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Subscribe to RSSFormer Secretary of State Colin Powell said on NBC’s Meet the Press Sunday that President Barack Obama’s nominee to be defense secretary, former Sen. Chuck Hagel, was “superbly qualified” and would be a strong advocate for Americans in uniform.
Former Secretary of State Colin Powell visits Meet the Press to discuss the nomination of Chuck Hagel to become defense secretary, the administration's policies in Afghanistan and the evolution of the Republican Party.
“This is a guy who would be very careful about putting their lives at risk because he put his life at risk,” Powell told NBC’s David Gregory.
Hagel, who was seriously wounded while serving as an Army infantryman in Vietnam, was a Republican senator from Nebraska from 1997 to 2009.
Related: Israel avoids public spat with Obama over Chuck Hagel defense nomination
“He knows what war is and he will fight a war if it’s necessary, but he’s a guy who will do it with great deliberation and care,” Powell said.
Like Hagel, Powell served in Vietnam. He later was chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff before serving as secretary of state under George W. Bush. He endorsed Obama’s candidacy in 2008 and in last year’s campaign.
Even before Obama announced the Hagel nomination last week, it came under fire. The Washington Post editorial page opposed him for not supporting economic sanctions against Iran.
Powell said Hagel does not rule out the use of military force against Iran. “I think what Chuck Hagel has said is that nothing is ever off the table. But he is one who believes in the prospects for negotiation.”
Some supporters of Israel have chided Hagel for saying “the Jewish lobby intimidates a lot of people up here (on Capitol Hill).”
Powell said, “Chuck should have said ‘Israeli lobby,’ not ‘Jewish lobby.’ Perhaps he needs to write on a blackboard a hundred times, ‘It is the Israeli lobby.’”
Former Secretary of State Colin Powell and Sen. John McCain make strong statements, Sunday, regarding the nomination of Chuck Hagel as U.S. secretary of defense. NBC's Peter Alexander reports.
Powell said Hagel is “a very, very strong supporter of the state of Israel” but “that doesn’t mean you have to agree with every single position that the Israeli government takes.”
If Hagel is confirmed by the Senate, part of his job will be to scale back the $630 billion Pentagon budget. As for Hagel’s comment that the military is “bloated,” Powell said if there are unnecessary parts of the military, then “I hope he does find bloat – and gets rid of it.”
As a senator, Hagel voted for the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq, but later was harshly critical of Bush’s conduct of the operation. In 2007 Hagel said “before this (Iraq intervention) is over, you might see calls for his impeachment."
Hagel also opposed Bush’s Iraq surge strategy in 2007, calling it "the most dangerous foreign-policy blunder in this country since Vietnam.”
But Powell on Sunday firmly defended Bush’s 2003 decision to order the invasion of Iraq and his own role as secretary of state in advocating for that invasion.
Bush in 2003 “had more than sufficient basis to believe that there were weapons of mass destruction that were a danger to the world… and so he undertook a military action. I think that was the correct thing to do,” Powell said.
But he added, “We did not execute the operation well,” since the fall of Baghdad in 2003 “was just the beginning” of a prolonged peacekeeping operation.
Despite his support for Obama, Powell said, “I’m still a Republican,” but he delivered a prolonged criticism of the Republican Party, rebuking the hawks in the party. “They’ve lost two elections. The American people have made it clear that they are not particularly interested in finding new conflicts to get into.”
“I think what the Republican Party needs to do now is to take a very hard look at itself” and at the attitude of some Republicans toward ethnic minorities, he said, accusing unnamed Republicans of “intolerance” and “(looking) down at minorities.”
Powell criticized – although did not identify by name -- former New Hampshire governor John Sununu, who served as chief of staff for President George H. W Bush and as an aide to 2012 GOP nominee Mitt Romney, for calling Obama “lazy” after his first debate performance and 2008 GOP vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin for using the phrase “shuck and jive” in criticizing Obama’s explanation of the administration’s response to attack on the U.S. diplomatic post in Benghazi.
