Posted on 02/26/2013 9:53:22 AM PST by SoFloFreeper
Chuck Hagel moved a step closer to confirmation as Defense secretary after the Senate voted Tuesday afternoon 71-27 to end a GOP-led filibuster of his controversial nomination. A final vote is expected no later than Wednesday evening.
Hagel will likely win final confirmation with fewer votes, however, making him the first successful Pentagon chief to attain the post with more than two dissenting votes in decades. Leon Panetta, the outgoing secretary, was confirmed unanimously in 2011.
(Excerpt) Read more at touch.latimes.com ...
Nothing like “conservatives” with principles, I always say (/sarc)
Like I said on the duplicate posting, Brennan, not Hagel, is the one I worry about.
I agree with your comment on Brennan. As for the Hagel nomination, most of the criticisms I have heard are pathetic when you compare them to his years of of service to this country. His critics have taken comments out of context and called him many things, one being that he is a Jew hater. Was it George Orwell who said, “freedom is being able to tell people what they don’t want to hear”? Hagel seems to have the courage to do that. Over the years, we all say many things — look at the contributions he has made to this country. I entered this comment before only to find the thread had been pulled?????
What “contributions”?
Hagel will direct the military to attack US citizens on our own soil. I have no doubt about it whatsoever. That is precisely why he is being installed, I believe.
Hagel nearly died in combat for his country. whether we like or dislike his politics, that’s a contribution to be honored.
Surrender monkeys, just making nice with their good butt buddies on the other side of the aisle.
Enforced conformity of thought is alien to our founding principles and serves no good in the long run.
Exactly what qualifies Hegel for the office of Sec of Defense. That he served in Vietnam? What about his blundering interview: before the Senate Committee. Doesnt matter? More important, is this the man who is to manage the reductions to Dod? Panetta made no attempt to discriminate in his cuts, even though he had a whole year to prepare. No Hegal is walking in with so little knowledge and handle this matter. I guess McCain and others have already decided to cave on the sequester and probably on the continuing resolution.
Give him a medal; give him a pension. Dont put this unqualified man in charge of DoD, not under this President. Talk about playing the race card. The veterans card can be as bad.
His contributions are many. If you had been watching C-SPAN hearings on Hagel confirmation this morning, you would have been impressed with the comments of Illinois Senator Dick Durbin on the many ways Hagel has served the country. They were many, and for reasons of wanting to be totally accurate in response to your question, I will comment on one that really stands out. During the Viet Nam War he was sent to a safe post in Europe. At that time, he requested a change so he could participate in the war zone in Viet Nam. There, in the war zone, he received many awards for performance in active duty.
Trotting out the commentary of Dick Durbin is not a very effective strategy. Didn’t he compare U.S. troops to Nazis and more in the not-too-distant past?
It is not unfair to judge a nominee on his past, and Hagel’s service is certainly a big weight on the positive side of the balance. However, the negatives of the past decade or so very much outweigh his service positives. Like McCain and Kerry, whatever honor they once had has been fed to the fire to fuel their political careers. This is not a thing to be celebrated...
To Mr. Frog: Could that comment have been a reference to what we all saw at Abu Ghraib?
Benedict Arnold was a combat veteran, too. So was John Kerry. If that’s all Hagel did, I’m unimpressed.
Service does not always equate to qualification. McCain served and sacrificed, yet he has voted consistently to reduce our freedoms and against rights spelled out in the Constitution. Hagel served, but his comments, not just occasional stupid comments like Biden’s, show a consistent anti-military, anti strong US and pro enemy ideology. He is not who should be in charge of the US military
Republicans start these fights, collect the maximim bad will and bad press then give in.
Each.... and every .....time.
Yeah, honored, and then moved on from—he isn’t qualified to occupy the position of SecDef.
Lots of people fought for the country...and I honor all of ‘em. Doesn’t mean I think they’re all material that I want to put in charge of anything other than a coat rack.
Hagel is one of those.
Tell us all, there TiaS you lurking liberal, what happened at Abu Grabe from your perspective. And while you are at it, Why don’t you tell us also how much interest you and your lib friends in the media had in Abu Grabe vs how much interest you and your lib friends in the media had in Bengazi and wanted to know what really happened there.
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