President Obama on Monday nominated former Nebraska senator Chuck Hagel as defense secretary and counterterrorism adviser John O. Brennan as director of the Central Intelligence Agency.
Appearing with the two men in the East Room of the White House, Obama called Hagel “the leader that our troops deserve” and a “champion of our troops” and of military veterans and families. He said Hagel would be the first person of enlisted rank and the first Vietnam War veteran to head the Defense Department. Most importantly, Obama said, “Chuck knows that war is not an abstraction.”
Will he be able to get us out of Afghanistan, reduce the bloated defense budget, etc?
Click poll heading for results
Seems like a good choice but I have no idea what a good defense secretary needs to have aside from the obvious, like military experience.
The important thing is that landslide victorious and now two term President Obama chose him for the job.
Dallas,
If Obama ever stopped walking suddenly, you would break your nose.
“Will he be able to get us out of Afghanistan”
Ha, donald duck could get you out of afghanistan, how hard is it to yell “Retreeeat!”
Obama’s already managed to spend (in half the time) twice as much in lives and money as bush did, while spreading radical islam to most of the middle east.
Lordy lord.
Just stating the facts. Why do you have disdain for facts?
Show me some facts and I’ll let you know.
Fact stated was Obama is a two term president and he won by a landslide.
Okeedokee
“Landslide” is opinion. By a larger majority than previous elections, I’ll grant you.
You also stated “important.” Again, opinion.
No wonder you have a hard time keeping up. You constantly confuse opinion with fact. I’ll be here to help you again should you need it.
Kudos for Hagel and Obama. It’s about time.
I fear though that Obama did not play his high card. I suspect Hagel is Obama’s 2nd choice, and Hagel is being used as a crash test dummy for the rival party to tear apart. After that happens then Obama will show his high card. I do not know who that would be.
I hope Hagel stays and gets confirmed by the Senate.
I’m sure he’ll get confirmed. First, the Teapublicans need to masterbate each other for a while. They need to show their sheeple they are not totally emasculated by President Obama and need to suck some Jewish Lobby dick (oops, I meant Pro Israeli lobby).
Not that you are politically astute, I think itz the jewish lobby that is opposed to Hagel, unless you are being a smart ass. Your comment is confusing for those of us who do not dwell on this site.
Oh btw, Fuck Israel.
Obvious attempt of Obama Administration to push his anti-Israel, weak-on-Iran Progressive military strategy at any cost, attempting to get vote for his choice from party-not-sanity Republicans.
Hagel is on the Neo-Nazi side of the Progressive movement. In a way opposite of Obama, in a way, his close buddy. Hopefully Democrats will fight him on this.
@Dallas : Military experience might not be what The Founders have envisioned. Defense Secretary should be CIVIL overseer of the Military and its business manager. Further away from the service, the better. Good business manager with experience in world-wide multinational corporation leadership is what is needed. With Hagel we”ll still get 30000$ toilet seats and such. I’d be feeling safer with J.Immelt than Hagel.
Right, because U.S. policy should be dependent on what’s good for Israel.
Dallas said, in part:
“Seems like a good choice but I have no idea what a good defense secretary needs to have aside from the obvious, like military experience.”
I’d say one of the main needs is administrative skill. It takes knowledge, experience and leadership to manage and move a large, entrenched bureaucracy. For example, I believe the key to Eisenhower’s successful leadership of the U.S. forces in WWII was not any military genius (though he was no slouch), but his ability to manage those who did have such talent, and keep them working together.
agreed.
However, if you see the debates from our esteemed Congressional mofo’s, the debate is not that at all. It’s about this candidate not sucking up to the Jewish Lobby and something about him being a Muslim.
Chuck Hagel has good executive experience. His knowledge of defense issues is high. He has apologized for blocking a gay ambassador, and if his views slow down the implementation of repeal of don’t ask don’t tell that’s good. As for his views on Israel, they are irrelevant considering it is the President who makes foreign policy, and he is probably more anti-Semitic than Hagel.
Plus I give Hagel bonus points for killing the Kyoto Treaty with the Byrd-Hagel resolution that passed 97-0 in the Senate. Has anyone asked Al Gore’s opinion once he finishes counting all the oil money he gets from selling his TV channel?
If he rolls back the DoD’s embrace of global warming, that savings alone is billions of dollars.
All that matters is that it is one additional person in this administration that believes that America comes first before other countries including the ‘State of Israel’.
Every President should get his first choice of Cabinet Members. That way, we know who to blame….. totally.
Military Experience? Maybe. That cuts both ways. You can be naive or a Stuffed Suit.
Clear Objectives. Selecting and Supporting the right people. Team building. Not restricted to Military experience at all.
The Pukes sure do show themselves to be Negative Purely Oppositional Kneejerks though. Sad.
On the other hand, Chuck Hagel was completely wrong in saying the surge in Iraq would be a strategic and tactical failure. This is disqualifying in a Secretary of Defense. Hopefully he has learned something from his failed predictions of a failed surge.
His calls for a draft is troubling.
I’m calling for a draft is a great thing. That will make sheeple think twice about taking their boy out of soccer practice and onto the front line.
So you’re into state sponsored slavery?
Just trying to get the facts straight.
If he’s willing to kill anti-Americans who would try to make us live in smaller houses or give up 4×4’s I’m all for him. A drone strike on Algore’s compound would be a fantastic way to protect the country.
Al Gore’s compound engages in mining of many metals. I am wondering what he is going to do with all the oil money he has now acquired, for the second time in his life.
All that needs to be said is Fuck Israel.
Obama needs Hagel to show that Jew hatred is bi-partisan.
Interesting combination there. A ‘pacifist’ Defense Secretary and a ‘war lover’ as a Director of the CIA.
While Hagel actually may try to do the right thing like ending the endless illegal wars, Brennan will probably keep his troops busier then ever with the usual illegal CIA actions abroad, causing new wars.
So in the end nothing will change. All this fed by the industrial war complex lobby as they obviously not want to loose their quite interesting (understatement) revenue source from all the tax payers.
We should only have a draft in the US, if both men and women are eligible. Let the Women’s Rights types stew on that. Can’t have it both ways. Want equal pay and everything else. But not (I’ll bet), a fast ticket to a war zone. Anyway, not that I’m in favors of wars, or the draft. But if we’re gonna have both, to protect Israel. Then we ought to draft, by Israeli rules. And they draft both sexes. The barbarians. That’ll wake up the American taxpayers. And the elite wouldn’t be able to shield their offspring, so easily, anymore. By have only girls. Like the Obamas, Bushs and Cheneys. Besides, are women really that much safer, staying back home. With all this binge drinking, I hear they’re doing?
He’s from Nebraska. That carries some weight with me. Also if he stands up to the Israel lobby, that’s wonderful too. Tell them where to get off. Israel can be reigned in and disciplined now (like a rowdy teenager) or blown to hell by its enemies later on.
Chuck saw the Iraq war as a boondoggle (so did GHW Bush in his book).
I agree. That’s all I need to know…..