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DEFENSIVE SECRETARY

Hagel Grilled At Secretary of Defense Confirmation Hearing

The nominee also takes a beating from conservative pundits for his performance

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by Lisa Fine

Staff Writer t +

Image: AP

Secretary of Defense nominee Chuck Hagel was on the defensive as lawmakers fired questions at him about his previous comments and positions at his Senate confirmation hearing Thursday.

Appearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Hagel had a heated exchange with Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., when he refused to give him a direct answer on whether the Iraq war surge succeeded. He gave a rambling apology for using the term "Jewish lobby" in response to a question from Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and stumbled as he answered various questions about Iran, Politico reports.

Conservative political pundits slammed Hagel's performance, with some even saying he fared so poorly it should lead to a filibuster.

Philip Klein, of the Examiner (@philipaklein) tweeted: "Rare that hearings actually sink nominee, but this disastrous Hagel performance could embolden GOP Sens mulling filibuster." He also wrote, "Policy disagreements aside, Hagel just isn't coming across as somebody who would be a competent Secretary of Defense."

Jennifer Rubin, of the Washington Post (@JRubinBlogger) tweeted: "When you co-author a report you should be able to answer questions. He is bombing, so to speak." She also wrote, "Hagel is too dumb to be SecDef if he doesn't know what was in his own report and can't say if true or not."

Via Politico and Twitter
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Does Hagel's performance give you pause about whether he should be Secretary of Defense?

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82 Comments (view in Forum)

  • Yank
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    @stepped_in_it public speaking in front of a hostile senate is hardly a judge of someone's capabilities. Like I said, I stopped concerning myself with these a long time ago.
  • DogLady_1
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    @stepped_in_it - We know how he will do in "real" war... he's the first SecDef candidate who has actually fought in a "real" war... and he did not stumble.
  • Food4thoughts
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    Bushisms come to mind when I read your quote...Can we count how many times George Dubya stumbled over his words in eight years...and he's the one who led the charge to invade on false pretenses in the first place!

    "Fool me once shame on ...shame on you...Fool me -- you can't get fooled again"

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  • thatgirl
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    Meh, if God himself were nominated, I'm sure the conservative pundits would find something negative to say about God's performance.
  • DogLady_1
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    really? How is Hagel soft on iran? He supports measures to keep Iran from getting nukes... what else do you want? Why do you say he is no friend of Israel when Hgael supports supplying arms to Israel? And what has our past friendship with Israel done for us??? Why do you feel like nuclear "defense" is necessary? Do we really need enough force to blow up the earth 7 times over? And how can you call that "defense"? Wouldn't such massive power be more aptly called "offensive" weapons?
  • SAS86
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    @DogLady_1 Look at his record. He proposes to have "discussions" with terrorists. You really need a lesson in reality. If your icon is pot, go back to smoking it.
  • SAS86
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    @DogLady_1 Soft on Iran – Mr. Hagel consistently has been soft on the Iranian regime, repeatedly voting against Iran sanctions, and in 2005 even proposing that Iran play a role in the shaping of the new Iraqi government. At a time when the Iranian regime is blatantly flaunting its efforts to bolster its nuclear weapon capabilities, this approach by our nation’s Secretary of Defense is not only short-sighted, but also extremely dangerous.

    Favors Dialogue with Terrorist Regimes and Groups – In 2009, Mr. Hagel stated his belief that the U.S. should negotiate with the regime of Bashir Al Assad of Syria. He has said the same about our nation’s approach to Hezbollah and Hamas. Further, in 2009, Mr. Hagel sent a letter to the President stating that Israel must begin open negotiations with Hamas.

    Hostile Toward Israel – There are numerous examples of Mr. Hagel’s hostility toward Israel and the Jewish-American community. He has stated that the “Jewish Lobby” is a problem on Middle East issues, and in 1999 he was the only member of the U.S. Senate not to sign a letter condemning growing anti-Semitism in Russia. As yet another example of his views on Israel, in 2006, when Hezbollah entered Israel, killed two Israeli soldiers, and fired thousands of rockets on Northern Israel, only one Senator—Chuck Hagel—publicly admonished Israel for defending itself.

