With Chuck Hagel’s nomination as Secretary of Defense heading for tough confirmation hearings, the most explosive charge against the former Nebraska is that he displayed anti-Semitism in his relationship with Jews in his home state. Former deputy national security adviser Elliott Abrams has sought to make Hagel’s supposed “problem with the Jews” a centerpiece of…
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. The decorated Vietnam veteran’s Republican credentials have done little to rally support with his…
Hawkish groups that sought to pre-emptively sink Chuck Hagel’s candidacy for secretary of defense may have been trying to teach President Obama and his supporters a lesson — but it seems they’re the ones who may look back at this episode as a cautionary tale. “You don’t want to wound the king,” Joseph Cirincione, president…
Just two weeks before his second inauguration, President Barack Obama is acting as if he believes he has a big mandate for his next term. The latest sign: his decision to defy a concerted campaign against his choice for defense secretary. The Democratic president, re-elected in November, unveiled a more combative approach during the end-of-year…
The Israeli government kept clear on Tuesday of a brewing battle in Washington over U.S. President Barack Obama’s choice for defense secretary, Chuck Hagel, whose record on Iran and Israel is under scrutiny. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Ehud Barak offered no immediate comment on the pick, announced on Monday after being rumoured…
It’s a different ballgame now. After President Obama announced his selection of Chuck Hagel as defense secretary, pro-Israel activists and mainstream Jewish groups toned down criticism of the controversial choice to lead the Pentagon, who analysts say is now a prohibitive favorite to win confirmation. Most Jewish groups have made clear they will not lobby…
A decorated Vietnam veteran acutely aware of the limits of military power, Chuck Hagel is likely to favor a sizable drawdown in Afghanistan, more frugal spending at the Pentagon and extreme caution when contemplating the use of force in places like Iran or Syria. Obama’s decision to nominate Hagel – a Republican former senator who…
Pentagon nominee Chuck Hagel says he looks forward to facing his critics, especially from the pro-Israel community, who he said have “completely distorted” his record. The former Nebraska senator told the Lincoln Journal Star in his home state that his record shows an “unequivocal, total support for Israel.” A Republican with a reputation as a…
