Senate Confirms Hagel as Defense Secretary

How will he do?

The Senate voted Tuesday to approve former Sen. Chuck Hagel as the next Secretary of Defense, over objections to his previous comments and positions on the Middle East.

On a 58 to 41 vote, four Republicans joined 54 Democrats to confirm Hagel, after a contentious two months of debate that included a filibuster by his own party.

He will take charge of the Pentagon just days before automatic, across-the-board spending cuts that will affect defense programs are set to kick in on Friday.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid criticized the GOP for delaying the confirmation.

"Politically motivated delays send a terrible signal to our allies around the world, and they send a terrible signal to tens of thousands of Americans serving in Afghanistan, other parts of the world and ... in the United States," Reid said.

Via the Washington Post and Politico

How will Hagel do as Defense Secretary?

[DrNickels]

Well should I go ahead and order that Rosetta Stone Farsi addition?

[Vance1]

"I'm not saying my idea is the one and only idea. We should have other ideas, but the president has not laid down a specific plan as to how he's going to get us to solvency. I do that".
Chuck Hagel

This Hagel is an utter J O K E !!!!!

[FollowTheMoney]

Selling out national security to reach a political end is never a smart idea. We are at war.

[AceLuby]

Which country are we at war with?

[FollowTheMoney]

@AceLuby The entire middle east.

[Neo_NtheMatrix]

Today is a dark day in America, as the obama agenda drifts over America, lingering in the wind like the stench of a burning tire. Uggh!

[NormalFlora]

Wow!!! Metaphor, simile and hyperbole all in one sentence!!

[Neo_NtheMatrix]

+1 to Lisa for using "Sad, very sad" as a voting option.

[PNWest]

I bet she put that in there just for you. Kudos to Lisa!

[Denizen_Kate]

It's good to be loved, isn't it Neo?

[CanadianIndy]

Jiminy H. Christmas. Took them long enough.

As for if he'll be a good Secretary: who knows? We all have to wait. After all, has he done it before? No. Therefore, there is no experience to judge him against.

That question is akin to back when "Will Mitt Romney make a good president?" was being asked. Similar question, same answer.

[DogLady_1]

I'm glad. I think he will do well. Our warmongering cannot be sustained... perhaps things will improve now that we have someone who will consider using brain-power to solve problems.

[AceLuby]

Sanity!

[Andrewly]

I hope you're right. He may advocate a peaceful solution to the Iran situation yet our military is spending like crazy shifting its focus to the Asia-Pacific region. I hope our warmongering is over yet this development worries me.

[DogLady_1]

@Andrewly - Indeed... Why do we think we need 6 US Military bases in S Korea? Two bases in Guam? Or 23 bases in Germany, and several other bases across Europe? We cannot be the world police. Our presence draws conflict. If those countries decided to build that many bases on our soil, we would consider it an act of hostility.

"The causes of hostility among nations are innumerable. There are some which have a general and almost constant operation upon the collective bodies of society. Of this description are the love of power or the desire of pre-eminence and dominion--the jealousy of power, or the desire of equality and safety... And there are others, not less numerous than either of the former, which take their origin entirely in private passions; in the attachments, enmities, interests, hopes, and fears of leading individuals in the communities of which they are members. Men of this class, whether the favorites of a king or of a people, have in too many instances abused the confidence they possessed;" --Federalist Paper #6

[cat2009]

Sorry Israel looks like you got the short end of the stick with Obama not showing you as a true ally and Hagel's views on the middle east.

[BossTweed]

Hagel will be a disaster. Congrats to Obama for elevating a man with zero concern for our Countries security, or the security of our allies, in total control of our Nations defense.

[WMCOL]

He'll do fine. He is a Marine.

[WMCOL]

However, this is a dark day in America for American conservatism, and that is a good thing.

[miketost]

Hagel will fit in just fine with king obamas agenda.

[UScentral]

Imagine if the Senate worked by a simple majority vote all the time. What a novel idea. Kind of the way our founding fathers envisioned it would.

[AntiPorcheria]

Prediction of failure is sure to bring failure, if not in reality, definitely in the minds of the opposition.

[DARSB]

I wonder how much credit Breitbart.com and its "Friends of Hamas" fiction should get for this.

[DARSB]

Secretary Hagel is the first Viet Nam vet and enlisted man to be SecDef. In a time of looming budget cuts I think he can be trusted to put the welfare of the troops ahead of things like a fighter jet no service wants.

[MattiMuck]

Louis Farrakhan endorses Chuck Hagel...'nuff said.

[ConserveUSA]

Plus other Hate Groups, such as the "American Nazi Party".

[mwr]

presidents always get their primary secretaries (unless they quit prior to approavel), he cant be worse than others and might not be as good as some. At least he knows what it is lke to be cold, wet, hungry, and under enemy fire. That might make him a better leader of our sons and daughters.

[MadAmerican]

Another Obama henchman who was lost during the hearings. All I can say is you can polish a turd all day long, but at the end of the day it's still a turd.

[ASISEEIT2]

You couldn't have said it better,"All I can say is you can polish a turd all day long, but at the end of the day it's still a turd."

[scotta]

The 4 republicans that voted for him need to have an old time "DUNCE" cap placed on their head and sat in.the corner. Shame shame. I don't know how they can live with this decision

[ASISEEIT2]

Republican rinos have sold out long ago, they are toadies of the democrat party