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Subscribe to RSSFormer Nebraska lawmaker, Chuck Hagel, is reportedly in line to be nominated for U.S. secretary of defense. NBC's Peter Alexander reports.
Senators on Sunday indicated a tough confirmation fight for former Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel, President Barack Obama's reported pick to be the next Secretary of Defense.
On NBC's "Meet the Press," Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said that Republicans in the upper chamber would treat Hagel "fairly" but that his past statements on Israel and Iran will be subject to tough scrutiny.
"I think he'll be subjected to the same kind of oversight hearings that any nominee for such an important position would expect," McConnell said. "And his views with regard to Israel, for example, and Iran and all the other positions that he's taken over the years will be very much a matter of discussion in the confirmation process."
Sen. Angus King, who sits on the Armed Services Committee, previews the upcoming nomination of former Sen. Chuck Hagel to become secretary of state.
"I think there will be a lot of tough questions for Sen. Hagel, but he will be treated fairly by Republicans in the Senate," he added.
That statement fell short of McConnell's past praise for his fellow Republican, a Vietnam War veteran and Purple Heart recipient who served in the Senate for three terms. When Hagel left the Senate, McConnell called him "a clear voice on foreign policy and national security."
During a pre-taped appearance on ABC's "This Week," McConnell appeared to back off that view, saying only that Hagel has been "outspoken" on foreign policy issues. "The question we will be answering if he's the nominee is 'do his views make sense for that particular job?'" he said.
Hagel has earned foes on both sides of the aisle for past statements about Israel -- notably his comment about how the "Jewish lobby" tries to influence lawmakers in D.C. -- as well as for his calls for direct negotiations with Palestinian group Hamas. He has also voted against some Iran sanctions and was heavily critical of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell discusses the goals his party is aiming toward in the upcoming Congress.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., called the reported pick an "in your face nomination" by the president, while new Sen. Ted Cruz blasted Obama for ignoring bipartisan criticism of his reported pick for the Pentagon job.
"This is a president who has drunk the tea," Cruz said on Fox News Sunday "He's high on re-election right now."
Cruz said that he is "concerned" about Hagel's past statements.
Newly-elected independent Sen. Angus King of Maine said on "Meet the Press" that he would "reserve judgement" until the confirmation process begins, saying he believes generally that the president should be given considerable leeway to fill his cabinet as he sees fit.
"But I'm going to want to ask some serious questions and hear from Senator Hagel about the issues," he added. "He's a guy with a distinguished record and I'm going to listen to the answers."
Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, a freshman Democrat from North Dakota, said that the looming fight over the expected nomination merely highlights the Washington gridlock disliked by the American public.
"Chuck Hagel is a tremendous patriot and statesman," she said on ABC. "He hasn't had a chance to speak for himself, so why all the prejudging? I don't know."
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With the current batch of GOP anyone 2 steps or less to the right of Joe McCarthy ranks as a commie .
And maybe people should read Israeli news sources as to how your average Israeli citizens feel how their dreams are being hijacked by Zionisms radical right .
Obama could nominate Mitch McConnell for SecDef and Republicans would come out against it.
Mitch himself would blast the nominee on Faux Noise....
He would probably filibuster his own nomination. Why not? ~ he filibusters his own Senate bills.
Is Mitch McTeatard even alive? It will simply be the usual tea billy nonsense... just like we have experienced for the past for year... anything Obama wants... the teatards will hassle...thanks for the house in 2014... friggin' knotheads!
dirty boi's have loads of fuuunnn,!, you should invite ozzyboy intoo yer dazyman chain gaymes
the crimson fister claims he is by but really good with teeens(0).....
dude... put down the crack pipe...push away from the computer... you are pathetic!
How many days since you were sober, connie? Since the GOP had their butts handed to them in NOV, or since the TP became the punchline to a bad joke on 1/1/13??
The tea party has ALWAYS been a punchline to a bad joke... an absolute mockery of anything decent!
Leftward bound, you have arrived.
