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Former Republican Senator Chuck Hagel
Hans Nichols at Bloomberg reports that former Republican Senator Chuck Hagel, a Vietnam veteran and one of the few early GOP converts against the Iraq War, is the leading candidate to replace Leon Panetta at the Department of Defense.
Hagel, who served as an enlisted Army infantryman in Vietnam, has passed the vetting process at the White House Counsel’s office, said one of the people. The former Nebraska senator has told associates that he is awaiting final word from the president, said the other person. Both requested anonymity to discuss personnel matters.
Other contenders are Michele Flournoy, former defense undersecretary for policy, and Ashton Carter, deputy defense secretary, administration officials have said.
Obama invited Hagel to the White House on Dec. 4 to discuss the position with him, according to an administration official. The president hasn’t made a final decision, said another official. Both asked for anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.
Hagel did support the invasion of Iraq, along with Joe Biden, John Kerry and a substantial portion of the Democratic elite class. But Hagel broke with the policy and voted for withdrawal in the Senate as early as March 2007. He actually said that the US was losing in Iraq all the way back in 2005. So he did show a reality-based viewpoint on that signature issue. Hagel appears to have far more concern for the enlisted man than the foreign policy mandarins who want to continue prosecuting wars.
Hagel favors what the right-wing Washington Times calls “crippling budget cuts” at the Pentagon, which in reality would make the US military only slightly smaller than all the rest of the nation’s armies combined, instead of slightly bigger. Several House Republicans now support defense cuts, and Hagel seems to line up with them. If you’re going to have a budget-cutter in the cabinet, put them at DoD.
There’s one argument that elevating Hagel is a bad idea because of the trend of Democratic Presidents putting Republicans in place at the Pentagon, with the perception that Democrats cannot handle military affairs and must resort to a “GOP daddy” to handle it all. President Clinton had William Cohen as one of his Secretaries of Defense, and President Obama started out with Robert Gates (who eventually became a political independent). I don’t have a strong opinion on this. If Hagel is both qualified and less psychopathic than others, his party affiliation doesn’t mean much to me. Maybe all things being equal, I’d prefer a Democrat. And breaking the gender ceiling with Michele Flournoy running the Pentagon would have a certain power. But Hagel’s selection, if true, doesn’t bother me all that much. He has the right enemies – Dick Cheney and the neocons, for one.
Anyway, everyone knows that the CIA runs our wars these days, so maybe the choice for that position ought to be more scrutinized.
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and, Susan rice withdraws for secstate…John mcCain’s grudge “wins.”. He should be so proud.
Another Effin Republican!! This is why I couldnt vote for this guy last month. *bangs head against desk*
And The Killin’ Goez On And On And…
Citizen David Dayen:
I think this is the absolute best choice ObamaRahma could make here. If there is gunna be any chance of makin’ even a minor course correction with military growth, this is the guy to do it and, further, I think you can’t over-estimate the guy’s background as an enlisted grunt who has seen shots fired in anger and knows what the brass really look like under their skivies.
The corrupt, steamin’ pile of rectal vomit that is the military command structure is gunna take years to clean up and if we have a chance of doin’ it right before the bastards take us down with ‘em, then lookin forward to maybe 12 more years of a Democratic presidency makes Hagel the man to start the process.
Keep the faith but pass the ammunition, and let’s start callin’ a fascist a fascist!!
1. The current (Dem) SecDef is an imbecile — he needs to leave.
2. Hagel is the best that we can we expect, given the alternatives. He turned against the Iraq War big-time, and he has empathy for the people who have to do the heavy lifting. Also he’s not a military-firster.
aol, Dec 10
They have got to be kidding. Hagel has all the personality of 10 day old gefilte fish.
Oh right, Obama is such a democrat. not
The importance of personality, on a scale from 1-10?
Hagel is far better than Rumsfeld, Gates, and Holder by a long shot. And I think if Obama entrenches him as Secdef sooner, it’s gonna be much harder for a GOP successor to the White House to get rid of him if he slashes the defense budget in areas that Republican deficit-hawks can live with …
Hagel is not the worst possible choice but are there no Dems who are qualified enough? Or is this just Obama doing his bi-partisan act?
Citizen Twain:
Hagel is better’n ANY Democrat at this point…the politics of the budget cutting and the necessity of puttin’ the secret drone wars directly back into the CIA makes him the best choice. Havin’ a war vet, non-commissioned, and a “Republican” who is politically more liberal than a lot of elected “Democrats” makes this an especially good pick. He knows where the bodies and buried and the Byzantine politics of the little Caesers in the Pentagon won’t scare him a bit.
agree
Despite his bi-partisan personna, isn’t this the guy who (secretly) owned voting machines in Nebraska, and at the time of his election, the results were questioned? He kept hidden his ownership, and I do not remember if there was actually a Senate ethics inquiry? Just askin’. And really . . . there isn’t another Democrat in this vast country with the qualifications to serve? That stretches the bounds of credulity.
