Former Sen. Hagel's Anti-Israel Resume

If former Sen. Chuck Hagel is truly to be Obama’s nominee for Sec. of Defense, we do ourselves a favor by vetting him well and vetting him now.

In so doing, one of the first things that stands out are the anti-Israel positions he repeatedly held as a Senator. When Americans consider these things, they have to ask themselves what kind of foreign and/or military policy would exist with Hagel at the helm. 

For instance, in October 2000, Hagel “was one of only 4 Senators who refused to sign a letter in support of Israel.” And in 2001, as the PLO waged war against Israel, “Hagel was one of only 11 Senators who refused to sign a letter urging President Bush not to meet with the late Yasir Arafat until his forces ended the violence against Israel.”

In 2005, a group of 27 Senators including Hagel, “refused to sign a letter to President Bush to pressure the Palestinian Authority to ban terrorist groups from participating in Palestinian legislative elections.”

Then, in 2006, he was one of only 12 Senators who refused to sign a letter requesting Hezbollah be designated a terrorist organization. 

And the list goes on. 

Do we really want someone with an anti-Israel record that is this pronounced to be our Sec. of Defense? After all, if Iran gets their nuclear weapon our friend Israel is going to need a strong support.