Thread: Chuck Hagel Praised By GOP Senators In 2008, Must Now Battle Them For Nomination

Chuck Hagel Praised By GOP Senators In 2008, Must Now Battle Them For Nomination

WASHINGTON -- GOP senators are now vowing a tough fight against Secretary of Defense nominee Chuck Hagel, but in 2008 several top Republicans offered strong praise of their Senate colleague after the Nebraska Republican decided not to run for a third term.

In a series of tributes published by the Government Printing Office, Republicans lionized their departing colleague.

"In two terms in the Senate, Chuck has earned the respect of his colleagues and risen to national prominence as a clear voice on foreign policy and national security," said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Oct. 2, 2008.

This past Sunday, McConnell described Hagel more ambiguously as "outspoken" on national security issues and equivocated about his nomination. "I'm going to take a look at all the things that Chuck has said over the years and review that and in terms of his qualifications to lead our nation's military," McConnell said on ABC's "This Week."...

...In 2008, then-Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.) was fulsome in his praise of Hagel. "He made a tremendous contribution to the world of the Senate because he had first-hand knowledge of the dynamism and transformational nature of the global economy all around us," Coleman said.

"Chuck Hagel's whole life expresses his conviction that the world can and should be a better place, and it will not get that way by itself. He is fully engaged in a lifelong effort to make the world a better place, and he applies every waking hour to the quest," said Coleman.

"When you look at the list of organizations he supports with this ideas and his leadership, it looks like the combined resume of five people. He works with veterans organizations, antipoverty organizations, international cooperation organizations, and the list goes on and on. He has been honored by dozens of organizations for excellence in public service," Coleman said four years ago.

But Coleman narrowly lost his own seat to Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) in 2008. Today he is a board member for the Republican Jewish Coalition, which strongly opposes Hagel's nomination. The group bills itself as the "first major Jewish organization" to go on the record against Hagel."...

Hagel has pissed off the GOP Israeli cabal for expressing his independence by asserting that he was not an Israeli senator but a US senator. Frankly, I wish we had had more senators like him. He now faces an uphill battle for confirmation as secretary of defence led by John Mc Cain, Lindsey Graham and other senate hawks.

Chuick Hagel is a damn good choice, even though he's republican.
It go's without saying the party of No will oppose it. Yawwn.
Let them shoot themselves in the foot, yet again. Shalom.
It is nice to know where your elected representatives loyalty really lies.

Hagel is a very poor choice. He has zero support. He voted for the Iraq War and then flip-flopped on the Surge. Openly detests Israel so maybe that's why Libs love him.

Originally Posted by Boon Mee

He has zero support

He has huge support, and huge standing.

This is why he's opposed by the schmo's, and their schleppers:-

"I’m not an Israeli senator. I’m a United States senator."


The beltway would benefit from many more United States senators, congressmen, and schleppers.

Chuck Hagel is clearly an anti-semite and the only reason Obama is behind him is to taunt the GOP.

Originally Posted by Boon Mee

Chuck Hagel is clearly an anti-semite

Why? You know it's possible to be critical of the nation of Israel without be anti-semetic. Hagel has been a supporter of Israel but he does not put their interests before American interests like some.

Originally Posted by Humbert

The group bills itself as the "first major Jewish organization" to go on the record against Hagel."...

Hagel has pissed off the GOP Israeli cabal for expressing his independence by asserting that he was not an Israeli senator but a US senator. Frankly, I wish we had had more senators like him. He now faces an uphill battle for confirmation as secretary of defence led by John Mc Cain, Lindsey Graham and other senate hawks.

Criticize Israel and AIPAC and you have the wrath of not only the Jewish lobby but the lapdogs of the Jewish lobby - US Senators - of both parties.

And I'll also add: the wrath of DrB0b.

With Hagel in Defence and Kerry at State, Obama has gathered a pretty high powered team- bipartisan too. I credit AIPAC with slightly more brains than the NRA. We'll see, but I kinda doubt they'll get publicly involved in slagging him off.

Originally Posted by Boon Mee

Hagel He has zero support.

Sure you'll support him Booners. He's a war hero and we know they always win.

"To understand how extraordinary this obsession with Israel is, just imagine the uproar if any senator raised objections to a US cabinet nominee over, say their 'commitment' to Canada, France or Turkey, even though those countries, unlike Israel, are actually NATO allies," - Ali Abunimah of Electronic Intifada.

Originally Posted by sabang

I wish you the very best of gefilte fish and matzoh with your Hanukkah turkey. Remind me- whats Hebrew for patriot? Schmuck.

