the judge” of the
Iraq War and it’s judging it harshly thus far.
For all intents and purposes the USA has not “won” a war since WWII.
Hagel gets why the Republican & NeoCons are pulling out all the stops to halt his confirmation.
His opponents can’t stand the thought of giving up the Empire and scaling back our military budget.
Hagel also believes the USA should engage “enemies” like Iran
before we go to war. A stance that both Republican and Democrat Senators took umbrage with. As if the last 10 years spent wasted in Afghanistan and Iraq aren’t warning enough against further Middle East misadventures.
The other red herring Hagel’s being pummeled for is his alleged
opposition to Israel. You would think by the tone of the questioners that he was auditioning to head the Israeli Ministry of Defense!
Full disclosure- I’m Jewish with Zionist leanings and have been accused on many occasions of have deep sympathies with the NeoCons – but I’m in no way offended by Mr. Hagel’s positions towards the Jewish State.
There is nothing wrong with putting the interests of the USA ahead of an ally’s – even one as near and dear to America as Israel.
I believe that Hagel’s stance against invading Iran is actually in
Israel’s best interest. Nasty computer viruses like Stuxnet coupled with the “deletion” of their top nuclear scientists are how you stop the Iranian nuclear program- not conventional warfare.
I do believe that Hagel will squeak through and be confirmed.
There are 55 Democratic Senators and if Obama can keep them in line, he needs only five Republicans to cross party lines and vote for his confirmation.
Hagel’s got to have at least five Republican friends left
in the Senate who realize if his nomination is torpedoed, President Obama will nominate someone much worse.
Hagel was The Guy McCain said he’d appoint when he won.
Kerry is great, oh wait, you mean it isn’t Bob Kerry?
Putting a grunt in charge seems a good thing. chuck is busy I presume? Seriously, a grunt is a good thing.
Hagel is a critic of the corn-and-soybean-ghetto farm policies too.
Less prepared than Harriett Meirs. Although a legitimate appointee.
With your record, Hagel should be VERY worried that you are predicting he will squeak through.
He was very unprepared. Embarrassing.
The surge did NOT win the war in Iraq.
The war in Iraq is a galactic blunder that destabilized the Mid East and created a vacuum filled by the Muslim Brotherhood and the now in place Shia rulers who are America’s sworn enemies unto death. The Ayatollah Khomeini, when he is not busy suckin the Devil’s D*ck in h*ll, must be metaphysically gobsmacked at the Sharia hegemony now in place throughout the region.
George Bush will go down in history, in my opinion, as our worst president. On 09/12/2001 he had the mandate of heaven and the hearts and minds of citizens all over the world in the war against terror. The story of how he squandered money, power, innumerable lives and our sacred honor on the world’s stage, is a testament to stupidity, ego and avarice that as Hagel says, is yet to be written.
That war is in no way WON. To say that America won the war in Iraq is a colossal deception usually reserved for those politicians wistfully waxing poetic on civil rights.
America no longer waxing, but waning under the economic crucible of an incessantly growing entitled ‘Protected Class’ will cut the heart out of our heretofore untouchable military budget and cast bread on the waters for the new Roman Mob in expectation of thier support in future elections.
A lot more butter and a lot less guns.
for crying out loud whiney…you haven’t had a tv since 2004?
Are you serious.
No wonder everything you write/say is wrong. If you watched fox news
like the rest of your buddies…you would be….WRONG TOO!
Fox news (your joined at the hip brothers like rove and dick “lick her toes”morris…
and hannity…and owrongly…and the rest of the clowns on fox news)
were all wrong. Excuse me i thought you wtched those clowns and that’s
where you came up with your predictions about the election.
Okay..let me understand this..you made those predictions without
wtching any of your heros? are you serious…so now you can’t
blame rove…morris…or hannity for the worst track record on
prognostication in history.
Hey…maybe go down to rent a center and get one of those big screens
…only $150 a month…and with good credit whiney you get free delivery.
As the comments made earlier on here…i would be worried if i was
hagel. You’ve been wrong more times than hannity on deciphering
current events.
Oh…and chuckles…i could not stop laughing reading his
comment on this subject. He’s got more hot b.s. than hurrican
katrina ever did. This guy makes whiney boy look like glaze
with his football picks.
I mean chuckles trying to evaluate the middle east is like a blind man
dloing a cross word puzzle.
chuckles trying to explain whats going onin the middle east is like
hearne trying to edit glaz’es stories.
chuckles trying to give a valid opinion about themiddle east
is like wilson trying to tie his own shoes!!!!
seriously guys…leave the important stuff to the experts like
myself. when it comes to comedy..you guys should be the
opening act at stanfords…because anyone with any idea of whats
going on in the world would be rolling on the floor laughing their
a$$es off reading that stuff.
sorry for delay…but i’m still trying to finish up my 2013 papers on’media
and the financial situation.
thanks..
Harley.
Nice that you stopped recording farts with your cell phone long enough to weigh in with such eviscerating commentary. I may not recover.
Jesus, Harley, you are more dillusional than Manti Te’o.
The only person interested in your dimwitted, bovine, blatherings is probably tied up with duck tape in your basement, which is no doubt wall papered with restraining orders.
We are all looking forward to your commentary on Mid Yeast infections which I feel sure you have researched thouroughly.
Until then get back to takin pics of your dick with your cell phone and sending them to yourself.
sorry chuckles the sad clown…nothing was said
about you personally…facts are facts and your predictions and
commentary have proven to be wrong all the time.
Your commentary about the mid east and the iraq war
have been comedic to say the least.
I did not attack you personally…just your ideas which
have alwqys originated in the 1950 style thinking.
the people at tonys blog pretty much summed you
up in a few lines…go read it…
so instead of attacking a 63 year old man personally
with vitriol and stupid attempts to try to make you
look like a fool…i’ll just let it rest.
But you did read all my comments and i got a
reaction from you which means you too are a
follower/fan of my comments.
I like that. It shows that good or bad you’re another
one of the many people who enjoy my work.
You’re always so negative.
smile… its a beautiful world…
go have some fun…
You don’t get it. The grilling of Chuck Hagel wasn’t political. It was personal. Very deeply personal. Look at who did it — Moe (John McCain) and Larry (Lindsey Graham). The only ones missing from the 2008 campaign was Shemp (Joe Lieberman) and Christine McIntyre (Sarah Palin).
Hagel was a key member and bosom buddy of McCain in the “straight-talkin’ maverick’s” 2000 run against George Bush. But Hagel, like the rest of the thinking human race, thought the War in Iraq was a dumb idea to begin with, and the surge was even dumber.
Not so, for the “straight talker” who was going to flag wave his way into the White House in 2008 against the terrorist-lovin’ hippie-huggin’ black Muslim. Only his old buddy Chuck, able to read the election results from 2006 and the polls in 2008, told him how farking nuts he was, and now we have him and his new best friend Lindsey acting like jilted high school girls after they gave the captain of the football team a BJ.
nice commentary irish guy ….you summed up the real
truth of the senate grilling very well..
take care…