At least Hagel is strongly anti gay and will discharge many of the fags/queers/homos and dikes that currently contaminate our military. They are devisatating to the readiness posture of the armed forces and only detract from higher morale. I'm am afraid to enter a bathroom where a queer is because they stir at you or try to tap your feet while in the stall. They are to agressive for trying to engage in unsanitary sex acts. I hope Hagel ban these queers from the militaRY.
Quit your hate crime whining! Nothing more pleasant than a homophobe! Man you are a civil right, buzz killing hate monger... we need less of you in this country!
Look up "dill weed" in a slang dictionary. It's you!
Now caress your metal penis and go to bed!
dillmill
Ahhh, everything you state various Republican Congressmen have been accused and convicted of over the last decade. Very interesting. Not to mention the incredible ignorance displayed by your atrocious grammar and sentence structure.I usually don't bring these things up but you seem to combine all of those talents into a massive steaming pile of sh!t.
Hit home eh, Dennis and Herron?
Actually greg, it pretty much described you to a tea, so to speak. You see slime bag, you've got nothing, absolutely nothing going for you, here or any place else. You might want to seek help, though I doubt if you ever would.
dmill--You're a slow learner. We dealt with your homophobia yesterday on this vine. You really need to seek help.
Hopefully Hagel will give Obama some backbone to tell the DB Zionists to shove it, cram it, or otherwise stick it where the sun doesn't shine. I'm sick & tired of the horrid, inhumane treatment of the Palestinians at the hand's of these little Z-pricks.
Wasn't it the same number of nay's with the republican party for the fiscal cliff vote?
The next bill that passes I bet you the numbers to pass it are similar if not exactly the same?
FruVeggie: The south now is a very powerful minority in the House of Representatives. If you look at the final vote on the fiscal cliff bill, approximately 65% of the 151 Republican "Nay" vote came from southern House Republicans. That means some 35% of the 151 House Republicans who voted against the fiscal cliff were from states outside the south. Sixteen Democrats voted against the fiscal cliff bill and six or 38% those came from southern Democrats. It would be wise to watch the voting pattern of the 113th Congress on up-coming votes on such issues as raising the debt limit and Chuck Hagel's nomination. No wonder John Boehner is having trouble keeping his Party behind him. The south with all of its 19th and 20th century baggage is a very powerful player again. Is anyone surprised that the TEA Party is so strong in the south??!!??
TJ. The Tea Stains became a JOKE with the fiscal cliff deal.
And Allen West is now working on a morning cartoon clown show. He already had the clown outfit!
TJefferson-1649275
The political landscape of our country is constantly changing. To me that says our system works.
Fru Vegge: Congress works exactly as it was designed to work. All one need do is to read the Federalist Papers and it will become clear. About all that has changed in the south, though, is people have changed from the Democrat Party to the Republican Party. Not much has changed regarding southern social class views, particularly those of the older generation.
TJefferson-1649275
With my degree I became fascinated with Cultural Diversity.
Maybe we can persuade the whole south to secede and form their own worthless little country. They don't like our government anyway (except when they need money).
The WWE has just announced that in 2013, they will have special cage matches between old school GOP in Congress and the kiddy Tea Stains!
It will be a must see! "Two men enter, one man leaves", to quote Mad Max Thunderdome!
Once again Barry shows his contempt for Isreal, our only friend in the Middle East, and yet the liberal Jews in this country turn a blind eye.
shut up buffy... you are late for your teatard haters meeting!
Buff--Those who get beyond the noise know that many Israelis have grave concerns about the policies of the Likud government. Beyond that, when you were a kid and one of your friends was always getting you in trouble for his own purposes, wouldn't your parents have questioned how good a friend that person was? I'm happy to have a president who puts the interests of the United States first.
Buff. Tell us about Sheldon Adelson, and his spending $100m in a FAILED attempt to buy a US President!
And a big part was when Sheldon took Mittens to Israel and made an idiot of himself!
leftward: when you are too stupid to make an intelligent arguement you resort to name calling
Buff. Now tell us about Sheldon and his $100m attempt to buy a US President!
