Secretary Hagel?

[Omaha Steve]

Source: Omaha World Herald

That didn’t take long.

Politico has a story out speculating about a extensive shuffling of Obama cabinet posts in a second term — and they drop the name of former Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., as a possible Secretary of Defense.

This kind of speculation is a beloved Washington parlor game, so expect to see a lot more of it in the coming weeks.

And Hagel’s name will surely be bandied about as a potential Secretary of Defense or State, as it was in 2009.

FULL story at link.


Read more: http://congress.omaha.com/2012/11/08/secretary-hagel/#washington-notebook-hagel-as-secretary

[iandhr]

1. Hagel is a moderate on Foreign Affairs...

... and probably agrees with Obama on most issues. He was critical of the Iraq.

[spinbaby]

2. Not a bad choice

I respected Chuck Hagel.

[WCGreen]

3. They should see if the could get a sitting republican Senator to jump ship and join the

Administration.

[MADem]

4. Definitely a way of being bipartisan while at the same time rubbing the GOP's nose in their own

stupidity...!

[northoftheborder]

5. I don't think any moderate Rep. Senators are left; and didn't Obama try to do that

sort of unsuccessfully in his first cabinet?

[MotherPetrie]

6. At least it wouldn't remove a Democratic Senator or Governor from their elected positions

And risk having them replaced with an asshole Republican special elected into office.

But I don't agree with appointing a Republican ANYTHING to ANY important role in the second Obama administration.

[forestpath]

13. +1

[davidpdx]

15. I think it would be a good idea

Hagel is a moderate and supported Obama in 08' (I don't recall hearing if Hagel did the same in '12). As is mentioned down thread several D presidents have had Rs in their cabinet. The only position I'd be against doing so is SOS.

[Tarheel_Dem]

21. +1

[hughee99]

7. I just looked it up, this was kind of weird...

no repuke president has ever had a Dem as Sec. of Defense. Jimmy Carter was the only Dem to never have a repuke as Sec. of Defense. Truman, JFK, LBJ, Clinton and Obama have all had at least 1 repuke as SoD.

This was since Secretary of Defense replace Secretary of War, anyway.

[riderinthestorm]

8. Doesn't John Huntsman also have some foreign policy cred?

I'd like to see moderate Rethugs "lifted up" as it were. Although I presume its probably a moot point - Huntsman would then become "tainted" by the rabid RWers thereby destroying any future he had.....

Not that Obama has to create a bipartisan cabinet. Just thinking out loud.

[madrchsod]

23. huntsman was obama`s go to guy in regards to sensitive china -us relations

he is well respected in china and speaks the understands the nuances of the language. he still maybe obama`s go to guy in the next four years

[KewlKat]

9. I'd love to see General Clark as SOD

I think he's been out of the military long enough now.

[elleng]

14. Yes he has been out long enough,

VERY happy to see someone mentioning him!
THANKS!!!!

[Springg]

18. Wes Clark is the best man

General Clark would be the perfect choice for Secretary of State. I have never understood why the Obama administration has not taken advantage of this former Rhodes Scholar and foreign policy expert!!I would love to see a petition started and submitted to the Obama administration!

[politicasista]

25. He was out and about in Ohio GOTV

with Kerry and Crist the last weekend of the election. He would be a solid choice too.

[Carolina]

10. As the late, great Molly Ivins

once said: you've got to dance with them what brung ya.

Few, if any repukes -- even moderate ones -- brought BHO to where he is today (11/8/2012), to the stunning victory of Tuesday night. Surely we have some qualified Dems like Wesley Clarke just for starters. So please, Mr. President, reward them that brung ya and use the political capital from Tuesday to move forward as much as possible, as fast as possible before 2014.

Repukes are like snakes and they are waiting to strike, to lash out again.

[Peace Patriot]

11. Big thumbs down! Here's why...

From Thom Hartman in 2003:

(SNIP)
The respected Washington, DC publication The Hill (www.thehill.com/news/012903/hagel.aspx) has confirmed that former conservative radio talk-show host and now Republican U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel was the head of, and continues to own part interest in, the company that owns the company that installed, programmed, and largely ran the voting machines that were used by most of the citizens of Nebraska.

Back when Hagel first ran there for the U.S. Senate in 1996, his company's computer-controlled voting machines showed he'd won stunning upsets in both the primaries and the general election. The Washington Post (1/13/1997) said Hagel's "Senate victory against an incumbent Democratic governor was the major Republican upset in the November election." According to Bev Harris of www.blackboxvoting.org, Hagel won virtually every demographic group, including many largely Black communities that had never before voted Republican. Hagel was the first Republican in 24 years to win a Senate seat in Nebraska.

