E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSS“The differences in their nominating ceremony and the one last month for Senator John F. Kerry to be secretary of state were startling, reflecting the audible the administration had to call when it came to rolling out the team, as well as the bumpier confirmation hearings Hagel and Brennan are expected to face,” the Boston Globe’s Johnson writes. “The common denominator, though, was the clear deepening of White House control over the different elements of its national security apparatus. … The new nominees, though, could be well expected to harbor a special allegiance to this president and his team, given the circumstances of their respective nominations.”
“President Barack Obama’s pick of Chuck Hagel to run the Pentagon faces rough going in the Senate as a handful of Republicans quickly announced their opposition to a former GOP colleague, and several skeptical Democrats reserved judgment until the nominee explains his views on Israel and Iran,” AP writes.
USA Today: “In his first term, President Obama purposefully set out to build an administration that, while not quite Abraham Lincoln's Team of Rivals, insured that his most prominent advisers included some that were outside his tight inner circle. … if his revamping of his national security team is any indication — Chuck Hagel for the Pentagon, John Brennan to lead the CIA and Sen. John Kerry for State —Obama is staying well within his comfort zone as he prepares for his second term, choosing to surround himself with a circle of friends he knows and trusts.
Politico makes this point about Vietnam and Obama’s appointments of Kerry and Hagel: “The conditions sure seem ripe for a here-we-go-again moment — one more occasion to relive, and re-argue, a war that ended four decades ago. Except this time one ingredient seems to be missing: a critical mass of people who share the Baby Boom generation’s preoccupation with this sullen chapter in American history. Half of the American population, 50.8 percent, was born after 1973, the year the Paris Peace Accords ended direct U.S. involvement in the losing effort to prevent a Communist victory in Vietnam, according to the Pew Research Center. The Vietnam obsessions of these people’s parents and grandparents revolve around events and arguments that are as far removed in time as the 1919 Treaty of Versailles was to young men fighting in Vietnam, or protesting back home, in the 1960s.”
Bloomberg’s Wilkinson: “President Barack Obama's anticipated nomination of Chuck Hagel as defense secretary shows how the polarization of Obama's second term might differ from that of his first. His first term was polarizing despite Obama's efforts. His second could be polarizing because of them.”
Or, he’s learned from his first term, has no politics to consider anymore and doesn’t feel like he owes his opposition anything.
More: “As Peter Beinart argues convincingly, the Hagel nomination represents both an affront to Republicans, who have never honestly reckoned with the disasters of George W. Bush's foreign policy, and to Democrats, who have spent decades crafting foreign policy designed in part to avoid inciting aggression not from abroad, but from Republicans. Obama may or may not believe Hagel is the best person for the job. But he certainly is mindful of the challenge he has just laid down. Unless opponents can restrict the debate on Hagel to his views -- real or imagined -- on Israel, they risk litigating the disastrous policies that Hagel rejected and his most vociferous critics embraced.”
Beth Reinhard sees Obama’s willingness to nominate Hagel and go hard after gun rights as a way to go after two of the strongest lobbies in Washington – AIPAC and the NRA – and settle some old scores with groups that haven’t exactly made his life easy: “Emboldened by reelection and a fiscal-cliff deal, President Obama is picking fights with two of the most powerful special interests in Washington: the pro-gun and pro-Israel lobbies. Both groups have enjoyed bipartisan support in Congress and wide deference from the White House for years. But Obama’s consideration of sweeping gun-control measures in the wake of the shooting deaths at a Connecticut elementary school, and his Defense secretary nomination of Chuck Hagel, whose support for Israel has been questioned, reflect the ambitions of a second-term president relishing—for as long as it lasts—an approval rating that exceeds 50 percent. If Obama perseveres on both fronts and avoids upcoming crises on spending cuts and the nation’s debt limit, his second term would be off to a rollicking start.”
Obama will meet with Afghan President Hamid Karzai Friday at the White House.
Leave a Comment:
Republicans, quit wasting the Nations time as well as the Presidents and confirm his choices for Cabinet Posts. Your not going to win this was.
Cal Tom, you call it wasting the Nations time and I call it having our (the 49%) backs so get over it.
Of course you mean 47% right?
No I meant 49%
Actually, the final total certified for Willard is 47%
What a dumb observation: The Vietnam obsessions of these people's parents and grandparents revolve around events and arguments that are as far removed in time as the 1919 Treaty of Versailles was to young men fighting in Vietnam, or protesting back home, in the 1960s."
Maybe I'm getting old (I'm 54) but this quote smacks me as particularly stupid. For so many reasons, involving history and war, i.e. "police action," insurgency, regime change, national security, etc. In other words, we have seen the military called into engagement numerous times over recent decades.
Were pundits always this un-insightful, or is today's media just lame? I'm wondering if the lack of insight these days is due to the fact most journalists never served in the military. I guess that makes me a baby-boomer obsessed with the lessons of Vietnam.
