In another case of Barack Obama using a wayward Republican to pose as a bipartisan president, he is considering naming former Sen. Chuck Hagel for Secretary of Defense. Hagel is one of four candidates under consideration, Deputy Defense Secretary Ash Carter, former Undersecretary for Policy Michele Flournoy and Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.)
Hagel should fit right in with Obama; he was brutal with regard President George W. Bush and Iraq, calling the war in Iraq “an absolute replay of Vietnam.” Obama’s habit of blaming everything on Bush fits Hagel like a glove; he said of the Bush Administration, “it is my opinion that this is one of the most arrogant, incompetent administrations I’ve ever seen personally or ever read about.” He also said he wouldn’t have been averse to being the running mate on the 2008 Democratic ticket.
Hagel has said that the Republican Party is in the hands of the “extreme right” and former President Reagan “would be stunned by the party today.”
Hagel endorsed Democrat Bob Kerrey over Republican Deb Fischer in the Nebraska Senate race, trying to establish his liberal bona fides with Obama.
On Iran, Hagel is downright dangerous. He is in favor of leaving Iran to its own devices; hoping that sanctions will stop the Iranian fanatical mullahs from pursuing nuclear weaponry. He has suggested giving the Iranians “a couple of face-saving ways out of this thing.” Hagel believes internal changes in Iran should be trusted to take care of the problem: “Let that play out …We’ve got some time. You cannot push the Iranians into a corner where they can’t get out …You’ve got to break into some creative thinking here.”
Hagel hopes sanctions will work? He is the biggest of hypocrites; in 2001, when the Senate voted for renewing the Iran Libya Sanctions Act 96-2, Hagel was one of the two senators voting nay.. In 2002, when the Senate voted 88-10 to ban the import of Iraqi oil until Iraq stopped payments to the families of Palestinian Arab suicide bombers, Mr. Hagel was one of the ten voting nay.
On Israel, Hagel is frightening, too. He was one of only 12 Senators who refused to write the EU asking them to declare Hezbollah a terrorist organization, in 2000 he was one of only 4 Senators who refused to sign a Senate letter in support of Israel, and in December 2005, Hagel was one of only 27 Senators who refused to sign a letter to Prresident Bush to pressure the Palestinian Authority to ban terroristgroups from participating in Palestinian legislative elections. He oncecriticized George. W. Bush for refusing to meet with Yasser Arafat. Obama is expert at posing as bipartisan. And Hagel’s ego and brand of politics should be a great boon to the president.
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