Since Obama nominated Hagel last week to succeed Leon Panetta as defense secretary, the administration has been trying to bolster support for the nomination in the face of criticism from Senate Republicans such as Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, both members of the Armed Services Committee which will conduct Hagel’s confirmation hearing later this month.
In comments on another Sunday morning program, another Republican on the Armed Services Committee, Sen. John McCain of Arizona, said on CBS’s “Face the Nation” that “I honor Chuck Hagel’s service” and “he’s a friend,” but questioned “whether he really believes that the surge was the worst blunder since the Vietnam War. That clearly is not correct – in fact, it’s bizarre.”
He also criticized Hagel for not supporting a move to label the Iranian Revolutionary Guard a terrorist organization. McCain said he wasn’t announcing how he’d vote on the nomination but wanted to hear Hagel’s responses to questions during his confirmation hearing.
Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., also a member of the Armed Services Committee, said on Fox News Sunday "it perplexes me why the president nominated Sen. Hagel."
She said some statements from the Iranian government “that were favorable to his nomination. In fact, they said they were hopeful that with his nomination, they hoped that we would change our policies. What I want to make sure is that Iran is actually not hopeful, but they're fearful” of the secretary of defense because “that will cause them to stop marching toward acquiring a nuclear weapon."
Taking a noncommittal stance on Hagel’s nomination is a leading Senate Democrat, Sen. Charles Schumer of New York, who on Meet the Press on Dec. 23 passed up the chance to support him.
Last week, Schumer told WHEC, the NBC affiliate in Rochester, N.Y., that “before I make any determination, it is only fair to sit down and talk with him and ask him some very serious questions about his views on Iran, on the Middle East, on the military in general.”
But in the end it’s highly unlikely that Schumer, a member of the Senate Democratic leadership, would embarrass Obama by opposing Hagel.
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This guy doesn't have balls enough to run for office but want's to tell everyone how to run things..Interesting to say the least. I don't think he was a very good General to begin with. Always seemed to be a bit to full of himself.
The guy has the intelligence not to run! You don't have the brains to see it that way.
Powell is a racist. Who cares what his opinion is? Would e go against the kenyan?
Queue the Looney Tunes melody.
It would be appropriate when the kenyan walks into a room or before the inauguration
And I suppose you would call McCain the Panamanian too, since you are assigning countries where politicians were supposedly born. Both President Obama and John McCain were born in America or American territories from American parent(s). And then people wonder why the republicans are thought of as racist, uneducated, and obstructionists; you are a prime example.
Note Republicans and NRA wannaabes, a real warrior has spoken not one of your draft dodging Chickenhawk Republicans. And Hagel is a real one to... he suffered defending America not sitting in some dorm with a bunch of loosers (now aultra-right-wingers) plotting the next panty rsaid.
Or deserting their National Guard unit that was created for all those rich Texan oil men to hide in.
What's the kenyan's record?
He won the Presidency twice and will be commander-in-chief for eight years. Ha ha.
hey, i'm set, are you? If you can't beat 'em join 'em. I'm one of the wealthy that still has the guv titty in my mouth. haha right back at you
I used to have great respect for Powell, but since he supported Obama and now backs Hagel, I ask, "has shell shock set in" as he ages ?
Most get wiser as they age. There are some exceptions like Dick "the turd" Cheney.
He knows them better than we do! I see no reason to question his judgement when he has been nothing but a straight arrow in the past.
Another race card politician.
Another mindless tea-troll robot.
I am surprised by the Lack of Coverage implicating Harry Reid in taking Bribes, the Senate Majority Leader being implicated in Bribery is most certainly Big News. It gives a little more validity to the moniker Dirty Harry, and a Fine Representative he is, Mr. Obstruction. He should be subjected to the same Scrutiny as any Citizen, if the Common Man were to be implicated, He would go to Jail. I think Harry deserves a closer look, as does Pelosi and Beohner. Leadership is a Mantle which must stay above Reproach.
the guv investigates who it wants, where it wants, when it wants and how it wants. it, itself by nature, is corrupt.
