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Subscribe to RSSUpdated at 5:53 p.m. ET – Former Sen. Chuck Hagel, President Barack Obama’s choice to be secretary of defense, finished a day-long marathon confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee Thursday, enduring nearly eight hours of testy and skeptical questions from Republicans.
At the start of Thursday’s hearing, it seemed nearly certain that the Senate would vote to confirm Hagel. But the nominee labored at certain points during the day to clarify and explain his comments. Whether his occasional stumbles were serious enough to jeopardize his confirmation was not clear by the end of the testimony.
There are 55 senators in the Democratic caucus and 45 Senate Republicans, so if there’s no filibuster, Hagel would seem assured of confirmation. The last time the Senate rejected a Cabinet nominee was in 1989 when there was a Republican president and a Democratic-controlled Senate.
Republican senators confronted Hagel with quotations from statements he had made months or years ago – and sometimes he apologized for them or amended them.
Late in the day Sen. Mike Lee, R- Utah, asked Hagel whether he’d said in 2003 that Israel keeps Palestinians “caged up like animals” and whether he still believes that.
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“Like many things I’ve said, I would like to go back and change the words and the meaning,” Hagel told Lee. “If I had a chance to go back and edit it, I would. I regret that I used those words.”
But he said he’d made his statement “in a larger context … (addressing) the frustration in what’s happening (in Israel) which is not in Israel’s interest” and mentioned the need “to find ways that we can help bring peace and security to Israel.”
Quizzed by both Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., and Sen. David Vitter, R- La., on a statement he’d made calling the Iranian government a “legitimate” one, Hagel said, “I should have said ‘recognized’ instead of ‘legitimate.’”
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., grills Secretary of Defense nominee Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., on his opposition to the 2007 troop surge in Iraq.
At one point he told Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R- Ga., regarding U.S. policy toward Iran’s efforts to build nuclear weapons: “I’ve just been handed a note that I misspoke and said I supported the president’s position on ‘containment.’ If I said that, I meant to say that obviously – his position on containment – we don’t have a position on containment.”
Hagel then said, “I’ve had more attention paid to my words in the last eight weeks than I ever thought possible.”
This prompted Armed Services Committee chairman Sen. Carl Levin, D- Mich., to intervene, “Just to make sure your correction is clear, we do have a position on containment – which is we do not favor containment.” Hagel quickly concurred with Levin’s statement.
Hagel told the panel in his opening remarks that he is “fully committed to the president's goal of preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon,” and that “all options must be on the table to achieve that goal. My policy is one of prevention, and not one of containment and the President has made clear that is the policy of our government.”
At another point, Hagel, explaining his criticism quoted in a 2008 book by Aaron David Miller, of “the Jewish lobby” and his allegation that “it intimidates a lot of people” in Congress – comments for which Hagel has apologized – said he ought to not have used the word “intimidates.”
“I should have used ‘influence,’” he said.
Later, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R- S.C., challenged Hagel to “name one dumb thing we’ve been goaded into doing” by the pro-Israel lobby or to identify one member of Congress whom the pro-Israel lobby had intimidated. Hagel said, “I didn't have in mind a single person," and did not identify any policy the U.S. government had been goaded into.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, played Hagel a recording of an interview Hagel did in 2009 with an al Jazeera program. A listener submitted a question asking about “the image of the United States is that of the world’s bully” and whether the United States needed “to change the perception and the reality” before asking other nations to reduce their arsenals. In that 2009 program Hagel began his reply by saying, “Her observation is a good one … .”
NBC's Kelly O'Donnell reports on the latest from Chuck Hagel's confirmation hearing.
When Cruz asked Hagel to explain this reply, he said Thursday, “I think my comment was it was a relevant and good observation. I don’t think I said that I agree with it.”
Early in the testimony, the Iraq war and President George W. Bush’s 2007 surge of U.S. troops into Iraq became the heated focus of the hearing.
Sen. John McCain, R- Ariz., repeatedly pressed Hagel, a fellow Vietnam War veteran, on whether he had been right or wrong to say that the 2007 surge was “the most dangerous foreign policy blunder since Vietnam.”
When McCain angrily said “Will you please answer the question?” Hagel told McCain “I’m not going to give you a yes or no answer … I’ll defer that judgment to history.”
When McCain shot back that Hagel had been wrong about the surge, Hagel said his “most dangerous blunder” comment had been “not just about the 2007 surge but the overall war of choice going into Iraq” in 2003.