The president should be able to choose those that surround him not the opposing party. It is absolutely wrong for senate republicans to block an nomination or disrupt the governance simply obstruct a president. What these people did to Ms. Rice was not only profound but ignorant. Now they don't want Sen. Hagel because? He is a republican? He said what he believed at the time? Senate republicans are simply proving their racism toward President Obama. I truly believe they are still operating on the 1950's belief that the black man must not be successful. I see no other purpose in opposing president Obama's appointees.
So the Dems that are also skeptical are clean on their opposition because they are just Dems and the Repubs are racist. Got it. Thanks.
Johntho, why does the racist libs always have to bring race into a conversation why can't you understand conservatives give a @!$%# less what color you are and more about what you stand for?
If you two were honest, which you are not nor probably ever will be, the fact remains that you are opposed to everything that Obama has done, or will do and that is based on your hate that a black man is being successful in a all white club. You criticize him even for things that W. has done. Neither of you are a pimple on Obama's ass. Neither of you has the education nor the wisdom to do the job that Obama has done and will do FOR the American people. The truth is racism is alive and well here in the United States and both of you are the poster people for it. To answer your question talk, yes there are racist in the democratic party. But their numbers are minuscule compared to the Grand Opposition Party.
Johntho, way to generalize there! So us conservatives can generalize that the majority of libs are homosexuals right? Same logic goof.
Johntho,
But their numbers are minuscule compared to the Grand Opposition Party.
Really, care to give up a source?
Johntho
OMG there Johntho, look back on history and search for the times the Progressives have done the same, block Republican appointments!
Get real there guy and stop taking the Progressive kool-aid.
Sometimes I wonder about whether the opposition to President Obama is racist or not. It really doesn't matter because they oppose him because he is a Democrat and is not a hard core winger (left or right) but tries to govern from the center. Unfortunately elements within the Congress aren't satisfied with a middle-of-the-road agenda but would prefer something more extreme one way or another.
If there are legitimate reasons to oppose a nominee let us hear them. Give the nominee an opportunity to get his/her side of the story out. Unfortunately the media has them pigeon-holed even before any hearing.
That is what happened to Rice. No need for a hearing, why bother? The media had her convicted and hung out to dry before she could get two cents worth in to the conversation. Many good people simply will not want to go through the BS of the media and the extremists in the Senate and so drop out altogether. Hagel and Kerry, having been in the Senate, can be expected to have a slightly better chance. Unfortunately no matter who he nominates Obama's choices will be challenged whether fairly or unfairly. Yet, those doing the challenging never offer up an alternative that they could live with but would still be acceptable to the President. That makes them unproductive whiners not keepers of the integrity of the august body of the Senate.
The bigger picture here is not Democrat or Republican when it comes to the confirmation of Chuck Hagel. The Republican leadership does not want a fiscal hawk anywhere near the Defense Dept. and that is exactly what Chuck Hagel is and he has voiced very strongly that he would make deep cuts into defense and that scares the crap out of war mongering Republicans. Why do you think one of his closest friends, John McCain, has expressed "serious concerns" over Hagel being picked? John McCain is one of the biggest "Let's go to war" mongers in the Senate.
Chuck Hagel is a boots on the ground decorated war veteran who will bring fresh eyes to the President when it comes to the men and women in this country who keep us safe. After watching an interview with him on CSPAN lastnight(2005 interview) I am moving into a positive position in regards to Mr. Hagel.
With over Half of Americas population being Born after 1973 (50.8 %), it sounds like Us older folks have beena Frigging too Much!
You Betcha!!!!!!!!!
Occupy SoggyBottom!!!
This says exactly what I've been thinking all along that President Obama is a petty, egotistical narcissist. Thank you MSNBC for finally printing some truth.
And your not powered by racism, right.
How is that racist? Those are all personality traits.
@ ozzieyo1-7277359,
The quote you cited was merely Beth Reinhard's opinion. So....now we're asserting Obama's ego has taken the center stage and the murder of 20 second graders within 3 minutes from a high powered combat assault rifle for soldiers in war with 30 round magazines is irrelevant? You're an Ass........
First, it's smart to NOT surround yourself with only "Yes men." Going that route creates a culture driven by pre-conceived notions. This turns into the "group think" issues as was evidenced and documented during President G. W. Bush's administration.
Second, to obstruct simple for the sake of obstruction and to denegrate people is BS and unprofessional.
"Unless opponents can restrict the debate on Hagel to his views -- real or imagined -- on Israel, they risk litigating the disastrous policies that Hagel rejected and his most vociferous critics embraced.”"
By all means, let's have the litigation - it would be good to look back at those disastrous policies to show that Hagel was right to reject them.
I also like the fact that Hagel believes that his responsibility is to the USA first, and to other nations second.
@ Dave Bannon,
I agree with you. The GOP isn't considering rejecting him (Hagel) because of calling his battle field-foreign policy judgment into question. The GOP's political vendetta is playing out; as they vote against those (Democrat or Republican) nominees of Obama who publicly criticized or voted against their past policies. Even if it comes at the expense of a possible future GOP confirmation on a "yes" man-woman who doesn't know what the hell they're doing while traditonally placing Industry above country by true GOP standards....