    Supports Abolishment of Nuclear Weapons – At a globally dangerous period, Mr. Hagel endorses Global Zero, a movement that seeks the abolition of nuclear weapons. In fact, according to a recent AP article by Robert Burns, Chuck Hagel “would be the first to enter the Pentagon as a public advocate for sharply reducing the number of U.S. nuclear weapons—possibly without equivalent cuts by Russia.”

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  • jessejaymes
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    What authority does the SOD have that isn't overriden by the President. Much ado about nothing. The President and the SOS are more important. Hagel is an insider getting another few years of plum salary. Nobody in that position carries any weight at this point in time in this administration.
  • Hireman
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    If I had a job-seeker approach me, and I asked him/her about something they wrote that I read, and they couldn't remember the substance, I'd kick them to the curb. Doesn't sound like he's too much substance behind his work.
  • Tralee
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    @DogLady_1 This was a very fair representation of the really awful job Hagel did, he was unprepared, didn't seem to know some very basic things and refused to answer questions. Come on, the question from McCain was an easy one, he either stood by his earlier statement or he didn't. The end, the answer is already a foregone conclusion agreed to by all, dems. and repbs. So all he had to do was say, yes I stand by my original comment, and he could say because....... OR he could have put on his big boy pants and acknowledged that his original statement was proven incorrect and he regrets it now. See? Easy peasy. Just speak the truth and you shall be free.
  • jessejaymes
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    Been fun with you and I being a couple of ole outlaws that call nonsense on both sides. But I'm taking off and finding a new site. I've had it with the bias of the site moderators. Hope you see this before they yank it. Give em hell.
  • noname
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    I agree. That is why we have career politians. Few, if any will answer with a yes or no. They are like used car salesmen. Their objective is to sell you the car by saying "if we have the blue one...." All politicans have to explain their vote to pacify the majority.
  • WMCOL
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    Limbaugh is painting Obama as just like every other President in regard to Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense, but better, because he will not be detached from the position. He asserts that Obama will not be uninvolved and detached from the Cabinet positions but will be involved and in charge. Sounds good to me to finally have a president who is involved and knows what is going on. If we had more Presidents like that we may not have been in some of the senseless and useless encounters we've been in.
  • Knightkore
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    "If Chuck Hagel is not a Native American, he cannot hold the position as Secretary Of Defense, and therefore he must be Secretary Of Defense some place else."
  • Keyjo
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    Wow, the Republicans devouring one of their own because Obama likes him. Kind of like beating up ones own little brother because Mom likes him better!
    The one thing that makes me question his loyalty to the United States is that he sits on the board of directors of Chevron Oil.
  • Thegrif
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    @Keyjo yea, my parents were big on Jimmy, the political machine chewed him up and spit him out.
    I really think he had great intentions.

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  • RobertJHarsh
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    ...and who does McCain think he's kidding. No one agreed with either surge but one has to remember that disagreeing with Bush made you as terrorist and disagreeing with Obama makes you a racist. Standing up to people whom are wrong is a key qualification of that job.
  • BorderDrama
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    It was a dumb question. A "yes" answer makes Hagel look pompous; a "no" question makes him look like a bungler. Hagel answered the question correctly: history will be the judge of whether he was right or wrong. Bill Clinton, the relativist, would have answered, "It all depends on what the meanings of 'right' and 'wrong' are at whatever point in history one is being asked the question." We are still getting revelations about all wars that we have fought going back to the civil war. Right and wrong will reveal themselves in a different light depending on what time in history they are asked.
  • kathyparsell
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    I would think people would want any nominee to be grilled for such an important position, most positions, they represent the POTUS who allegedly supports the people of the United States.
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