As a senator, Hagel voted for the congressional resolution authorizing Bush to invade Iraq, but later turned critical of Bush’s conduct of the operation.
Other Republicans on the committee repeatedly pressed Hagel on his support for endorsement of Global Zero, the movement calling for abolition of nuclear weapons by 2030.
Hagel served on the Global Zero U.S. Nuclear Policy Commission which issued a report last May calling for an 80 percent reduction in the U.S. nuclear arsenal.
Hagel told ranking Republican committee member Sen. Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma that his position “has never been unilateral disarmament.”
Kevin Lamarque / Reuters
Former Senator Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., testifies during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on his nomination to be Defense Secretary, on Capitol Hill, Jan. 31, 2013.
And he said the Global Zero report was discussing “illustrative possibilities” and “scenarios” and wasn’t urging specific policies.
But last May’s Global Zero report, which Hagel signed on to, says that a drastically smaller U.S. arsenal could be negotiated bilaterally with Russia – “or implemented unilaterally.”
In his opening statement Hagel pledged that he would maintain an effective nuclear arsenal. “America's nuclear deterrent over the last 65 years has played a central role in ensuring global security and the avoidance of a World War III. I am committed to modernizing our nuclear arsenal,” he said.
Hagel, who was seriously wounded while serving as an Army infantryman in Vietnam, was a Republican senator from Nebraska from 1997 to 2009 but did not support Republican presidential candidates McCain in 2008 or Mitt Romney last year.
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Israel needs no encouragement to wage war. Actually, Israel doesn't need us at all. They just bombed a convoy inside Syria without regret or hesitation. What's Hagel going to do ? Cast the A vote ? Who are we to judge ?
Funny how the liberals aren't really saying why Hagel is a good choice, but focusing on how much they hate McCain instead.....
And the only thing you've said is you believe he's an anti Semite.
That's enough.
But how about how he constantly goes against standing presidents?
Or how about the fact that he goes against his own party constantly?
Or the fact that he has been wrong numerous times in dealing with the military?
Or the fact that he makes Anti-American comments constantly?
So.........what do you have FOR him?
obamanation, until hagel was nominated/chosen for nomination, his party loved him. This is horribly transparent attempts to simply cannibalize any attempts the president makes to play nice with his opposition.
Uhhhhh..........no..............no they didn't.
how does it feel to be a complete and utter moron O ? what a retard ! u should be the poster boy for an education campaign, clearly we need better schools.
McCain is still pissed off that he lost to that colored fellow in 2009 he also seems to not like Hagel because he is envious Hagel was an Infantry Combat soldier in Vietnam and he was not if MCcain had gotten elected we would be in World War 111 by now.
These days if McCain is against it....Then it's probably a good idea.
I used to like the guy a lot but he's changed dramatically.
So, if a convoy in Mexico was heading to the U.S. border with suspected chemical weapons, would we bomb the convoy ? No. We'd wait until Laredo Texas is wiped off the map, then, there'd be some serious sanctions. Exactly what is Hagel suppose to do with Israel ? Play who controls whom?
Texas needs a good Mexican bombing.
Those ass clowns thinking they want to secede ......What a joke.
They begged to get into the union and would come back begging just like ass clown Perry did for Fed disaster $$$.
Wow.
You want an American state bombed......
But you can't understand why we feel liberals are anti-American.
Go figure.
Ya another display of the old sick tired pasty faced gopmtards on display,today..lmal
Americans are sick and tired of these old trolls,we have been discarded as a country,thanks to the bush years,and now the American Taliban..
racist
If Obama nominated Jesus for SOD the Republicons and war monger McCain would be against him too because Jesus was a man of peace.The Republicons love indefinate war because they make money on wars and only send other peoples children.
Not at all.
Jesus had a brain cell.
Jesus was also decidedly liberal.
Really?
And your proof is what?
Dude, you just blew your cover.
Obviously you know nothing about Jesus and likely never read the Bible.
What a fool
Again........your proof is what?
That he said we should feed the poor? I'm all for that.
But show me where he said feed the lazy, and I'll show you quote after quote after quote from the bible warning us about being sluggards.
Sooooo...........I'm waiting.
Wow.......with all that proof of Jesus being a liberal, you'd think it be easy to post at least one example.
Still no proof, eh?
Must suck to be wrong, Common.
