Leahy Endorses Hagel For Defense Secretary

[DonViejo]

Source: TPM



IGOR BOBIC 11:29 AM EST, MONDAY JANUARY 7, 2013

Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, issued a statement Monday endorsing former Sen. Chuck Hagel as President Obama's nominee to lead the Defense Department.

I’ve served with Senator Hagel and I know him to be a person of great ability and integrity. On the Appropriations Committee those of us charged with handling the Senate’s work on the Pentagon budget will have to make more than a hundred billion dollars in cuts to begin with, and it will be good to work with someone like Chuck Hagel who can lead the Pentagon during a difficult time of transition.

He is a combat veteran who still carries shrapnel in his body from his wounds – he will not need on-the-job training. I will support his nomination with enthusiasm, and I have passed that on to the President.

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Read more: http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/leahy-endorses-hagel-for-defense-secretary

[TwilightGardener]

3. This SecDef appointment is scaring the piss out of the RW. I love it.

[Kelvin Mace]

9. It doesn't scare me

it just makes me sad.

[TwilightGardener]

11. As the wife of a career serviceman, it makes me happy.

My family owes Hagel, Jim Webb, Frank Lautenberg and John Warner gratitude for the new, much-improved version of the GI Bill--we were able to transfer my husband's benefit to my sons. Hagel has been an advocate for active duty military and veterans for decades.

[Kelvin Mace]

12. I do not question Hagel's

concern for veterans and service men except in that he made decisions to get into illegal/immoral/ill-advised wars that cost lives and broke bodies/minds.

To me his views on wars versus his views on service welfare can be summed up in the punchline, "Except for that Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?"

And while Hagel may care about the GI Bill, he is not going to do anything to restrain the military industrial complex that now extracts over a half TRILLION dollars from our economy to wage eternal war.

The wars in Iraq/Afghanistan have now run longer and will (soon) cost more than the entire first and second world wars combined.

[WilliamPitt]

6. Come again?

[Dkc05]

2. Finally somebody - Hagel to stand up against the Lobbyist

It takes a tough guy to stand up to the Jewish / Israel Lobby. They control what happens in the DOD and the massive spending waste their. Surely we can use the tax dollars for programs that support peace efforts in the Middle east vs buying them more guns. Hagel seems like a very honorable man for the job that needs to be done even if he is a Repubican.

[TwilightGardener]

4. Hagel supports Israel. Obama isn't putting him in the DoD to have anything to do

with the Israel lobby. He's putting him in there to draw down Afghanistan and cut the budget. Obama and Kerry will control foreign policy, period.

[Dkc05]

5. Who approves weapons sales to Israel

Doesn't the Sec of Defense handle the weapons sales and cooperations with Israel?

[TwilightGardener]

7. Congress, I think.

[hughee99]

8. Depends on the weapons.

I believe it could be Defense, Commerce, State, Congress, any combination of these, or all of them.

[Jennicut]

13. Which is even more important. The Defense Dept. desperately needs to be cut.

[Kelvin Mace]

10. I'll believe it when I see it

If there is anything more than a token cut (1%-3%) I will be greatly surprised.

[leftynyc]

16. AIPAC has said NOTHING about

this and is staying out of it completely. Now who do you want to blame? Amazing how people here will suck up to anyone as long as they are perceived as not liking Israel.

[davidpdx]

14. If Leahy really wants to see Hagel confirmed he'd get off his ass an support filibuster reform

Last I heard he was one of the fence sitters. There is a good chance Republicans (and some Democrats) will try to filibuster his nomination.

[disndat]

15. Good enough for Leahy,

Michael Moore, and all the Doves, it's good enough for me.