Who are you calling a schmuck? And, are you sure you know the correct definition of that word?

Not all republicans are slagging their ex colleague-

“Chuck Hagel is out of the mainstream of thinking … on most issues regarding foreign policy,” says GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham. Neocon William Kristol concurs: Hagel is “out on the fringes.”

But where, exactly, is the mainstream on foreign policy in 2013?

Since the Bush II years, “the three amigos” — Sens. Graham, John McCain and Joe Lieberman — have clamored for new wars.

“We are all Georgians now!” thundered McCain when Vladimir Putin was thrashing the Georgians for attacking South Ossetia.

“Bomb, bomb, bomb — bomb, bomb Iran,” trilled McCain in 2008 in parody of the Beach Boys’ “Barbara Ann.”

Ten days ago, McCain, Graham and Lieberman urged the U.S. to impose a no-fly zone over Syria, provide weapons to the rebels and send Patriot missile batteries to protect northern Syria. And what has been the response to their calls for air strikes and new wars? The sound of silence.

George W. Bush ignored McCain on Georgia, and in 2008 McCain was crushed by a dovish Democrat who had opposed the Iraq War.

Like Hagel, who voted for the Iraq War, a majority of Americans have come to believe that 8-year war was a mistake. Even some neocons have expressed second thoughts.

... Set aside the nonsense about homophobia and anti-Semitism. What, at bottom, are Hagel’s views? Where does he part company with much of the Senate GOP? What are the substantive disagreements?

First, Hagel believes in direct communication with our enemies, be it Hezbollah, Hamas, Iran or Cuba. Second, he believes war is a last resort to be undertaken only after all diplomacy has failed, and war should not be undertaken unless vital interests are imperiled.

Third, he believes a Pentagon budget as large as all the defense budgets of the other 190 nations combined is bloated and too big to carry when, as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Adm. Mike Mullen said, the deficit and debt are the greatest strategic threats to the United States.


.... Hagel speaks for the realist school of foreign policy, and he can speak for the nation. For he reflects the views of a president who just won another decisive vote of confidence from that nation.

Sorry, Sen. Graham, you are no longer in the mainstream.

That river changed course, half a decade ago.

Is Hagel out of the Mainstream? by Patrick J. Buchanan -- Antiwar.com


Seriously, what would you guys be saying if the British lobby tried to interfere with the Presidents choice of Secretary of State, saying he didn't represent the UK's interests? Something worse than schmuck I imagine.

Originally Posted by robuzo

Hagel could have a rough go of it:
Israel Vows To Use Veto Power If Chuck Hagel Confirmed As U.S. Secretary Of Defense | The Onion - America's Finest News Source
JERUSALEM—Top-ranking government officials in Jerusalem confirmed Tuesday that Israel would exercise its longstanding, constitutionally granted veto power over American policy if U.S. lawmakers confirmed retired congressman Chuck Hagel as the United States’ next Secretary of Defense. “In light of Mr. Hagel’s worrying remarks on Israeli-Palestinian relations and questionable classification of Israeli interests as ‘the Jewish lobby,’

And someone said my post last week was "utter bullsh*t."

This is pretty ridiculous. A foreign country that receives the #1 amount of aid from the US will "use veto power" over US foreign policy.

The Israelis are still laughing at us.

Originally Posted by barbaro

And someone said my post last week was "utter bullsh*t."

This is pretty ridiculous. A foreign country that receives the #1 amount of aid from the US will "use veto power" over US foreign policy.

The Israelis are still laughing at us.

Google The Onion Barbaro. It's satire.

^ Oh, the Onion.

Somebody needs a booty kick fer puttin' that up.

I remember from when shrub was installed, Mr. Hagel was a big investor in computerized ballot tallying. Worked nicely for him, too.

It personally saddens me to see Chuck Hagel, a very accomplished individual indeed and a tremendous pick for defence secretary, being slagged off in this manner by several of his peers in the republican party. Illustrative too, of the mess the GOP is in. Is it any wonder the best they could field was Romney? The rest of the field was a sick joke. They just drive away, backstab or otherwise deter their best and brightest. Had Chuck Hagel ran for Pres on the GOP ticket and spoke some sense, I may well have favored him over Obama.

All at the behest of Israel and their neo-con pissboys.
But wouldn't it have been nice if the USA had listened to him, and not the pissboys?

after the war began, he became one of the administration's most vocal critics. Among his statements over the course of the war:

That Iraq was "a hopeless, winless situation."

That Iraq was "an absolute replay of Vietnam."

