This article, at The Telegraph, points to a position taken by Hagel in the past on Israel that borders on anti-Semitic. And that is the choice for Secretary of Defense?! A man who sides with Iran and comes down hard on Israel - oh yeah, that sounds like the kind of leadership we need for our military forces. Hell, I'd rather Panetta stayed on.
This nomination of Hagel needs to be opposed at every turn.
Pro-Israel groups want to block appointment of Chuck Hagel as new US defence secretary
Critics said Chuck Hagel, a decorated Vietnam veteran, had failed to support Israel in the US Senate, had voted against sanctions on Iran and seized on his use of the phrase "Jewish lobby" in a 2008 interview.
Barack Obama has not formally nominated Mr Hagel to take over at the Pentagon but he is understood to be a front-runner and the White House is carefully gauging the level of opposition before making an announcement.
The 66-year-old struck a more sceptical note on Israel than most Republicans during his two terms in the Senate and refused to support the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 2006.
Mr Hagel voted against some sanctions on Iran and was one of a handful of senators who did not join an effort to pressure the EU into designating Hizbollah as a terrorist organisation.
In a 2008 interview about the strength of pro-Israel groups in US politics, he said: "The Jewish lobby intimidates a lot of people up here".
Abraham Fox, the national director of the Anti-defamation League, said the comments "border on anti-Semitism" and urged Mr Obama not to tap him for the defence post.
"His record relating to Israel and the US-Israel relationship is, at best, disturbing, and at worst, very troubling," Mr Fox told the Washington Post.
The more conservative Republican Jewish Coalition said that his appointment would be a "slap in the face for every American who is concerned about the safety of Israel".
Mr Hagel would be expected to clear a Senate vote on his nomination but the pre-emptive criticism may be enough to dissuade the White House from selecting him.
Jay Carney, the White House press secretary, declined to address the comments by pro-Israel groups but said the President "thinks very highly" of Mr Hagel.
Mr Hagel could not be reached for comment through the Atlantic Council, the foreign policy think tank he chairs.
2 comments:
Chuck Hagel is a great pick for Defense. He's got all the necessary credentials. 12 years in the senate, combat vet, 2 purple hearts among many other medals, 3+ years in the intelligence advisory board. What else do you want? For him to lick Bibi's boot heels? Well sorry he ain't some self-inflated, egotistical, chicken hawk with a penchant for bloodlust greed like John R. Bolton. Maybe it's time our elected leaders worked on Capitol Hill instead of in the Knesset. Israel is not the 51st state. Allies are supposed to help each other. Not do each others bidding, and in our case with Israel it's all one way traffic. Not the kind in our favor either. The realization/creation of a Jewish state will not bring about some mysterious celestial glory to the United States. Nor will it eventually lead to the Book of Revelation coming coming into fruition.
To (not so) Anonymous:
Your apparent vitriol shows all of us that you are not well schooled on the Middle East. They all want America (and all Americans)either dead or as dhimmies or to convert to Islam. BTW, a Jewish State was already created in 1948 so I do not fathom what you are on about unless you are a follower of Hamas or Hezbolla, both being terrorist organizations without any remorse for the evil they do. You seem to be a lover of all that should be anathema to a true lover of peace. Also, Hagel is an idiot. It does not matter whether he was a so-called "decorated veteran"... so was our future Secretary of State John Kerry & he is a known idiot. The new SecDef should be someone with the knowledege of Gen. Powell with the ability to be truly respected by friends and foes alike. hagel will be loved by Iran because he is an anti-Jew, & anti-Israeli & a simpering sychophant to the weak and worthless current administration. He would be almost certainly be complicit in Iran gaining the ability to field nukes.
In closing, you're also naive in your assertion that the American association with Israel has been one-way. I don't need to argue the point because you have consumed so much left-wing misinformation that you would almost certainly spew total idiocies in response.
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