More on Senator Hagel

Adam L. Silverman, PhD*

Like COL Lang, I'm also very pleased that Senator Hagel was nominated.  Back in 2007 Esquire ran an in depth profile of Senator Hagel.  It was written by Charles Pierce, who is now their primary writer/correspondent at their Daily Politics Blog.  While he put up a short column on the Senator's nomination and why it is a good thing today, click over and read the much more in depth reporting he did back in 2007 if you're interested in more detailed information about Senator Hagel.**

Then go pop the popcorn, get your beverage of choice ready, and watch the show as the Senate, the news media, the blogosphere, and specific interests groups and think tanks like AIPAC, the Emergency Committe for Israel, AEI, Brookings, etc amuse us with their dysfunction, err, demonstrate why we have a mature and effectively functioning political system and news media!

* Adam L. Silverman is the Culture and Foreign Language Advisor at the US Army War College.  The views expressed here are his own and do NOT necessarily reflect those of the US Army War College and or the US Army.

** Esquire does some really good in depth political reporting.  In the past couple of years they've done profiles or reporting on Congressman Paul, Roger Ailes, John Demjanjuk and often post the full transcripts of the interviews shortly after publishing the stories.

Comments

[William R. Cumming]

FACT: Stop signs being erected in Washington for attacks on former Senator Hagel for SECDEF!

FACT: Israeli election coming up!

Question: Is there a relationship?

[Mike Martin, Yorktown, VA]

Esquire does indeed publish the fruit of excellent journalism. A couple of other sources I respect and enjoy are Matt Taibbi at Rolling Stone and Wired, especially its "Danger Room."

[Doug Tunnell]

Eli Lake at the Daily Beast is reporting that AIPAC will sit out the Hagel skirmishing...

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/01/07/pro-israel-lobby-aipac-sitting-out-hagel-fight.html

[Charles I]

Who needs AIPAC with the senate you have, saw Texas newbie Cruz, took over from Kay Baily Hutchison(sp?) on PBS Newshour last night, he's a definite, Hagel-Seconder, Israel-Firster.

[Charles I]

Never mind AIPAC, we have an emergency, with a new website from these ginks

http://www.committeeforisrael.com/board

informing us about CH: http://www.chuckhagel.com/

[Alba Etie]

I believe we have reason to be optimistic that this will develop as a well received push back to all the Hasbara /Israel Firsters -that have become so pernicious across our body comity . I also believe a clinical argument can be made that the Codependent Enablers like Bill Kristol , are actually doing more damage to their Partner -re BiBi Netanyhu by not setting boundaries. ( Any recovering Al Anon can tell you the most loving & supportive approach to take to the abusive Addict in their life is to say no - ) Just say no to more illegal settlements . I am especially optimistic because perhaps more Adult voices are being heard re Tom Friedman - and that multiple sources are now saying AIPAC is setting this one out . Plus the usual suspects like Martin Indyk have not been involved in the MSM Hagel bashing .

[Alba Etie]

Its going to be tough to watch my party of record (the GOP) - continue to self immolate on the altar of Right Wing Nuttery - but it will happen . The Tea Party hostage takers will get their collective asses handed to them in the 2014 election cycle too. I guess the fever well just have to run its course - with the very real prospect that the GOP goes away like the Whigs .
( Paging Jeb Bush !)

[rjj]

AIPAC can always do it by proxy.

At the mention of Eliot Abrams wondered what ever happened to his distinguished consort Bad Rachael. By golly, there she is, lending her grace, gravitas, and prestige to the Committee for Israel.

[TANGENT: Does anybody know if Bad Rachel is as sensitive to misogyny as she and Eliot are to antisemitism?]

[twv]

I'm neither particularly pro nor anti-Israel (Pollard isn't one of their proud moments, nor the USS Liberty), but I do know that the only western-style democracy in that pile of sand is Israel.
But, YOU people!!!!
I'm waiting for someone here to claim that John Wilkes Booth was an Israeli agent.
As for Hagel:
A nuclear armed Iran doesn't seem to worry him - which worries me.

[Jackie]

twv - If it worries you, it's fine to me. Nixon was more than happy to arm Iran.