That "Iraq is not going to turn out the way that we were promised it was."

That the Iraqi people "want the United States out of Iraq."

That the Iraq War was "ill-conceived" and "poorly prosecuted."

Arianna Huffington: Neocon Nightmare: The Truth Behind the Attacks on Chuck Hagel


It is a crime in the modern GOP to be right, it seems. Holy cow, think of what better shape the US would be in now with the $1.5 trillion or so Chuck could have saved you on wars alone. Futile, losing wars. Pointing this obvious fact out earns you the undying enmity of the republican right & israel lobby.

Originally Posted by sabang

their best and brightest.

Don't think so, sabang:

"Hagel did prove, however, that he’s smart enough to know when to lie. He disavowed past position after past position. Sen. Vitter was particularly effective in pointing this out late in the day. It is impossible to believe that Hagel has had this many changes of heart on matters of such primary importance to the security of the world and the nation. And if he has, then he’s certainly not clear-thinking enough to be Secretary of Defense"

Does “smart power” require a smart Secretary of Defense? | Power Line

You keep taking HuffPo's talking points to heart you wind up with egg on your face.

The senate GOP still has blood on their hands and they don't like to be reminded of it. McCain, who is unqualified for any office, led the partisan attack.

Link Hagel

...A Democratic President nominating a Republican to his cabinet is usually seen as bipartisan outreach. But not this time. The reason, I think, is threefold.

First, it reflects the polarization afflicting the Republican party and its intolerance of dissent. Hagel is a small-government conservative but a committed internationalist who is wary of unilateral American over-extension, views that extend from his experience as a twice-wounded enlisted infantryman in Vietnam.


Second, it reflects the tortured legacy of the Iraq War and the contradictions it creates for conservatives who feel compelled to defend that war of choice, predicated on flawed intelligence presented to the American people. Hagel earned the enduring anger of the neo-conservative crowd by openly criticizing the Bush administration for its prosecution of the Iraq war and subsequently opposing the Surge. Defenders of the Bush administration now often try to delink the decision to invade from the decision to double down with the surge as a way of reclaiming the high ground. It is now clear that Hagel was right at least on this count: the invasion of Iraq was an ideologically driven overreach that proved a costly distraction from Afghanistan in terms of both blood and treasure while further destabilizing the region. History, as Hagel noted, will be the ultimate judge.

Third, it reflects the deep animus that still exists for President Obama on the part of some conservatives–so much so that any Republican who consents to serve with him is seen as a traitor to the tribe, a dynamic also seen in the GOP’s primary rejection of Utah governor and former Obama China Ambassador Jon Huntsman, despite being arguably the most fiscally conservative candidate in the 2012 pack. By consenting to serve with President Obama–and therefore creating bipartisan cover for the Democrat’s defense strategy–Hagel has committed an unpardonable sin.

For conservative partisans, Hagel is now the embodiment of all these irritants. The Republican senators’ persistent disrespect for their former colleague of twelve years was striking and ugly, setting a record for interruptions.

^
Nice try but the man is clearly not up to the job besides being too biased in favor of I-Ran...

Obama should nominate Rand Paul for this role because the main reason that Obama wants Hagel is to oversee spending cuts in the defense sector.

Putting Rand Paul in charge of it would be the Republicans' worst nightmare!

GOP Farce at Hagel Hearings

Chuck Hagel, one of the first Republicans to stand up to President Bush on Iraq. Chuck Hagel who opposed the surge in Iraq, and in Afghanistan, and is against preemptive wars as a first option. Chuck Hagel being confirmed would put a nail in the coffin of neocon military policy. And that drives senators on the right insane.

Republicans have made a farce of these hearings. We know most of them are neoconservative, and therefore will vote against Hagel as a means to preserve their own influence and the influence of other neocons over our military. More reasonable senators (all of the Democrats and some Republicans), making up a majority, will vote for Hagel, precisely because he is a lot more measured and deliberate in his positions than Dick Cheney or Donald Rumsfeld.

And so, all the money spent by the Sheldon Adelsons of the world, to sink this nomination, is a colossal waste. Chuck Hagel will be confirmed, and neoconservative influence over our military policy will finally, and thankfully, be dead.
Jon Soltz: GOP Farce at Hagel Hearings


Neoconservative influence over US military policy will not finally be dead though, that is an overstatement- but it will be very mery much on the outer, thankfully. Plenty of military hawks & 'pro-israel' minions still lurk in right wing think tanks and the republican party. Even Romney sounded worryingly belligerent on foreign policy.