Chuck Hagel's very bad day
Former Sen. Chuck Hagel went through three mock confirmation hearings to prepare for the real thing, but still left many supporters surprised at his poor performance. It’s a shame President Barack Obama didn’t tap a better nominee for secretary of defense.
Although Hagel is a Republican, he faced tough grilling from GOP senators at a hearing last week because of his dovish views. But even facing friendlier interrogators, he often seemed befuddled.
Hagel said he supported Obama’s “containment” policy toward Iran but after he was given a note, he corrected himself. “Obviously we don’t have a position on containment,” he said. That led the Democratic committee chairman, Sen. Carl Levin, to interject another correction — namely that the administration did have a position, which was against containment and for prevention — prevention of Iran’s presumed drive to develop nuclear weapons.
At one point, Hagel claimed Iran had a “legitimate, elected” government, which it does not, although he backed away from that later. Similar stumbles occurred throughout the day, as when he declined on several occasions to declare Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps a terrorist entity.
Republican Sen. Lindsay Graham of South Carolina asked about Hagel’s 2008 statement that what he termed the “Jewish lobby” had intimidated Congress into doing “stupid things.” Hagel could not provide examples of stupid policies or intimidated lawmakers.
Ultimately, he fell back on admitting he still had much to learn, and reminding the senators that in any case, the position he seeks isn’t one that makes policy — a weak argument for someone seeking confirmation to one of the most important Cabinet positions.
If his nomination is approved by the Senate, Hagel would follow Robert Gates and Leon Panetta as Pentagon chief, both able appointees. Obama should have sought out a replacement in the same league.
Mark Hastert
3 months, 1 week agoThe Neocons are rearing their ugly heads again. When will they ever learn that we can’t project American power all over the world through force of arms? When will they learn that anyone who disagrees with them isn’t necessarily a dove.
First, we don’t have the resources (some of these same guys are also “fiscally responsible” types)
Secondly, their philosophy hasn’t worked out too well. Billions of dollars and thousands of lives were flushed away in Iraq all for Neocon folly.
Somebody needs to remind John McCain that Vietnam is over, we lost, and all the subsequent wars and military actions he’s championed won’t change that.
George Hunsucker
Northland
3 months, 1 week agoand you libs want this anti-Israel dummy approved. All he would do is be the boy for zero’s dismantlement of our defense dept.
We should bring home ALL our troops from around the world, but not under the “leadership” of a zero/hagel combination…..
Mark Hastert
3 months, 1 week ago“We should bring home ALL our troops from around the world, but not under the “leadership” of a zero/hagel combination”
They’re not likely to come home any other way GH. The Neocons hijacked the Bush II presidency and they’ll steamroll any other Republican on the horizon I’ve seen.
Matt Henry
3 months, 1 week agoI’m not sure what Mark’s comments have to do with the point of the column which is that Hagel, irrespective of his lack of neocon-ishness, proved himself to be completely unprepared for the job and by extension proved that Obama doesn’t care whether his SecDef is incompetent.
Seems like maybe there’s a little bit of defensiveness there considering the Nobel Prize winner’s expansion of domestic spying beyond all of the things left-wingers hated under Bush, unilateral use of military might without the approval of congress, the failure to close Guantanamo, the failure to protect diplomats and most recently the Obama administration argument that they can legally kill American citizens without due process, even if they are not actively involved in a plot to attack Americans.
Neo-Lib? Hmmmm…. I kinda like the sound of that….
Phil Cardarella
3 months, 1 week agoChuck Hagel is a great guy, who will be a very good Secy of Defense.
He was clearly taken aback by the harshness of the attacks by the GOP senators — his former collegues and, he thought, his friends. Members of the Club may disagree, but they are never so personal in their outright meanness.
Do we seriously think that this was about whether the US should be able to disagree with the present government of Israel about policy? If so, I hate to think that UNITED STATES Senators would believe that Bibi should call the shots, US interest be damned.
Frankly, looking a McCain, you could tell it was both personal and class. He was not only upset that a former supporter would differ from him on Iraq. He held no such anger for Kerry. He was upset that a mere sergeant — a grunt — would have the gall to disagree with his officer betters!
Proving WHY Hagel SHOULD be confirmed.
Matt Henry
3 months, 1 week agoWow, Phil. You really are going out of your way to prove what a mouthpiece you are for the administration. Even the Trotskyites on the Star board panned his performance but in your mind it was everyone’s fault but his own. Did you read the news the weeks before his hearing? He knew he was in for some tough questions and yet he still looked lost. And what question threw him off so bad he couldn’t even get the President’s position on Iran correct without help? That you can’t acknowledge how badly he performed says a lot about your capacity for objectivity (or lack thereof).
This is the same as my assessment of your comments about the “hecklers” the other day. You are right, everyone else is wrong. Hagel could have worn his underwear on the outside of his pants and blew Yankee Doodle on the kazoo and you would have praised his performance because you and he are right and the fault lies with others who have the audacity to challenge your rightness.
Phil Cardarella
3 months, 1 week agoActually, I am not right and everyone else is wrong. Only those who disagree with me are wrong. The rest of us are right.
Right?
Of course, having heard Chuck Hagel speak at forums and having met the man obviously put me at a disadvantage of too much knowledge — always a disadvantage in these little discussions.
I did not say he “performed” well at the hearing. What I observed was the the harsh TONE of the questioners was not what Hagel expected from his former GOP Senate collegues.
Given that Hagel was not up for Secy of State, one might wonder why so much of the questioning hinged on his foreign policy thoughts, rather than the military itself. You know, the job he IS up for?
We need to make some serious changes in our military structure. We cannot afford our old Cold War military and a modern one. That means that the next Secy of Defense is going to have to cut some very influential fat — particularly from our officer class. Generals who are used to having 20 motorcycle escourts to visit their girlfriend’s party are going to get a rude awakening.
Those are some entitlements that can be cut. And this “grunt” is likely to make them.
George Hunsucker
Northland
3 months, 1 week agochuckie is not talking….
http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/hagel-refuses-detail-foreign-funders_700336.html
George Hunsucker
Northland
3 months, 1 week agonow it appears zero wasn’t even involved.. what a “leader”
http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/panetta-obama-absent-night-benghazi_700405.html