Funny how the liberals aren't really saying why Hagel is a good choice,
Obamanation. Apparently you never saw Hagel on any of the political shows during the bush regime ? If you did you wouldn't ask a stupid question. BTW he did think bush was an idiot. That's why I'd want him in there. You know, when you idiots picked bush/cheney, neither one of them had the military experience and look at what happened. We had our ass handed to us in Iraq. Cheney was ignorant enough to say the war in Iraq would last 3 weeks! REALLY?!?!?!?!?!
Oh you can say how Obama didn't serve in the military, and he never said he did. But like Obama's BC, where's bushs' DD214? Never saw that on TV, and if we did there be a lot of redaction.
Terri,
I have seen him.
That's why I deem him an idiot and anti-American.
And NEWS FLASH........
Bush isn't president anymore.
Air National Guardsmen do not get a DD214 unless they are activated for purposes other than training. So, Bush would not have one.
I would be interested to know how many nuclear weapons, what kind, amount and deployment is the correct figure from anyone in the senate or house. I have no idea and I believe that they don't either. These arguments are about positioning. They have nothing to do with facts. Israel will not listen to us about their security unless we cut off funds. And they shouldn't We are not going to do that. We do not care about what Israel thinks about our security measures either and we shouldn't.
They do know that Obama wants to cut it down to just 1500. There's over 6,000 at the moment.
"As of March 1, Russia had already dropped its total to 1,492 and the U.S. stood at 1,737."
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/07/02/us-edging-toward-decision-on-new-nuclear-arms-cuts/#ixzz2JZgKrTlK
I remember when ford made the ford maverick in the early 70's,like Mclame both are out dated and should not exist any longer,,haha hehe hoho,time for old man lamomtomgo
Age discrimination
Crazy people discrimination more like it.
Yeah.
I agree.
Bullets discrimination is the act of a crazy person.
No, McCain is turning crazy.
He's not the same American he was years ago......Something's going wrong with the guy.
But of course you know that as we all do.
McCain is bought and paid for by the jewish lobby as are most of are goverment. We give Israel 20 billion a year and they spend 100 million to buy congress. Such a deal.
The republicans once again show how radical and illogical they have become. Welcome to the cabinet. Chuck.
Yeah.
You'll fit right in with the rest of the commies, Chuck.
And you'd fit in well with the radical right wingers willing to obstruct at all costs.
Party over country....The right wing way these days
To come to a compromise, BOTH SIDES have to concede to the other, not one.
Except, of course, it is only one side who has publicly and candidly admitted that their main priority was not the American people, but rather to limit Obama to one term; only one side has publicly and candidly admitted that they believe half of Americans are 'takers'.
And it is Oblahblah that constantly says "it's my way or the highway".
To all those blaiming Bush for going into Iraq for no reason you need a history lesson I guess. Did you forget that Iraq used chemical weapons against Iran. Now Syria has a stash of chemical weapons. Wonder where they came from as no news ever said they were producing them. For all those calling the republican party the party of no. You forget that the senate has refused to bring any of the bills passed by the house unless it agrees with their view. Now that is what I call a party on no. Reid is afraid that alot of them would pass and if they did the liberals wouuld be done. The only way he can be sure they wont pass is to not allow them to come to a vote. I agree Hagel should not be confermed but they have enough votes to get him confermed .
And we don't want Iran and Iraq to fight each other why?
You'd rather Americans die trying to contain these radical countries?
WOW
Is this story true?
We will never know as MSNBC has ZERO credibility MSNBC is falsifying the news.
They have been caught again LYING not REPORTING.
http://politics.kfyi.com/cc-common/mainheadlines3.html?feed=104707&article=10743545
This is the 3rd incident that has been caught how many more are out there?
Hi Sarah- Since you're standing by your original post here's my original post. No working American should net money from the IRS. Your refund should be limited to the amount you paid in via W2 or self employment withholding. I also support ending of many tax loopholes which make it possible for people to net money from the IRS.
I must disagree by citing one example in mind. Where parents get a income credit for making under a certain amount who have kids to support. As a parent and being 100% disabled, that would help tremendously and since it's federal, there's that easy avenue to get it done. Carte blanche changes can be very harmful to those who deserve and/or need it, so, a case-by-case basis is totally warranted in my view.
Watching clowns like obamanation,go bat crazy is great entertainment.And we have four more years to watch him and his tea bagger types to fade away,as we vote out these extreemists and replace them with actual human beings.
Who's going crazy?
Just pointing out that you are a bigot is a point of fact.
