FLASHBACK: GOP Senators Praised Chuck Hagel’s Statesmanship, Foreign Policy Expertise

[Redfairen]

As Republicans plan their opposition strategy on Chuck Hagel’s anticipated nomination as the next secretary of defense, Democrats are digging up and circulating examples of top GOP senators saying nice things about their former colleague in the past.

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) in particular was a vocal advocate for Hagel’s character — even after his dissent on U.S. foreign policy regarding Iraq and Israel were well-known.

In 2006, while he was preparing to run for president, McCain was asked whether he’d consider Hagel for a cabinet post. “I’d be honored to have Chuck with me in any capacity,” he said. “He’d make a great secretary of state.”

At a 2007 fundraiser, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) called Hagel “one of the premier foreign policy voices (and) one of the giants in the United States Senate,” according to the Nebraska-based Lincoln Journal Star.

The following year, McConnell, bidding farewell to his retiring colleague, praised Hagel as a “great statesm[a]n” and “leading voice in foreign affairs.”

“In two terms in the Senate, Chuck has earned the respect of his colleagues and risen to national prominence as a clear voice on foreign policy and national security,” McConnell said. “Chuck’s stature as a leading voice in foreign affairs has earned him a reputation, in just 12 years in the Senate, as one of Nebraska’s great statesmen. This is a tribute to his intelligence, hard work, and devotion to a country that he has served his entire adult life.”


http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2013/01/republican-senators-praise-chuck-hagel.php?ref=fpnewsfeed

[Purveyor]

1. Kick +1 eom

[Proud Liberal Dem]

2. "I was for him before a Democrat nominated him!"

[Jennicut]

3. Since when have Repubs ever made sense?

[jenmito]

4. K&R&T. The Rs don't like Hagel because he endorsed Obama in '08. n/t

[karynnj]

6. Except he didn't

In 2008, he endorsed neither Obama or McCain.

[jenmito]

7. Well, he might as well have:

Chuck Hagel Takes On McCain, Repeatedly Praises Obama

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/05/20/chuck-hagel-takes-on-mcca_n_102775.html

[karynnj]

8. True, but there is something that takes it a step further with a real endorsement

Cross party endorsements have happened though they seem rarer all the time. Dependent on the endorser they can have a huge impact. (Kerry quoted many of Lugar's and Hagel's criticisms of Bush on Iraq - I had really really hoped that one of the two would put aside party and endorse then. That would have been a year where something like that could have made the difference. In both cases, it would have been an endorsement based on foreign policy as they are both conservative otherwise.

[jenmito]

9. Yeah, but I'm sure what he said helped McCain & others come to the "conclusion" that they

have problems with Hagel as Defense Sec.

[jenmito]

10. Now I see why I thought Hagel DID endorse Obama in '08. John Cornyn SAID he did. I

shouldn't have believed it, but they just played tape of him saying that Hagel could no longer be considered a Republican after endorsing Obama in '08. My bad.

[karynnj]

12. Ah, that explains why so many articles are saying so

By 2008, I had watched many SFRC hearings where Hagal seemed closer to Kerry and Biden (and Lugar) than to McCain, who was very hawkish.

I should have responded better - I was thrown enough by the media comments that I googled to find 2008 endorsements.

What this means is that Cornyn etc are trying to distort how Republican Hagel really is. the fact is he was a true conservative republican on social issues and fiscal issues -- and very close to Lugar on foreign policy.

[Hippo_Tron]

11. He did, however, endorse Bob Kerrey for US Senate this year

And I think that's caused a lot of bad blood between him and the Republicans.

[karynnj]

13. true, but it had to be known that Kerrey and Hagel

along with a lot of the Vietnam Vets in the Senate were friends.

[Hippo_Tron]

14. Either way, it's fucking ridiculous

If McCain or Romney had won and nominated Joe Lieberman for Secretary of Defense he'd have near-unanimous support from Senate Democrats.

[karynnj]

15. Exactly - to the consternation of DU! (I suspect that many would have been very unhappy as their

favorites voted yes.) There is no valid reason to reject either man as a representative of the President.

[Filibuster Harry]

5. No surprises here. The president can't even be bipartisan without flack from the Rs.

Can anyone keep saying Racist?? or better yet , Racist Rs??