“If Hagel is both qualified and less psychopathic than others,…”
LOL that this must be said and actually makes sense.
I am also amused that “having the right enemies” may be the most important qualification of all.
I’m not objecting to Hagel at all. Just wondering why Obama appoints so many Rs to high places.
“…there isn’t another Democrat in this vast country with the qualifications to serve?”
Is this appoinment about the qualifications to serve or the qualifications to cut?
An article at HP suggested the reason Boehner won’t enumerate specific budget cuts is because the republicans can’t really find any, at least not enough to be significant.
If you are not going to shred the middle class safety net, Defense is the only place left to go because, to paraphrase John Dillinger, “that’s where the money is!“
Actually, a recent study by Harvard University which included the analysis of voting records of 34,237 politicians clearly indicates that there is not a whisker’s difference between Rs and Ds.
If there’s no difference, why NOT choose a Democrat . . . at least to pacify the base and demonstrate a bit of party solidarity. While I have been a Republican, a Democrat and an independent, there is still something to be said for showing that “WE WON” does not mean we have to extend an olive branch when the opposition has never demonstrated this capacity for effective governance.
Dennis Kucinich is available since he lost his seat due to gerrymandering, but Obama would never nominate someone opposed to the MIC to be Secretary of War.
Well, increasingly, our DOD functions as an arm of the Chamber of Commerce so maybe Chuck will be selling voting machines along with spreading democracy and BIG AG/GMOS. All in all, Panetta was a hawkish Dem and Hagel is a dovish Republican. A fair trade since Rice will get the National Security Adviser position in the Cabinet and Lindsey and John will get what everyone sees, when they close their eyes, and look up. And, Massachusetts will still have a Democratic Senator at the end of the day. Unless, oh no, Mittens decides to run for the open Senate seat vacated by Kerry. Yeah, that’s the ticket!
Remember, Senator Obama never spoke out against the Iraq War like Senator Hagel did. He was one of its most vocal critics, calling President Bush’s handling of the war “beyond pitiful.”
Because Obama is an opportunist who has no principles.
THAT is the $64,000 question.
Let’s give Chucky a chance before we beat up on him.
Good point. As most of the time. See my #22.
Good point don. I’m liking this guy better by the minute.
BAD photo though. Looks like sombody just ran over his dog.
It’s a bizarre world where it’s positive that a “Democrat’s” withdrawal from one cabinet nomination (Susan Rice) is universally seen as a good thing, and a “Republican’s” likely nomination to Sec Def. is seen as “least bad” if not mildly good….I’m not disputing either judgment – Rice is a hag queen from hell, clearly, and Hagel a semi-reasonable human being, but….
How has this political inversion happened?
Major shift in the tacchyon field and recent collisions with a parallel universe.
I saw it on NOVA.
Well, lets’ see. Hillary dodges the vote on the Trans Canada Pipeline. Can’t tar and sand her on that one in 2016. Now Rice does the same for different reasons by withdrawing, also. Team Obama dodges a high, hard one from the Republicans. So, Kerry comes and says, ” well maybe ” to the pipeline during confirmation hearings if he gains concessions on something else. Likely, more solar and wind money or cuts in oil subsidies, or both. There’s lots of” quid pro quo sausage ” yet to be cooked and sliced here. What’s your take on why? And, did I mention that Hagel is from Nebraska. Moderate flatlanders love bipartisanship.
So I guess you are pretty sure the Kochs haven’t paid for him yet?
Entanglements. It’s all about entanglement.
A Nam grunt as SecDef? ‘Bout time.
Norske is right on this. The only people who think that the Democrats have a better candidate are party shills. The Democrats don’t have a better candidate, nor for that matter do the Republicans. It is easily the single best appointment Obama has made to a major position. He seemed to say during those cruicial Senate committee meetings on Iraq in 2005 that he would not have a political future in the Republican Party because of his position on the war. But he went ahead. And he also blasted Joe Lieberman’s little rhetorical bullshit right out of the water. Best dressing down ever of that clown.
I’m sorry. It was 2007. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIoa7WU2Dfc The Lieberman bit was at the beginning and isn’t in this video.
Complete corruption of the country’s politics aided by among other things a childish insistance on seeing politics on a one dimensional line.
Someone should chuck Hagel a long way from a supposed “Democratic” administration.
Obysmal’s bipartisanithingy bit is surely a mania. George the Fourth he is.
Strap him down.
America will continue Empire. ” Rice or Beans, it don’t matter. Both will gladly lead the slaughter. Both have bucks, money galore. Either way, they’ll serve the C of C like a ten grand whore. It’s just because, in the end, they have no core. “
Meh. Barry could do better. And, worse, too.