We'll just have to see if it turns out to be yet another right wing baseless lying conspiracy with no connection to reality, won't we?
Trust me, if there was anything real they could nail him on the obstructionists would already be all over it. Anything to avoid actually doing something about the economy.
"Some supporters of Israel have chided Hagel for saying “the Jewish lobby intimidates a lot of people up here (on Capitol Hill).”
Boy was that the understatement of the century. This entire nation from the bottom up is owned AND ran by the so called Jewish "lobby".
It is not the Secretary of Defense's job to support or not support sanctions. It is to serve at the pleasure of the POTUS, with his personal feelings put aside.
Does the GOP really believe that the SOD is going to influence sanction policies?
Just an indication of his ineptness, which will allow him to fit in nicely with the current administration.
It was so nice to see an intelligent articulate Republican on Meet the Press this week. Colin Powell answered the questions clearly, intelligently, with rational well thought out answers. So often, that most worthless of Americans, Mitch McConnell, comes on the show to ramble on with his endless tirade of criticisms of every little thing that President Obama does. I hope that the producers of Meet the Press notice how much more respectable the show is when their guests are people worth listening to. Please, please, please, no more Mitch McConnell. We need to retire that worthless man to Kentucky.
Harms way, Smarms way. It is war, it is what we DO, it is what is bankrupting our nation and it will always be THE agenda......our weapons and killing machine extraordinaire.
We could cut the military budget in half, and still spend more that the next two countries in military spending.
Did the GOP whine when Dick Cheney was Sec of Defense, after Chaney got 5 deferments and dodged serving in Vietnam?
They didn't because all of those neo-nuts are chicken hawks who are very brave when sacrificing other people's children, but always seem to be missing at the actual fighting. Just ask Rush.
Dems do their own dodging. Carter, Clinton, Obama. Not partial dodges, full dodges. But then, who cares right? The country did not go for McCain and Palin. We are done. The barbarians are in the gates.
This guys seems like the real deal. Why just make him a secretary? They should make him like boss or something.
If Powell says he's OK .. OK by me!
You might know this bitter old RINO would crawl out of the woodwork.
So, you need to be an extremist to be heard? Powell is a MODERATE. What 80% of the GOP used to be!
Said the bitter losers of the last election.
As far as support of Israel, why did Fox News fail to cover Rand Paul going to Israel last week and telling them he wanted to slash US funds going to Israel?
Because it doesn't fit their "fear first" policies?
The idea that Chuck Hagel is qualified to be Secretary of Defense because he was once an enlisted man is about as ridiculous as the idea that because someone once worked in a filling station they are qualified to run Exxon.
Did you support Dick Cheney who got 5 deferments from serving in Vietnam, and was Sec of Defense?
Herron .. shows how ridiculous people can be. They jump on a bandwagon without knowing or caring where it's going!
The reason the GOP is apposed to this guy is because of what he has said about the Isreal and how is ALL for Iran. He thinks we should just Iran do anything they want. He thinks we should take away all sactions. This is the first time sanctions have worked at all.
Colin Powell opinon doesnt mean much to either side anymore. He has flipped and flooped so many times on so many different levels. Just another mouth yaking.
No, the GOP is against him for only ONE reason. Obama nominated him.
Obama could have nominated Mitch McConnell, and the Turtleman himself would go on Fox and slam the nominee!
And what about the democrats who oppose him?
By the way, it's "opposed", not "apposed". Look it up.
That Colin Powell is some man of quality whether Republican or Democrat. He commands respect. If only some other Republicans would emulate him. He is quite balanced
Powell puts the country ahead of party, and the extreme party nutjobs hate that!
Colin Powell is perhaps the most respectable person in the Republican Party, maybe thats why repubs hate him so much. He is so not republican, he is a thinker, he has vision, he actually thinks that self reflection for his party is a good thing, not a sign of disloyalty, I can go on and on. He would be the first repub I'd vote for for President in many years (yes, I actually voted for a repub before they got hijacked by the ultra conservative "christians" and racist tea baggers).
