U.S. President Barack Obama (2nd R) and Vice President Joe Biden (L) meet with co-chairmen of the President's Intelligence Advisory Board former Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE) (R) and former Senator David Boren (D-OK) and senior leadership of the intelligence community in the Cabinet Room at the White House in Washington October 28, 2009. (photo by REUTERS/Jim Young)
Hagel is more than qualified for the position of Secretary of Defense. I'd like to see Mullens there, but, that won't happen so there is no reason to stand in the way of Chuck Hagel. Hagel Praises Obama on Syria; Chides GOP on Iran (click here)
By: Barbara Slavin.
posted on Mon, Mar 12.
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It is also a bit of revenge. Hagel called the invasion into Iraq another Vietnam.
Frm Ted Barrett
CNN Washington Bureau:
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Perhaps the strongest worded opposition (click here) to President Bush's plan to send more than 20,000 additional troops to Iraq came from a fellow Republican on Thursday.
Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska described the move as "the most dangerous foreign policy blunder in this country since Vietnam, if it's carried out."
"I will resist it," he said.
Hagel's comments sparked applause from the Senate gallery, where lawmakers were engaged in a heated debate with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who came to Capitol Hill to answer questions about the president's new strategy for Iraq....
Hagel is also from Nebraska. He won many of his elections by double digit majorities. The Democrat was defeated in the Senate race this year. It might even be dangerous to have a Republican Senator from Nebraska that actually disagrees in any votes with a very popular and former Senator himself.
Hagel is also from Nebraska. He won many of his elections by double digit majorities. The Democrat was defeated in the Senate race this year. It might even be dangerous to have a Republican Senator from Nebraska that actually disagrees in any votes with a very popular and former Senator himself.
Chuck Hagel is a distinguished Professor at Georgetown University. He serves on the Boards of Directors of Chevron Corporation and Zurich’s Holding Company of America; the Advisory Boards of Corsair Capital, Deutsche Bank America, M.I.C. Industries and is a Senior Advisor to Gallup. He is Co-Chairman of the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board and a member of the Secretary of Defense’s Policy Board. He also serves as Chairman of the Atlantic Council, Chairman of the United States of America Vietnam War Commemoration Advisory Committee, and is a member of the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) board of directors and the Systemic Risk Council....
My concern about Hagel is where he falls on the DOD budget. It is far too large and the nation needs to scale back. Will he be on the side of the American people when it comes to military budget issues? I mean the spending on the F-35 Fighter is out of control. Will Hagel actually scrutinize the DOD budget and continue to relieve his nation of the spending on these machines. I would think as a two term Senator he would be able to discern prudent spending over wasteful spending and chase it down. His affiliations with Wall Street don't thrill me either, but, he has a record as an honorable man not easily swayed by cronies.
The upside is that Chuck Hagel will be a reasonable advocate for peace. That is important. He will not be another Rumsfeld, as a puppet to war at any cost for any reason.
I'd like to hear those concerns addressed at a Senate hearing for his nomination.
