With Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel as award presenter to former Secretary of Defense and former Director of the CIA Leon Panetta at the Anti-Defamation League’s October 31 Centennial Gala at The Grand Hyatt , the event turned out to be a mega hit. Emceed by NBC New York host Kaitlin Monte Miss New York 2011 and invocations by Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove, Father Brian McWeeney and Imam Shamsi Ali,— ADL’s National Director Abraham Foxman was hugging guests and kvelling all night long through the post dessert musical nosh by the “The Maccabeats.”
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta lifted the ban on American women serving in combat. For Israeli women, fighting in every branch of the armed forces is nothing new.
Top Jewish organizational leaders met with Chuck Hagel, President Obama’s defense secretary nominee, and Vice President Joe Biden.
Chuck Hagel is much less of a contrarian on Iran now than he was during his years as a senator. Shifting his stance, he now embraces sanctions and won’t rule out military action.
Former Republican Senator Chuck Hagel appears increasingly likely to be confirmed as U.S. defense secretary, thanks to support from two key senators and the lack of an overt campaign against him by mainstream pro-Israel groups.
Opponents of President Barack Obama’s choice of Chuck Hagel to become the next U.S. defense secretary stepped up criticism of the Republican former senator on Sunday, with one lawmaker questioning whether Hagel has the right temperament for the job.
Chuck Hagel’s chances of getting confirmed as Pentagon chief could hinge on whether Sen. Chuck Schumer is satisfied with Hagel’s stance on Iran.
Chuck Hagel is facing the explosive charge that he is an anti-Semite. Jews in his home state of Nebraska, even those who oppose him, tell a different story.
Chuck Hagel, President Barack Obama’s pick to become the next U.S. defense secretary, has begun calling critics in the Senate in an attempt to clarify his views about how to deal with Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas before his upcoming nomination hearing.
Hawkish groups hoped to sink Chuck Hagel’s Pentagon bid and teach President Obama a lesson. But they may be the ones who look back on the episode as a cautionary tale.