Perhaps you repubs should listen to him, your party is tettering on complete irrelevance, you've had your head handed to you in the last two elections, the demographic is growing away from you, its time for you guys to heed the warnings and give up on the thought that a party that serves the interest of rich white people is going to be embraced by enought people to win national elections.
Those of us that are more moderate would love to see the repub party become more inclusive.
He is someone that can actually look and see both sides of an issue, and the flat earthers hate that!
You statement should have no "perhaps" in it. Colin Powell is the most respected and revered person in the Republican Party and could be President right now if he had been stupid enough to entertain the possibility!
If I had a vote, I would vote for anyone that says we do not need to give mre money to Israel. I would vote for anyone that wants to cut the bloated budget for The Defence Dept.
Thanks for all you've sacrificed in taking on the responsibility of raising the little girl. I hope she knows that many of us are very proud of her Daddy and thankful for his service. We intend to show it by supporting candidates that will not get us into unnecessary wars so that other children do not have to experience the loss she has endured. God bless you!
I am perplexed by the immense amount of sweeping influence Israeli and Zionist lobby has on us depite our taxpayer money supporting their very existence
Look at Sheldon Adelson who gave $100m to Mitten's campaign so he could buy a US President for Israel.
Colin should spell his name with two o's: Colon, because he is full of the contents of a colon!!!
Saddam Hussein was a better man than "Colon" and Barry the Fairy ever thought about being.
Obama is Dajjal/666!!
Your head is so far up your anal orifice that it has passed through your colon, the small intestine, stomach, esophagus, out your big mouth and into your colon again.
I might add a better man than any of the men and the woMEN of the Bush family. I guess that a personal attack on me is what makes you "BigBadBob." I wonder if "Sally" will do anything with you, probably not!!
Annunaki Salaam Aleikum!!
Meta,
Name calling and insults just show that you can't argue with facts and promote your ideas with rationale, logical thoughts. Can you explain your reasoning without injecting childish adjectives, and verbiage. At least Colin Powell and President Obama can speak in rationale, logical sentences, and project their thoughts so those of us listening understand that they have an education and are grownups.
LMAO, yeah right... off a teleprompter!! Powell is a traitor and Obama is foreign combatant; and Bush 41 and 43 are trash to me. I do not play political party games supporting one brand of evil over another. I posted in keeping with the forum topic and my opinion. People like you and BigBad make personal attacks against me, and hypocritical moderators selectively enforce the Code of Conduct. I believe the whole system is corrupt and that both parties are controlled by corporate fascists interests. War is a business, as is crime. The US and the world for that matter is ruled by an international organized crime syndicate also called the "New World Order." One need not be a rocket scientist to see that the only "Change" is that we the people are always getting short-changed.
I do have an education and other credentials, and my education did not stop at a diploma or certificate; it is a daily continuing process. So you go on and "worship The Beast and his image," it is no consequence to me. You say I am the one "name calling" and casting "insults," while you hypocritically sit there and follow suit and support BigBadBob who does just that in his personal attack on me. There is no teleprompter in front of me that I can "speak in rationale, logical sentences," that someone else wrote for me to say.
Obama is Dajjal/666!!
Annunaki Salaam Aleikum!!
The Republican Staffers continue to ask me what they should do and if I will help. I have finally agreed to lead them such that they have a chance with the American public. I'll want to continue to help the Republicans as it is useful to have them in a position to debate the issues and connect with the American public. If you notice things like the forcible Rape thing just continues to bury them so get it out of your platform. Women have written them off and will continue to do so until they accept them in the party as equals
Dear Colin,
The Democrats have the same vein of intolerance, they just cover it in platitudes.
Thanks for not running for President. It seems, in retrospect, that you're not all that bright.
They don't even bother coverring it up. It's just not spun in the media that way
I do believe that our Conservative, Right-Wing has forgotten that it is now the Secretary Of Defense, and no longer the Secretary of War.
Doc RVN 67,68