Are we still doing the commie thing? I am an old man and I thought we gave that up years ago.
Nope.
Because they still exist.
That's because unlike us old folks, the younger folks know the difference between Communism and Socialism. We were led to believe it's the same thing.
Socialism leads to Communism.
Or back to Captialism, where there is freedom.
Perry-2713557
"I must disagree by citing one example in mind. Where parents get a income credit for making under a certain amount who have kids to support."
And that seems like socialism to me.
Obamanation,
The little moderator that couldent convince anyone he really matters.
Poor little obamanation,no one wants to play with him,,,,just a lonely old bat crazy bagger
Not a Tea Partier.
Not old.
Not a moderator.
And don't give a rip about your opinion.
Anything else you'd like to be wrong about?
Who would you like to see as Sec of Defense?
Or are you just against everything?
Rhetorical question.
hahahahahahhaha
Ashton Carter, for starters.
Michelle Flournoy.
See folks,obamanation,loves name calling,because his facts are not backed by anything but fox spews,and Rush blow hard bimbo
So,pay no attention to little obamanation,as he too will just fade away into his own little mind.
Yeah.........I name call all the time.
What's your excuse?
Awfully paranoid about communism.....
I know a guy named McCarthy you should meet.
hahahahahhahahahahahhahaahaha
You 2 would have fantastic paranoid conversations....
Not paranoid when you are one.
Bulletman,
I hope he goes away soon, as it is hard to ignore such ignorance.
John McCain does what the Koch Brothers tell him to do! He is a wholly owned subsidiary of his wife's monetary influence, the State of Arizona hatred for brown people, and Jan Brewer's (points fingers at the face of visiting black Presidents) insanity, and teams up with useless Lindsay Graham, who pushed for the Kerry nomination in order to get loser Republican Brown re-elected in Massachusetts to take Kerry's seat, when Kerry leaves his Senate position for the White House position as Secretary of State.
John McCain is on all sides of every issue, howls at the clouds, and generally is the father of all the stupidity in the Republican Party. He is not one who cares about America. His ideas run to supporting the wealthy class, and his crone network.
Mccain's attacks on Hillary, regarding BenGhazi, were grandstand attempts to try to cast darkness upon her future aspirations for the White House and we all know it. The GOP, failing to provide funding for our foreign services, by the tune of 400 million dollars in security cuts, was perfect for setting the stage for one of our consulates somewhere to be attacked, with little funding to defend them, due to GOP budgetary cuts! And who would be blamed? Hillary!
Republicans would like everyone to think a consulate (usually just a suite in an office complex) is the same as an embassy, which has marines and defenses far greater, and would like Americans to forget the marines, who are assigned to consulates, are not there to defend the consulate, but to protect vital classified documents, or to destroy them in case of attack. No classified documents were lost at BenGhazi, so they did their job admirably. Consulates, due to the failure of our government to support them, as well as many countries who have in-country rules about them, are required to use for-profit private security firms, similar to armed guards, like we have at our banks, and we all know how great they are at stopping bank robbers..........not!
The more Republicans talk, the more we see the lies that keep pouring out. A GOP House, who won't allow a vote on a budget or a bill because a majority of the majority party won't pass their own legislation is the reason we can't get anything done! Yet, all this failure is blamed on Obama, who is willing to sign legislation if it will ever make it to his desk!
Now, John McCain is against Republican Chuck Hagel, because he may work for Obama, representing the US and since he works for Obama, must be a traitor of the Republican Party, so they can convince Americans that everything Obama does is wrong! Howling at moon followers cheer McCain for the spectacle he provides us! Woohoo!
Because Hagel would like to reduce the proliferation of nuclear arsenals by 2030, Republicans pronounce he must be stopped! Too many of John McCain's friends profit from the government subsidies for our Military industrial complex! It would be a travesty to have to cut funding for his nuke producers!
It never stops, folks. Every word from the mouths of the Republicans, is rarely what they really endorse! The GOP will say anything, and it is rarely what they promote behind closed doors, or on the floor of the House or Senate where things they claim to be for, if Obama agrees, is certain to be opposed!
What Republicans say must be ignored, because what they do is never the same thing! We should never forget the Jobs, Jobs, Jobs promises The GOP won elections with, in 2010, and then not one jobs bill was proposed by the GOP, while they also refused every single Infrastructure Bill the Democrats tried to get to the floor for a vote!