We are awaiting your wisdom!
And how much did you leftwing nuts contribute to Barry?
Buff--Individually not as much as "I wish I could wear an Israeli uniform" Adelson, but collectively a sufficient amount to do the job. One wonders if the all-American Republican party cared that the bulk of Adelson's fortune derives from gambling and prostitution in China. Oh, well, all money is clean if it comes to me, right?
Perhaps the best part is that it apparently doesn't even faze McConnell to question the qualifications of a man whom he previously called "a clear voice on foreign policy and national security." McConnell simply has no shame.
You are absolutely right... McTeatard has never had any shame... and gets paid well to be that way... what a mockery!
If Obama picked Duffy Duck the GOP would oppose him!
The best one is... McTeatards own bill came up for a discussion/vote and he fillibustered it... pathetic.
What a bunch of quaks :)
If Obama picked McConnell or Cantor, they would both go on Fox and try to discredit the nominee!
No, you already elected him President.
Greg. with a higher percentage of the popular vote than GW Shrub got in 2000 or 2004!
The GOP also lost Senate seats and 10 Tea Stains in the House.
Herron, hold that thought.
Greg. The GOP was handed their butts the last 2 months.
YOU lost!
Here's to all the dumb Jews and gays who supported Obama. How do you like the payback?
Hagel voted against designating both Hezbollah–which murdered hundreds of Americans–and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard as terrorist groups, and he opposed sanctions against Iran. Priceless.
After Obama goes after our guns he will go for immigration reform, but not until the mid-term elections. He'll propose a wide open policy and an easy path to citizenship to rally the Hispanics (whom he manipulates like gays, Jews, and women) to try to make gains in Congress.
Here's his agenda:
Procustus: You and your ilk have been forecasting that BS conspiracy theory since 2008. Don't you ever get tired of playing the fool?
Well said Procustus, the liberals choose to ignore the facts
Buff. Now why did Sheldon spend $100m to try and buy a US president for Israel??
He's a crooked casino owner and had the hoots-pa, I guess!
Doesn't change Barry's agenda (unfortunately)
The most socialized healthcare in the US is the VA. Seems you clowns what that program stopped! What Gumbies!
Buff. It doesn't bother you that a stooge for Israel put $100m into the US election for a president?
(and it's $100m in ISRAELI LOBBYIST money, BTW!)
What a maroon!
Paranoid much? Or just rehearsing for an Archie Bunker College class reunion?
single payer healthcare is the only way to bring big pharma under control and slice medical costs clean in half. It's not as cumbersome a system as some people believe. Our doctors may be the best in the world, but unless you are very affluent, you don't get access to a single one of them.
GOP always signal tough fight for everything," health care,debt ceilling,gun control, name it! in the end they are the losers.
It's no surprise to me that Obama is appointing someone that does not support Israel...and all this hateful talk from you liberal antisemites is no surprise either.
You will find out soon enough, if you don't know already, that your leader Obama and his cronies are assisting in the establishing of the Muslim caliphate...
And just wait until you see what they will do with your liberal principles :) I hope there's room in your arse for them along side your head.
So you would have rather had Mittens, that was paid off ($100 MILLION) to be the US Pres of Israel by Sheldon Adelson?
You are poorly informed and lost. Fox or Rush??
I would rather have someone that actually loves this country...if you think that's Obama you are sorely mistaken my friend.
BTW, nice try deflecting from my larger point :)
John Mittens was willing to take $100m from Sheldon to be the US Pres of Israel. And how much money did Mittens refuse to even invest in America vs the Camens and Switerland?
You are SOOOOOO lost, you don't see it, do you?
John, israel is a warmongering leech that can defend itself just fine. Netanyahu is questioned by many of his own people. I'll support Israel once that powerwhore is cut off.
John--Yeah, Mitt really loves his country. He loves it so much that he sends his money overseas. He loves it so much that when it came time for him to serve in a war he supported, he fled to France.
