The rumors that President Obama might nominate Chuck Hagel for secretary of defense have been swirling for a while, but this Reuters story is the first time I’ve seen them sourced to senior administration officials:
President Barack Obama is expected to announce his nominees for secretaries of state and defense in the next two weeks, with former Republican Senator Chuck Hagel on the short list of potential choices to head the Pentagon, senior administration officials said on Tuesday.
Hagel, whose appointment would give Obama’s reshuffled second-term Cabinet a bipartisan cast, met the Democratic president at the White House this week to discuss a post on his national security team. But there was no sign that Obama had decided on any of the key nominations he will put forth.
Could Hagel’s appointment even get through the Senate? He served there for over a decade, but he’s alienated fellow Republicans over the last few years by publicly criticizing the party and joining Obama’s intelligence advisory board. That’s strike one, but strikes two and three against him are that he’s a vocal opponent of Israel and soft on Iran. If he’s nominated, it would basically mean the administration has come to terms with Iran getting the bomb. Adam Kredo reports that pro-Israel groups are raising alarms:
The White House’s 2010 effort to enlist Hagel drew outrage from Jewish leaders critical of Hagel’s stand on Israel. His current status as the frontrunner is no less controversial.
“It would be a very unwise and disastrous choice for U.S. policies and activities regarding the Middle East,” said Morris Amitay, a former executive director of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).
“You could probably consider him last in the class,” Amitay said when asked to rate Hagel’s views on Israel. “He’s probably the worst.”
Hagel’s efforts to open up direct negotiations with Iran and its terrorist proxy Hamas have placed him at odds with the pro-Israel community and the majority of Congress.
He can’t afford to lose national security Republicans and GOP leadership and pro-Israel Democrats and still get confirmed. Either Obama is so intent on nominating Hagel that he’s not thinking clearly, or these stories are just meant to be a consolation for Hagel when he gets passed over for the position.
A Hagel appointment will put paid to Obama's statement "Israel has our back." It will also clearly demonstrate to those delusional Jews who pretend to support Israel yet vote Obama that the United States is turning against its "best friend" in the mideast. However, I expect American Jews to continue voting for the Democrat Party as its drifts firmly into the anti-Israel orbit, much as most British Jews continued voting for the Labor Party after it was taken over by Clement Atlee, Ernst Bevan and other assorted anti-Semites. After all, for secular Jews their very definition of Judaism is ignoring one's own interest as a people. Klal Israel couldn't be further from their hearts and minds.
Jewish Americans who are already insane Obama boot lickers will always be that. Hagel's appointment won't make any difference. On the other hand it will further erode relations between the US and Israel. One upside is that it will conclusively kill Israel's burden of being lashed to the F-35 albatross once and for all. It was a nice theory and would have been a good plane to own but it will never see the light of day, will bleed the coffers dry and will unnecessarily force the IAF to be dependent on a single weapons program that's billions over budget and years behind schedule now. n nIsrael needs plan on a day where the Obama administration claims to give aid to Israel and then refuses to release it, sell the goods or make good on guarantees. Better that Israel plans on a large reduction in US aid and the gear the comes with it now and start looking for other resources in other places. For instance while the EU hates the Jews as much as the Arabs do, they're more pragmatic and mercenary when it comes to selling their weapons. The Rafale or the Eurofighter would be fine substitutes for an F-35 which is never going to become operational. Or for the cost that 5th Generation planes cost now, maybe Israel could once again investigate an indigenous program. Similarly the Sa'ar 5 boats will see end of life soon but now there are many alternatives to US built boats. The US was trying to jam the absurdly expensive LCS platform down Israel's throat anyway. And no one was buying. If Hagel pulls the funding for Iron Dome or Arrow 3 or David's Sling, then fine. Stop buying their Hellfire missiles. n nThe thing you have to remember is the only thing Obama hates more than Israel is not having leverage over Israel. Forget about what the boot licking Jews in the Democratic party think. Most of them can't find Israel on a map.
Are India and South Korea doing independent avionics? Is the current gold-plated .3 billion $ per plane template even a defense enterprise traditionally conceived? Seems like the Pentagon's version of Mac's old perennially over-the-horizon Copeland OS
thanks for the info. politically Israel's tie to the U.S. is a high-maintenance relationship, a relationship that the leadership across the Israeli spectrum (until you hit Feiglin maybe and points eats) holds as a strategic asset–still, as in a retirement portfolio, diversify, diversify, diversify
Israel is wise to insist on its own electronics. Heaven knows how many "off" switches one can bury in the software without anyone ever knowing until one is used remotely.
"He can’t afford to lose national security Republicans and GOP leadership and pro-Israel Democrats and still get confirmed." n nI'm thinking two possibilities here. First, a means by which to muscle Susan Rice through. If it is a choice of her versus Hagel, whom would many see as the lesser of the two evils? n nSecond, while Ms. Goodman's conclusion is rational, it may not be realistic. Alana, think "Divide and Conquer." Remember that the Virginia Tech shooter had to reload at least 3 times — everyone was hoping that he would shoot someone else, not them. All three of these groups are already being split.