Hagel Nomination Signals Weakness to U.S. Enemies

We’ve seen a number of challenges in recent weeks, not the least of which were the Russian bombers intercepted over the island of Guam and the North Korean nuclear test in which some military experts see Iran’s hand.

It seems the world doesn’t trust us, and our enemies no longer respect us. And the question of the hour is: Would these things change for the better or the worse if Chuck Hagel were our Sec. of Defense?

The 15 GOP Senators who asked Obama to withdraw the Hagel nomination clearly think it would be a change for the worse. 

Their concern is well placed. 

Just think about Russia. While the Russians are worried about U.S. deployment of defensive weapons like missile defense, the U.S. and many of our NATO allies are worried about Russia’s offensive weapons, particularly “Russia’s larger tactical nuclear arsenal.”

All the while, Hagel views unilateral reductions to the U.S. nuclear arsenal by 75% to 80% as an option. This plays into Russia’s hands.

The Hagel nomination plays into the hands of Iran and Hamas in the same way.

The bottom line–in these times of international unrest, particularly throughout the Middle East, it is reasonable to see Hagel’s nomination as a show of weakness to numerous real and potential enemies, at a time when we ought to be showing strength.