[Fred]

twv,

Booth? It was Judah Benjamin who was Jewish. He would up in England - that's the country we beat in two wars - then Paris. As for Iran, well they didn't take sides in 1865, now did they? What evidence do you have Iran has a functioning nuclear weapon and would use it against the US?

As a caveat I'm neither particularly pro nor anti-Israel; the same goes with Iran. Of course the hostage crisis, well that tics me off almost as much as the Israeli attack on the Liberty. But Iran has never been our 'best ally' at any time nor does it owe its very existence as a nation to us and hasn't stolen our own nuclear weapons secrets so as to create an un-inspected and unaccountable arsenal of atomic weapons. So I hold them to a slightly lower standard.

[Paul Barrios]

Why would a nuclear-armed Iran worry you? What delivery systems do they have? (Not many.) What's the deterrent? (Israel has hundreds of nukes; the US, of course, has thousands.)

While I'm not in favor of nuclear proliferation, an Iranian bomb might result in more rationality, detente, and actual democracy in occupied Palestine.

I don't think a semi-theocracy with an explicitly Jewish supremacist legal code qualifies as "western-style democracy."

[Charles I]

shelled a Canadian peacekeeper in a marked U.N post after walking artillery right up to the post was not enough, murdered him as far as I'm concerned. Used suborned genuine Canadian passports on Assassination missions.

[NvWoman]

This morning, Rasmussen reported: "47% For, 38% Against Hagel Nomination When Told He Has Called for Defense Cuts" To me, that isn't scary. There many cuts or controls that can be instituted besides reducing the purpose of the military. My late husband worked on several bases, and I saw and heard enough to know of the waste and theft going on daily. One well known contractor would come onto construction sites and steal whatever they needed. One ROICC had his house painted, a new deck built, all at the expense of the AF. That was just one base, and I saw only a small percentage, but it made me realize how much of that budget is waste.

Add in the complaints of special interest groups (women, LGBT, pro-Israeli) and there will be a totally unnecessary fight.

[Charles I]

WAPO's little poll "Would Chuck Hagel make a good Sec Def? of 11,700 plus readers has him at 83% yes.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions

[Alba Etie]

TalkingPointsMemo is reporting that former Senator Santorum has announced his opposition to the Hagel nomination . Santorum is in the same piece slamming former Secretary of Defense Gates as soft on Islam & pro Iranian . The Right Wing Nuttery is truly driving the GOP into " Lost in the Fun House Whig " oblivion - Maybe Jeb Bush or some other adult can get the car keys back from the TeaPartiers next time they have to stop for gas. Otherwise its repeating old behaviors expecting different results . There will be no GOP after the 2014 election cycle - especially if the NE GOP CongressCritters get primaried by DeMint and his posse.

[Stephanie]

"Santorum - that's Latin for asshole." -- Bob Kerrey

[Jackie]

Alba Etie,
Santorum? Really who cares what he thinks? He can be against anything he likes, but he doesn't get to vote. I wish he'd crawl back into his hole.

[Alba Etie]

Wouldn't be great if BHO made Sen Bob Kerrey his NSC ?

[turcopolier]

AE

I would like that. pl

[Alba Etie]

I only mention Santorum in the context of the continuing GOP political death spiral as a party . I really do not care about Santorum opinion per se - but I do care about a healthy and vibrant debate in our collective comity. And the right wing nutters in the GOP will disallow any substantive debate from the right of center political perspective , and that hurts our entire political process.

[Alba Etie]

Col Lang
It might happen - stocking up on popcorn - this will be fun to watch . Will TIVO the Cspan on all the confirmation hearings .

[The beaver]

"Every appointee to the American government must endure a thorough background check by the American Jewish community."

Waoh oh Waoh!!!

http://www.haaretz.com/news/american-jews-eye-obama-s-anti-israel-appointees-1.2773

I guess if they succeeded burying Chaz Freeman :

"A few months ago, boisterous protests by the American Jewish community helped foil the appointment of Chaz Freeman to chair the National Intelligence Council, citing his "anti-Israel leaning."

they want the same thing with Hagel - so the US should clear every thing with its "Master"

[Jackie]

Thanks for the reply. I wasn't trying to be dismissive of you. Santorum, that's another matter. Maybe it is time to stock up on popcorn.