Chuck Hagel's Nomination to Secretary of Defense Far From Certain...

by: Les Carpenter
Rational Nation USA
Liberty -vs- Tyranny

RHINOS and Neocons working hard to ensure Chuck Hagel's nomination by President Obama for the position of Secretary of Defense goes down in flames. I guess the Neocons are looking for a war hawk to keep the Military Industrial Complex well oiled and satisfied.

The only question now is whether the Obama administration will pull the plug after Hagel's relatively weak showing during his confirmation hearings. Personally I am still hoping he is confirmed. It's time to let the Neocons know the nation ain't behind their BS.

The Weekly Standard - On October 3, 2005, President George W. Bush announced his intention to nominate his White House counsel, Harriet Miers, to succeed Sandra Day O’Connor as an associate justice of the Supreme Court. On October 27, after vigorous statements of opposition from conservatives and quiet expressions of dismay from Republican senators, Miers withdrew her nomination.

Conservatives and Republicans had no grudge against Harriet Miers. They simply thought she wasn’t a first-rate candidate. They were confident that Bush, the Court, and the country could do better. They were right. President Bush then nominated Samuel Alito for the position. Alito was confirmed by the Senate, and now serves with great distinction on the Court.

We may, as George Orwell observed, “have now sunk to a depth at which the restatement of the obvious is the first duty of intelligent men.” But there isn’t an intelligent liberal, or for that matter a sentient one, who doesn’t know, after last week’s confirmation hearing, that Chuck Hagel isn’t a first-rate candidate for secretary of defense. He isn’t even a second-rate candidate. Has there ever been a more embarrassing confirmation hearing than Hagel’s for a major cabinet position? For a minor cabinet position? For a sub-cabinet position? We don’t know of one.

Yet so far liberals seem to be trying to pretend that all is well. Or they have simply averted their gaze from the ghastly train wreck. Or, they tell us (and themselves)—well, the secretary of defense doesn’t really make policy, and there are lots of capable bureaucrats who can run the department. Or, they grumble—well, we can’t give Hagel’s critics the satisfaction of acknowledging that this appointment is a disaster.

There isn't an intelligent liberal? Well, to me it looks like the conservative Neocons are the ones that ain't too intelligent these days. Damn it's too bad there isn't a  Dwight David Eisenhower , Barry Goldwater, or William F. Buckley in the modern rEpublican Neocon- Socon coalition party these days.  It is almost certain the way the rEpublican party is moving it will soon be irrelevant in the minds of the majority of Americans.

Apparently the Obama administration is not pleased with their nominees weak performance either. Reporting from CBS...

White House officials told CBS' Major Garrett that they're disappointed with defense secretary nominee Chuck Hagel's performance at his confirmation hearing before the Senate on Thursday.

One of the most damaging exchanges during the hearing came from Hagel's onetime ally, Sen. John McCain, over Hagel's opposition to the Iraq troop surge.

CBS News' Chief Washington correspondent and host of "Face the Nation," Bob Schieffer, said the heated round of questioning was one of the most surprising details to emerge from the hearing.

"Let's not forget, Chuck Hagel was the co-chairman of John McCain's presidential campaign when John McCain ran the first time. This is stunning."

"He says it's policy. It's all policy," Schieffer said, speaking to McCain's harsh line of questioning.

Typically, when a nominee comes under fire during a hearing, Schieffer explained, "The White House will come back and stoutly defend the guy and ... [yesterday] they started leaking all these reports, they're disappointed."

The move by the Obama administration may signal that they are confident Hagel will "get confirmed by a narrow margin" and that they are "absolutely certain of every Democratic vote in the Senate," Schieffer said, before adding, "I've never seen a White House react quite the way they did to this."

Even if the White House remains confident Hagel will be confirmed, Hagel's rocky performance "You knew these were the questions they were going to get. And he did not seem able to really answer them. I think his nomination may be in trouble."

Yes, Iraq was indeed the greatest military and political blunder since Vietnam. The country is still paying for the blunder today and will be for some time to come. It is indeed time to reel in the Neocon Military Industrial Complex.

Via: Memorandum
Via: Memorandum