Tag: chuck hagel

Today’s ‘Chuck Hagel And Progressives’ Moment: Hagel’s hardcore pro-life stance.

My measured, civilized, adult reaction to Buzzfeed’s reminder to the progressive Left that Chuck Hagel opposes abortion even for cases of rape and/or incest:

I’m not laughing at the question itself: that’s one of the thornier ones for pro-lifers. What I AM laughing at is this: either Chuck Hagel is going to have to crawl on his belly like a dog for this, or progressive Lefties will.  Either way, from a partisan Republican viewpoint I am in fact going to end up amused.

Moe Lane

PS: You know, under George W Bush I very rarely had to grin and bear it, the way that progressives have to under Barack Obama.  I wonder why that is? …Oh, right, they have no self-respect, and the REAL Democrats know it.

Antiwar patsies and other Chuck Hagel supporters, please note…

…I understand that many of that ilk are breathing hard in anticipation of trying to scream “chickenhawk!” at the top of their lungs over the Chuck Hagel nomination until they reach their Special Time, but there’s a small wrinkle there. You see, the Obama/Biden administration is the first one since Roosevelt/Wallace where neither the president nor the Vice President has served in the military.  Which is… fine… but it does make it awkward when people want to try to use that smear.  I mean, if military service was the end-all and be-all of one’s political criteria, why didn’t the antiwar movement vote for John McCain*?

For that matter: if ‘chickenhawk’ didn’t work in 2004 to shut us up, why would anyone expect it to work in 2013? I know, I know: rhetorical question.  But still.

Moe Lane

*A question that the antiwar movement should be asking itself, actually.  Because I don’t think that they signed up for rendition,  drone strikes, and kill lists.

ABC News politely warns Barack Obama about Chuck Hagel.

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.

QotD, Shooting Irony For The Sake Of Chuck Hagel edition.

I wonder if Josh Gerstein of Politico had to suppress an involuntary snort of horrified laughter?

Some who have worked with Hagel on foreign policy issues say the attacks are absurd and that his views on the Mideast are mainstream.

“He has never expressed a thought that could be considered even remotely hostile to the people of Israel or the State of Israel. … The charges are simply absurd,” said Henry Siegman of the U.S./Middle East Project, which prepared some of the policy statements that Hagel endorsed. “The charges of anti-Semitism are vicious, really ugly stuff.”

Siegman suggested that many of Hagel’s critics aren’t advocating for Jews or for Israel but for the Likud Party-led government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Pro-tip: when you’re trying to defend a man against being an anti-Semite, don’t suggest that the reason for the initial charges is because of an international Jewish conspiracy.  It… muddles… the message; or perhaps it does not.
Continue reading QotD, Shooting Irony For The Sake Of Chuck Hagel edition.

Rooting For Injuries Watch: Barney Frank slams Chuck Hagel.

Let us segue away from the disappointment which is contemporary American fiscal policy to something a good deal more enjoyable: to wit, kneeing the White House’s prospective Cabinet picks in their (metaphorical) groins.  Latest up?  Chuck Hagel, come on down!

Outgoing Rep. Barney Frank Monday denounced the idea of former Sen. Chuck Hagel being considered for secretary of defense, arguing the Nebraska conservative has demonstrated a clear pattern of bigotry and and a track record of being “against fairness for LGBT people.”

Via Hot Air Headlines.  There’s a rumor out there that Barney Frank’s being considered for a Senate caretaker gig for Massachusetts if Kerry gets the nod for SecState, and goodness knows that Frank (a man I quite cordially despise) isn’t shy about stating his opinion.  However, this is still a pretty open break.  I wonder how much longer Hagel will last? – Particularly, now that the aforementioned American fiscal disappointment is on the verge of going on the back burner…

Chuck Hagel’s Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin moment.

Not a cock-crowing three times moment, mind you: Chuck Hagel deserves to be left twisting in the wind by an administration suddenly gun-shy about nominating an anti-Israel, anti-gay, anti-war suck-up*. From Buzzfeed:

“The White House was never actually all that close to naming Hagel, and to a degree feels awkward about the dust-up about him, however, they have no real interest in defending him because they don’t plan to pick him and see the issues being raise as hard to defend,” the insider said. “The Hagel dust-up is the best thing that could have happened for the President and the party. It nets out well, giving easy sailing to their real choice when the time comes.”

Via Hot Air Headlines. I have to say: it’s kind of fun to torpedo Obama’s Cabinet picks.  Who’s next?

Moe Lane

*I wonder when Hagel’s fellow antiwar loons will finally get tired of supporting a President who is just like George W. Bush on foreign policy, only without the competence and ability to play well with others.  Probably never.

Barack Obama wimping out on Chuck Hagel?

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.

Continue reading Barack Obama wimping out on Chuck Hagel?

The cold mathematics of letting the John Kerry Secretary of State nomination slide.

46 > 45.

This is a few days old, but Buzzfeed seems to be a little upset that the Swift Boat people can count:

Leading figures in the controversial conservative group that attacked — and at times distorted — John Kerry’s military record to derail his bid for the White House say they won’t actively fight his nomination as Secretary of State.

Let’s leave aside for the moment the slanted commentary in the sentence above; what’s really torquing people on the Left off about this is apparently that, given a choice, conservatives would rather have Hagel’s scalps than Kerry’s.  This should not be surprising, though.  If John Kerry becomes Secretary of State, that’s it.  He’s gone from everybody’s lives in four years, maximum.  And we have an excellent shot at acquiring that seat.  And, as some of the Swift Boat folks noted, it’s not like Kerry was up for SecDef.  That might have started a fight. Continue reading The cold mathematics of letting the John Kerry Secretary of State nomination slide.

Barack Obama goes to bat for WHITE, MALE, REPUBLICAN* Chuck Hagel. [UPDATED]

[UPDATE] It may be – probably is, in fact – that it’s the Hagel attackers who are cutting ads, not his defenders. It still looks like the Administration is going to bat for Hagel, though. Gay-baiting, and all.

Isn’t it amazing that Obama would do this for Chuck Hagel, and not, say, UN Ambassador Susan Rice? From Politico:

In an unusual move designed to deflate another public strafing like the one that wounded Susan Rice, the Obama administration is coming to the defense of a potential nominee who has not yet been chosen: former Sen. Chuck Hagel, a Republican who is the leading candidate to succeed Defense Secretary Leon Panetta.

Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, did not get a swift defense from a network of supporters around Washington when she came under fire for her initial comments about the attack in Benghazi. Hagel allies, however, are jumping to his defense at a time when critics, especially strong supporters of Israel, are attacking him on the Hill, in the press and — beginning today — in ads on cable-news stations.

Wow? TV ads? Susan Rice never got the administration to cut TV ads for her, I think. Then again, Susan Rice did make the apparently career-fatal miscalculation of being born without a penis.  And to non-white parents.  And apparently she didn’t slam Israel nearly often enough.  So I guess that it’s really her fault that Obama hung her out to dry, then?

Moe Lane

*…Sorta kinda not really no, actually, you can have him.