Chuck Hagel allies launch counter-attack
But Cohen, chairman and chief executive officer of The Cohen Group, said that if Obama intends to name Hagel, it would be a mistake to wait any longer.
“You leave someone hanging in the wind out there, and people can make allegation and marshal opposition, and it’s very difficult to defend yourself until you’re actually named,” Cohen said. “It’s not fair to Senator Hagel. He ought to name his team, and then go fight for them.”
Continue ReadingCohen added that if the opposition builds, and then Obama makes another choice, “It makes it look like he’s getting rolled a second time. It’ll look like critics on the Hill are determining who his team is going to be.”
—Brent Scowcroft, who was national security adviser to Presidents Gerald Ford and George H.W. Bush, said Hagel “has a very broad view of American foreign policy and the role in the world. He is very judicious, and he has an outstanding record as a senator, which gives him the knowledge and background to understand about the sometimes fractious relationship between the Congress, especially the Senate, and the administration.”
“He got two Purple Hearts on the front lines,” Scowcroft added. “That’s about the best recommendation you can get from somebody whose job would be to advise on the use of troops around the world. I am honestly surprised, even astonished, at the attacks. I do know where they’re coming from, but I don’t understand the genesis of them.
“His view on virtually every foreign policy, of which I know them, is very thoughtful, centrist and pro-America. The attacks have just erupted in the last couple of days, and most of the people that I’ve talked to about it are astounded. I don’t know what’s motivating it and why. It really surprises me.”
—Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), a former Army Ranger who serves on the Armed Services Committee and has traveled to war zones with Hagel, said: “Every man and woman in uniform in the Pentagon and across the world will know that he’s not only talked the talk, he’s walked the walk. … He also has a successful business record. He is an entrepreneur who’s succeeded. He’s also good in terms of recognizing the need to delegate — the Pentagon is not something that one person can sort of run. It has to be collegial, cooperative effort. You have to listen as well as talk and you have to be decisive, and he’s certainly decisive. So, he has many intellectual and temperamental qualities that would make him a great secretary of defense.”
—Zbigniew Brzezinski, national security adviser to President Jimmy Carter, forcefully defended Hagel on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe”: “Unlike some of his critics, … he has fought for his country. He has been wounded for this country. He is a man who knows what war is like.” Brzezinski said that Hagel at Defense and Sen. John Kerry at State “would infuse into our foreign policy what is very much needed … strategic significance — that is to say, a preoccupation with the problems that we’re slowly, collectively sliding into.”
Tim Mak contributed to this report.
Readers' Comments (20)
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Read all 20 comments in our forumTo be honest ... I've never had that much of a problem with Hagel. But it really is funny that in order to get approval from the Lefties here all they had to hear is that Obama might appoint him and that maybe possibly could be that Hagel is kinda somewhat anti-Israel... (translation ... they're hopin' that maybe he-don't-like-them-Jews either)
Hagel is a great choice. That the Israeli prime minister dared go on TV in Florida and endorse
Romney kind of precludes any Israeli clout in this pick or any other for that matter. Why would we listen to a foreign nation telling us who to pick as our Sec State or Sec Defense.
I can think of many words to say to them but they are all unprintable.
The "Jewish lobby." Nuff said.
Senator Hagel is to be heralded for his heroic military service to his country.But so are other veterans who have been brave and earned Purple Hearts.And perhaps some of them have been successful businessmen, too - just like Hagel apparently .And perhaps there are many who have all the above qualities and are moderate Republicans, just like Hagel.
However...
It's Hagel's "take" on policies that are questionable. Iran, for one. Israel, for another.
Yes, Hagel would take orders from the president. On the other hand, the president needs someone who can provide him with viable alternatives - for, say, Iran; for say, Israel.
Hagel just isn't the likes of Robert Gates. And we need the likes of Robert Gates! IT'S URGENT!
I will never understand how so many allegedly "patriotic conservative Americans" cede control of our foregn policy to a foreign country without a second thought.
Any mention of undue influence leaders from Israel have on our elections or any disagreement with the right-wing Israeli governments actions are immediately met with charges of anti-semitism.
We give Israel billions in foreign aid... Is Israel a poor country?
We need leaders who are brave enough to question the status quo.
You do realize that Jews overwhelmingly vote democratic right? You do realize that Israel is run by a right-wing government and they do not speak for every Jew, especially the diaspora?
We need leaders that aren't afraid to question the status quo. Why are we giving billions in foreign aid to a rich country? Why do our national interests take a backseat to theirs when we are the more powerful country? These are questions we cannot be afraid to ask.
In a perverted way Im happy this is getting this type of press. The slandering of a war hero and true patriot Chuck Hagel, The Israel lobby is exposed itself for the craven bullies that they are.
I hope he get picked and goes on national TV in front of a bunch rabid AIPAC congressional attack dogs so the whole nation could see who runs our foreign policy. A policy thats not helping, but hurting Israel and most importantly, us.