Hay, wait a minute. Isn't Hagel a Republicon? Hmmmm..... Oh, that's right, he's a moderate. Another example of the far right wing wackos distroying the Republican party. You would think that the Republicans would be celibrating the fact that they get a direct voice in the Obama cabinet, and it involve killing people (they like that). I guess Hagel just isn't NAZ! enough for them. "A kinder gentler machine gun hand" N. Young.
The Tea Party is dead, and the GOP might be for 2014. They are nothing but a band of clueless idiots these days.
I'm not blind to some of the negatives that my country has had here as well as in other places, but for people like Obama and the liberals that think America has had more of a negative impact in the world than a positive one is entirely misguided, and extremely short-sighted.
I don't expect the left to understand this because they only know what they are told by their leaders and they don't think for themselves, but when history repeats itself due to their ignorance, it will all become clear.
The US became a joke in other countries when GW was president. That's a FACT.
It sounds like you know nothing of facts...most of what I hear from you is hate and ignorance.
Maybe you should find a nice church with a positive message so you can spend more of your time recovering your heart and soul!
A church with a positive message? What an oxymoron.
John, were you in a frigging coma while GW was in office?
Fox, Rush, ir even someone nuttier has been feeding you BS!
I've never quite understood why more GOPhers weren" against the wars started by Bush. As I dem, I'd vote for Hagel, seen him on Russerts' show, back when, he was harsh about the wars. I noticed Cheney never said a word or mentioned Hagels comments. We needed more GOPhers like this back then......and now still. It's a sad day when you can't have dissention in your ranks, communistic almost. Say....who's the communists?
The classic of the GOP and Israel was when Sheldon Aldelson took Mittens to Israel last summer, and Mittens tried to hold a fund raising dinner on a day that was one of the most widely observed Jewish days of fasting.
All Mittens could say "well, I wondered why it was so easy to find a location!"
Maybe you didn't hear but the election's over....
If you spent half the time looking into what your leaders are doing instead of playing the politics of your party....or are you in league with the goals of your New World Order masters?
John. It's clowns like you that think Mittens should have won!
But only when you don't want to face the REALITY of how screwed up the GOP is today!
the agendas of the liberals are not half as scary as those of the TEAs. You want to see the EPA completely eradicated and watch haliburton and the frackers destroy what little fresh water supply we have? The Teas are insane. Smaller government, yes, non-functional government, no.
Patrick. I wonder how many of the wingnuts were alive when LA was nothing but a smog covered city. They seems to have no clue about the EPA!
Buffoon
Four more years haha hehe hoho
You repukes blow
The leftnut vanished in a puff of smoke! Where did he go?
I'm tired of all of them middle east ass holes to include the Jews,,let them die. M
Its time someone stands up to Israel. The abused have become the abusers and Americans have their head in the sand. Palestine is one big concentration camp. Jews have to decide if their allegiance is to this country or Israel. It cant be both. The Zionist (not the Jewish people) need to go!
The tea tards will all be gone bye 2020 as well as the redneck ass holes
Any other right tard want to take a shot,lmao
Where does all this hate come from?
Did your mommies not hug you enough?
Or did your daddies do the wrong kind of "hugging" you?
Questions on matter of defense and affairs of state: (For the Secretary of Defense and of the Secretary of State)
Preparatory Statement:
It might surprise you gentlemen but these questions start in unusual place I have combined into single topic. These are Energy for one and Economics for another. Both together are related in many more ways that we are used to discussing, but really all those normal questions asked by others are unified by Energy and Economics.
Energy has been concern of mankind beginning with fire; we could fact start the history of modern humans dating from the time when man started using energy beyond his manual capacity to generate it. There is great deal of history, most of which we skip, but not all, between that date and now. Today we are at something of good place to think about energy becoming more and more of a limitation. We are in this current world at this very moment, so entwined in the use of energy, and have become so used to that we often act as if it were a given. It is human to accept important things that don't seem to change without noticing them; we scarcely give notice of the oxygen we breathe because it is so much a constant, and seems to demand little of our time. But is that constant sameness not worth our attention, being thankful to the green things of the world giving us constant supply. So it is with energy, we look out through glass windows, travel continents, and spend little effort in getting food to the table.
