A link to the full-text Free Republic thread posted today.
Posted on 11/24/2014 7:51:13 AM PST by SeekAndFind
The New York Times reports that President Barack Obama is about to dismiss Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel. The reason given? That the White House recognized that "the threat from the Islamic State would require a different kind of skills than those that Mr. Hagel was brought on to employ."
In other words: Hagel was brought on to downgrade the military radically, but now the military turns out to be necessary, after all.
Yet that cannot be the only reason, absent any sign that Obama is committing to a sudden, steep increase in the defense budget, and reversing the non-sequester cuts of recent years. Rather, there are two likely explanations: that Hagel has turned out to be as incompetent as his critics predicted; and that Hagel, always a loose cannon, proved too independent, promising tougher action against ISIS than Obama was prepared to authorize.
Hagel should never have been chosen for the post. He had no firm grasp of national security strategy, was weak on Iran, had a disturbing anti-Israel track record, and fumbled his confirmation hearing badly.
Other nominees, including Michèle Flournoy--who would have been the first woman to hold the post--would have been better, but Obama could not pass up the chance to use a Republican as a bipartisan fig leaf to slash the Pentagon.
That said, there is no immediate or urgent failure that ought to have triggered Hagel's departure. Until he began to "go rogue" on ISIS, he had faithfully carried out Obama's policies.
(Excerpt) Read more at breitbart.com ...
Leni
People voted against Obama on Nov. 4 because of the fiascoes of the porous border, Obamacare, Lois Lerner, and Americans not being able to get decent jobs even with a college degree. So his first act in recognition of that failure is to force the Secretary of Defense to resign. It is the equivalent of firing the Tooth Fairy because you didn’t get enough presents under the Christmas tree.
Watched the first two minutes on TV.....Hagel looks like he has been crying and Biden looks like the dutiful wife who is drug out on stage every time the philandering husband has to explain that it is not as bad as it looks.
O has truly become a Dictator in Chief (aka DiC)
ummmm don’t hold your breath on that one
Oh, and she turned her husband gay.
-PJ
The other two wrote scathing books. No disgruntlement argument. Obama took care of that this time.
Maybe John F’ing Kerry, he did serve in Viet Nam, you know and has done a marvelous job at State.
If Hagel was Fired , why is Obama giving a Speech right now praising Hagel ?
You mean to tell me that Chuck isn't a quisling sycophantic, obfuscating, no-talent lackey?
Color me "shocked".
They always do that... to save the person’s face of course.
Hagel would not agree to order U.S. troops to fire on U.S. citizens, so he had to go.
Ah, but can Obama have a new choice confirmed before January?
This will disappear as soon as St Louis gets cooking. I watched Hagel’s face as Obama ‘stroked’, he was not happy. Why Biden was there is a mystery unless Obama wants to remind people about the line of succession.
Hell, Obola (the Muslim Brotherhood) had already taken over.
I will disagree with - or at least question - the assumption in this article: Did Hagel resign/quit/get fired BECAUSE he did NOT fight ISIS aggressively enough for the White House's interests?
Or because he DID WANT TO fight ISIS aggressively enough to actually win the war against ISIS?
true, true. Hagel was an ex-60’s anti-war “republican” only enough to serve as a fig leaf for Obola anti-American White House. But he was ex-military even at that, and “might” have actually had a conscious and a heart. Maybe. (With today's democrats, it is hard to find a conscious moral point anywhere.)
But, IF he did find his moral center, did he realize that Oboal’s actual desire was to promote the Muslims and harm the American military that Hagel was hired and trained to be leading?
If so, then Hagel was fighting not ISIS but Obola!
And loyalty to America? to the military? THAT is a firing offense in today's Washington
What strategy?
“Maybe he refused to totally destroy the US Nuclear Arsenal ?”
After all, that was his job from day one. Hagel did a “good” job downsizing the military beyond any capability currently needed with Russia, China and ISIS gleefully proclaiming our weakness to the world. However, Hagel apparently thought that public policy could be informed by anyone outside a magic White House circle. He has now paid for that arrogance with a very public firing and humiliation.
Hagel lacked the competence of Leon Panetta. Our military has paid the price as we are nearing the military envisioned by Obama.
Would it be in bad taste to wonder out loud how long it will take for Hagel to be in a fatal accident or be suicided?
With all of the schedule time off.....probably not.....The senate hasn’t moved much on the new AG
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