Well, THAT was quick:
BREAKING: Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is stepping down, officials say. http://t.co/0KC8g0qRpl
— Daily Press (@Daily_Press) November 24, 2014
…And the Obama administration’s unstated policy of slavishly (albeit incompetently) imitating the Bush administration continues.
Moe Lane
PS: Oh man but that is going to be an epic confirmation hearing next year.
:leaning forward: We win.
After arguing that the media is controlled by Jewish interests, [Louis Farrakhan] applauded Hagel’s nomination. “Senator Hagel is in trouble,” Farrakhan said. “But America needs a man in Congress like that, who’s not a rubber stamp for others. You need a man like Senator Hagel as your secretary of defense because a man with a mind like that will keep you out of fighting somebody else’s wars. You need a man in government that has another opinion that is not controlled, and if the Senate does not confirm him as defense secretary because of his opinion on Israel, that only proves that the Senate in the U.S. Congress is controlled by the Israeli lobby. And it also sentences America to war with Iran for the state of Israel.”
In a very bizarre sort of way, admittedly. Whether or not the nomination goes through tomorrow – unlike Allahpundit*, I am not quite ready to assume that it will – the original purpose of said nomination is now officially dead, dead, dead. There is now no way that you can say with a straight face that Chuck Hagel is acceptable to the Republican party. The Republican party does not stand with Louis Farrakhan. We derive considerable pleasure from not standing with that anti-Semitic nutjob. If you are liked by Louis Farrakhan, there is something wrong with you. Continue reading Louis Farrakhan endorses Chuck Hagel for Secretary of Defense.
This is about as overt a wave-off as ABC News is willing to make, so enjoy.
Also: there seems to be a real lack of Democratic Senators willing to come out and support Hagel for SecDef. Watching the administration attempt to beat some compliance into the Senate should amuse.
Hmm. Could be:
Besieged by criticism from right and left, and considerable skepticism from his former Senate colleagues, Chuck Hagel appears to be following the path of Susan Rice as a trial-balloon nominee who finds himself quickly losing altitude in Washington. And as happened with Rice, the White House is now signaling that it may soon puncture Hagel’s hopes.
Just as occurred with Rice, the U.N. ambassador whose prospective nomination as secretary of State—leaked to the media—flamed out in the face of widespread criticism of her, President Obama appears to be rethinking his choice for Defense secretary.
If true… then it’s nice to see that the torpedo buttons at least still work on this thing. I was starting to wonder.
And does he know it?
The Washington Post‘s editorial board is the latest group to jump on the God, please, not Chuck Hagel bandwagon:
FORMER SENATOR Chuck Hagel, whom President Obama is reportedly considering for defense secretary, is a Republican who would offer a veneer of bipartisanship to the national security team. He would not, however, move it toward the center, which is the usual role of such opposite-party nominees. On the contrary: Mr. Hagel’s stated positions on critical issues, ranging from defense spending to Iran, fall well to the left of those pursued by Mr. Obama during his first term — and place him near the fringe of the Senate that would be asked to confirm him.
Continue reading Is Chuck Hagel a stalking horse for Michele Flournoy for Secretary of Defense?
Just some things to keep in mind:
Continue reading A handy checklist for the rumored Chuck Hagel appointment.