Six years later Hagel ran again, this time against Democrat Charlie Matulka in 2002, and won in a landslide. As his hagel.senate.gov website says, Hagel "was re-elected to his second term in the United States Senate on November 5, 2002 with 83% of the vote. That represents the biggest political victory in the history of Nebraska."

What Hagel's website fails to disclose is that about 80 percent of those votes were counted by computer-controlled voting machines put in place by the company affiliated with Hagel. Built by that company. Programmed by that company.

"This is a big story, bigger than Watergate ever was," said Hagel's Democratic opponent in the 2002 Senate race, Charlie Matulka (www.lancastercountydemocrats.org/matulka.htm). "They say Hagel shocked the world, but he didn't shock me." (MORE)

http://www.commondreams.org/views03/0131-01.htm

--------------

Diebold's Political Machine | Mother Jones
www.motherjones.com/politics/2004/03/diebolds-political-machine
Mar 5, 2004 – In 1992, investment banker Chuck Hagel, president of McCarthy & Co, ... That vote is still angrily disputed by Hagel's Democratic opponent, ...

Voting Machines - A High Tech Ambush
www.dissidentvoice.org/Articles/Landes_Ambush.htm
Oct 29, 2002 – According to his press office, in 1995 Chuck Hagel resigned as CEO of American Information Systems (AIS), the voting machine company that ...

Chuck Hagel - SourceWatch
www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Chuck_Hagel
Jump to Failure to disclose involvement with electronic voting firm?: For the first ten weeks of 1996, Hagel served ... a voting machine company which later ...

---

The guy is a major crook and election fraudster, and associated with one of the most evil, anti-democratic corporations--or rather cabal of corporations--ever to assault this country.

"Traitor" is not too strong a word for him. He started the whole e-voting, 'TRADE SECRET' code, election theft disaster of the last decade in this country. We are in continuing peril because of it. He should be in jail!

[OnyxCollie]

19. Glad to see you bring that up.

For those keeping score, the authors of HAVA have:

Been convicted of bribery and corruption for deals with Jack Abramoff and sentenced to 30 months in prison- Rep. Bob Ney

Been convicted of money laundering and conspiracy to commit money laundering to get repub candidates elected, and have received a sentence of three years in prison (and has yet to serve a day)- Rep. Tom DeLay (See also DeLay's ties to Abramoff.)

Run for President (poorly)- Sen. Chris Dodd. Dodd was also a "Friend of Angelo" Mozillo of Countrywide.

Business and financial ties with ES&S, the company that had a monopoly on vote counting in the US- Sen. Chuck Hagel

[pasto76]

12. Interesting. I was expecting mccain to choose hagel in 2008. He prolly woulda won

[Thrill]

16. I actually like him.

And not a political coward. Endorsed Obama early the first time. When there were a lot of Democrats who were on the fence

[NCarolinawoman]

17. When Democrats give a Republican the job of Secretary Defense, they

further that phony notion, that Republicans are the party of "National Security" . This notion has got to stop.

Plenty of qualified Democrats to do this job.

[cin63]

20. I'm from Neb. and I like Chuck Hagel,

he did ads for Bob Kerrey and supported the president. He is for country and fought for us. Just saying.Wesley Clarke would be a good choise also. John Kerry.

[Tarheel_Dem]

22. John Kerry should be off limits. That seat is vital. Scott Brown could actually win....

that seat in a special election. Besides, I like having two Dem senators from the same state.

[politicasista]

24. Have stayed on the sidelines on this, but...

co-sign. Arizona, Arizona, Arizona.

Was for this in 08, but don't want MA to have Brown.

As cool as it would be for Kerry to be SOS, we still need him in the Senate.

AMB Susan Rice is very qualified regardless of the GOP's infatuation with Benghazi.

[Tarheel_Dem]

29. I couldn't agree more. Like you say, we've seen this movie before, and it wasn't pretty.

I love JK, and I think he'd be an asset wherever he wound up in government, but I can't bear the thought of his seat going to a Repuke.

[politicasista]

31. 100% n/t

[DeSwiss]

26. I'd like to speculate that......

...Tommy Chong will be named the head of the DEA in the next administration.

- Sometimes my fantasies are all that keeps me goin.........



K&R

[TwilightGardener]

30. I'm fine with Hagel. He'd be a good choice.