THe GOP screams at Obama for spending money, when most of it is the interest payments the Republicans ran up in 2 wars, trillions in tax cuts for the rich, and unfunded Medicare programs they ignored funding, when the GOP ran the White House!
Are we all so blind, and our memories so short, that we forget who created the mess we are still recovering from, while the GOP now pretends to support immigration (for the latino vote), then vote it down in the House of Representatives because Obama will be reviled if it doesn't pass, and it is the plan for Republicans to shoot it down, to blame the failure on "unreasonable" parts of the bill no one in their right (yes, righties) mind would ever pass into law. And, of course, Obama is to take the hit for it, as FOX and Karl Rove are already crafting the headlines and talking points to be distributed around it!
If we are ever in doubt about the inclusionary properties of the Republican Party, one picture of the crowds at the Republican Convention will prove, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that there is no inclusion for anyone not white!
When Michael Steele was brought on to head up the Republican run in 2010, and won them the House of Representatives, the GOP decided it could just block the black voters from the polls with voter ID legislation, and tossed Michael out for Reince Priebus, who lost them seats in the House, the Senate and the White House! Look for Marco Rubio to be the next token Latino to represent the GOP efforts to show how inclusive they are, while only one woman was assigned to the 25 committee seats the GOP assigned in the House, while the other 24 went to only white men!
There is no inclusion within the Republican Party! They just use tokens to make American's think they include those they would have vote for their ideals (of more war, racism, lower wages, less benefits for the blind, more sheltered funds in the Caymans, hate of government, higher electrified fences, gerrymandered voter district lines and electoral college definitions to guarantee Republican wins, while attacking the majority of Americans' ability to actually vote for Democrats)!
That just about sums up the dignity of the Republican Party, who values power over anything the populations of America would desire. Chuck Hagel? He is just one more thing to get us to forget about all the other things Republicans are doing while the ever-faithful news services keep our eyes exactly where the GOP wants us to be looking! And behind doors, on retreats the public will never see, there are devious plans on how to decieve the voters to the true intent of the Tea Party!
Wake Up America! Corporations, intent upon mining every last mineral and fuel from our soils, and willing to send every factory to Communist China, for the sake of profit, run the Republican Party! There are only a very few old Republicans left, and they are jumping ship!
I would rather trust Chuck Hagels decision to send my son or daughter into harms way than any of the idiots in Congress who are trying to second guess what this man thinks. This man has been in the trenches, and been able to move on after his ordeal. How much better it is that a former foot soldier would run the largest department of our government when it comes to life or death choices.And as to what we need to take control of this money grabbing monster called the military industrial complex.
Why are we Israels bitch? It is because of the Jewish Lobby and the disproportionate power they have over the media and finance that puts the politicians on their leash at the expense of the United States. Why do we, the majority, tolerate this treason? Look up the Rothschild's and how they took control of governments with the help of willing "leaders" throughout history. These are facts that I am sure will be called antisemitism, typical smokes screen for the masses to eat up. How can the wealthiest group in society be a victim? "If you wish to know who rules over you learn who you are not allowed to criticize". Voltaire.
In other news, Eric PlaceHolder sues Busch for trying to buy Corona, but Corzine stole 1 billion and he's running the streets. This administration is flat out Chicago-gang style. As soon as their pay-off comes in, the suit will drop.
A glance at Hagel Hearing:
-McCain: So Chuck, Israel you no like?
-Chuck: You suck!
Why are the idiots in Congress asking Hagel about policy when Congress and Obama create policy and Hagel's job is to follow those policies?
So, we, the taxpayers, pick up the tab for $3 million dollar Hawaiian vacations. That's Democracy. In Obama's younger days, he had a best-friend named Ayers who was a card-carrying member of the Communist Party here. And, later imprisoned for terrorist acts. I suppose he's left behind Islam and all his friends. He's discovering Democracy. He needs Hagel to keep a lid on things. Life is good now.
First off Obama and Ayers were never best buddies.
fox news and Rush try to rape your bran and fill it with lies like that.
And NO other president has ever gone on vacation at tax payer expense?
Or are you just a hypocrite?
Rhetorical question.
Still waiting for that proof that Jesus was a liberal, Common.
Then we can talk about how Oblahblah and Ayers are cut from the same cloth.
Read the Bible.
Can you read?
If not get it on disc.
Don't be afraid of getting educated.
Obamanation,
If I were Common, I would ignore you until you can at least respect the office of President of the United States and call our President by his name and not Oblahblah, as hard as that may be.