The reason we are is in recognition that Energy is unevenly scattered in concentrated locations across the globe, in other nations, with other intentions, and nowhere can any nation say that they are independent of other nation in the world. Very small regions are known to contain 3/5th of the world reserves. Those same small regions indeed import huge sums of the world's currencies. Those countries have joined vast global financial markets. Those financial markets are potential invested in every other country, sector and business in the global market.
Assumptions Defined:
I will make the assumption that the offices of Secretary of Defense and of the Secretary of State are sworn to uphold the laws of the United States, and as well are not beholding to any other person, wealthy client, group, fraternity, ideology, country, religion or secret society and mores so that you will not hire or cause to be hired any person who is not similarly sworn to allegiance to the US and will not or cause to provide such person who is not so sworn in to share, gather or exchange state and military secrets.
Questions: (Submitted in advance)
Given that the Defense of the US is of primacy and cannot be suborned to the purposes of another nation or ally how would you handle a request by Israeli, to ignore a provocation by Israel outside of treaty, that would result in the US enter militarily into the dispute?
Given that the State Department is the face of the United States and its people, and that relationships (domestically) have along and sorry history how would you handle a situation where private citizens of the United States seeking to interfere with good relationships, do cause, promise to cause demonstrate to cause harm and provoke to cause harm principle private distress due to race, ethnicity, color, economic status, religion, religious sect and all the world of cruel and vicious malingering act of personal destruction of those people in those countries?
Given that the Defense of the US depends on Energy and its availability, stability, and viability not only for sustainable military operations far afield, but also to keep the home land secure, in that Energy is so engrained, so deeply embedded, and that the disruption of domestic Energy is as serious an problem for defense internal and external, how will you give advice to the President, and appropriately loyal Senate and House committees in the legislative branch, on a National Sensible and Sustainable Energy policy?
Given that the State Department has so many connections to the world and that those connections need to monitored closely, what assurances can you give that third and fourth party citizen operatives, private security companies, and anyone involved in secret missions are not themselves being used as conduits to say give provocation by another country outside of treaty to endanger countries, that would result in the US enter militarily into the dispute? How will you be prepared to detail, interrupt, or reveal such actions misusing national technical resources?
If you felt quite shocked to see outside influence, to learn that our good friends the Israeli saw it in their interest to betray US interest, by playing the proxy switch to say force the US to invade more desert lands, to have Israel remain at high tensions in the energy supply center, to secretly foment deepening Islamic divisions, to say, amplify the general disuse and violence against women and to use these horrific means to gain support from the American Public for more foreign invasions?
Gentlemen if it is in your power to remain aware of the global Energy situation and the global Economic situation and its worldwide consequences; what will you do or try to in your offices to reduce the need for nefarious provocation in Congress and others from interfering in the affairs of other nations, nations not inclined to accept American interference, or for those nations so often affected by US interference?
To be clear how will the Secretary of Defense and of the Secretary of State, address the need Energy and Economic situations with national technical means and not through the limited Military always options so wide advocated and promulgated by many in Congress?
How will the US (Economy) be able to pay for all these Military expenses when the Energy and Economic situation are in a spiraling decline if not spiritual decline?
Will the US just attempt to collect from those countries enjoying American Protection, or shall we just hire out for the task?
These guys still can't get over the fact that Obama won re-election and that they had to compromise on the fiscal cliff deal and they're still looking at ways to get back at the president. Hey Mitch, "McConnell called him (Hagel) a clear voice on foreign policy and national security."-------CHOKE ON IT!!!
They were SOOOOO sure Mittens would win, and then had to face the reality of him losing big time! Ask Karl Rove!
We have to remember what Mitch's first objective was in 2009--to ensure that Barack Obama was a one-term president. That was so successful . . .
McConnell's NEW objective, one that he feels certain he can achieve, is to insure that Obama is only a TWO term President.