A reminder: Chuck got balls. He will say what this nation needs to hear. And a warning to his foes - it won't be good for them.
I wonder how Israel will look when they try to throw a American war hero under the bus.
I really, really can't wait for this..
The warmongering Israel Lobby cannibalistically eats up American war heroes. Anyone who sensibly opposes unnecessary wars to support Israel's illegal land-grabbing occupations is dead meat. Anyone who speaks out against the Fox News drumbeat for perpetual war against the Muslim world must be anti-Israel. Anyone who puts America first must be ruled out for any important position. Americans must realize who calls the shots around here.
There are many reasons to be against Chuck Hagel for Secretary of Defense:
Voted YES on prohibiting lawsuits against gun manufacturers.
Voted NO on background checks at gun shows.
Voted NO on expanding research to more embryonic stem cell lines.
Rated 11% by the NAACP, indicating an anti-affirmative-action stance.
Voted NO on expanding hate crimes to include sexual orientation.
Rated 0% by the Human Rights Campaign, indicating an anti-gay-rights stance.
Rated 17% by the Camgaign for America's Future, indicating opposition to energy independence.
Voted NO on capping of foreign aid at only $12.7 billion.
Voted YES on requiring photo ID to vote in federal elections.
Voted NO on funding for National Endowment for the Arts.
Voted NO on factoring global warming into federal project planning.
Voted NO on tax incentives for energy production and conservation.
Besides these, are the points raised by the Washington Post, that he will not be able to lead America's and Obama's policy to stop Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
Iran's official government press TV endorsed him this week.
Many who know him well say he is a poor manager.
and his comments about a Jewish lobby are condescending and racist. Imagine saying exactly the same thing about the NAACP or La Raza!
This post needs someone diplomatic not a hothead.
This person is an idiot. His incoherent stance against the Iraq Invasion #2 is not a qualification for an important job, except of course in Bizzare DC.
The fact that AIPAC and its lackeys at the Washington Post have tried to smear Hagel convinces me that Hagel is the right person for the job! The American military is for Americans, not Likudists, just as the American election was for Americans, not for Likudists.
jeanp, This gay man, who understands that a SecDef follows administration policy, strongly supports Hagel. You're cutting and pasting from AIPAC talking points, which have appeared all over the internet. This gay man is sick and tired of being ordered by AIPAC to support Likud because I'm gay and thus am supposed to despise Muslims as much as they do. Funny how all the feigned concern for gay rights vanished when Likudists decided they wanted to interfere with the American election and shove the anti-gay Mitt Romney down our throats as president. AIPAC and Likudists couldn't care less about gay rights. It's all manipulative exploitation of gay rights in service of their grotesque anti-Muslim bigotry.
Since when does the Knesset advise and consent on the appointment of the U. S. Secretary of Defense?
We are not selecting a Secretary of Defense to please the Netanyahu government of Israel. We are selecting a person whose first allegiance is to the United States, including the Jewish citizens of the United States.
Right now, Netanyahu is leading a nation which has defied more U.N. resolutions than any other country. He is directing a campaign of annihilation against the men, women and children of Gaza. He is advocating the building of thousands of homes on occupied territory in difiance of world opinion.
If a United States Secretary of Defense were to point this out, would this make him anti-Israel? Were the millions of Americans who thought the Bush-Cheney administration was a war-mongering bunch of fascists anti-American?
We have given the State of Israel billions of dollars in American taxpayer funds. This does not give them to right to influence United States foreign policy.
Having a cabinet member who is not an "Israel Firster"is a good thing. Any politician who questioned the Iraq invasion is GOLD!
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I am very pleased that President Obama is considerng this good and decent man for a post in his administration. I am a democrat, but I have long admired this man for his ethics and hgih moral compass..
Hagel comes from a family with bad tempers and alcoholism. Is he a stable personality? President Obama will be stirring racism and anti-Jewish bigotry if he goes through with what will be a contentious Senate confirmation hearing. Any time the President has to say "Don't worry, I'll be making the decisions" you know he has conceded the argument.
The 9/11 mastermind, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, said his hatred of us was due to our foreign policy bias towards Israel. Israel is hated around the world because of its brutal occupations and persecutions in violation of international law and UN Security Council resolutions. As Israel's supporter we are likewise hated and subject to terror attacks like 9/11 and Benghazi. The Israel Lobby neocons hijacked the Bush administration and used 9/11 as an excuse to drag us into unnecessary wars we could not afford. War with Iran, also to benefit Israel, is next on their agenda. Israel could make peace with its enemies by ending the occupations, but Israel prefers settlement expansion. The neocons assume all our politicians are bought and paid for by Israel Lobby campaign funds but Senator Hagel said he was a US senator, not an Israeli senator. The warmongers hate anyone they can't control.
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