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Subscribe to RSSDefense Secretary Leon Panetta came to the aid of former Sen. Chuck Hagel, the man President Barack Obama nominated to succeed him, saying on NBC’s Meet the Press, “The political knives were out for Chuck Hagel” during his confirmation hearing last week.
In nearly eight hours of testimony before the Senate Armed Service Committee on Thursday, Hagel spent much time revising and clarifying his previous remarks – including a spontaneous error at the hearing itself on whether United States policy toward Iran’s nuclear weapons program was one of containment.
Panetta complained that the members of the committee spent too little time questioning Hagel about the current challenges the Defense Department faces, such as looming budget cuts, and spent too much time examining statements Hagel made in the past.
Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta comments on Hagel's tough hearing last Thursday before the Senate and brings up some questions that should have been asked.
Panetta insisted to NBC’s Chuck Todd that Hagel was “absolutely” prepared to take his place leading the Defense Department.
Panetta’s backing of Hagel was seconded by the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen Martin Dempsey, who said “in helping prepare him for his confirmation hearings, we had several opportunities to talk about strategy. And I found him well-prepared and very thoughtful about it.”
As the Armed Services Committee prepares to hold a hearing Thursday on last September’s attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Panetta said he looked forward “to presenting what we know about what took place.” Congressional Republicans have questioned why there were no U.S. military aircraft or other forces in proximity to Benghazi that could have been dispatched to help defend Ambassador Chris Stevens and other US personnel. Stevens and three others were killed in the attack.
Addressing the Defense Department’s airlift and intelligence-sharing role in assisting the ongoing French military intervention in the North African nation of Mali, Panetta said, “We are now working with France to make sure that al Qaida has no place to hide, even in North Africa.”
Dempsey added that in North Africa “the regimes that you used to maintain control over that space that would, in fact, be part of the solution of keeping al Qaida and its affiliates at bay are no longer there.”
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey and Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta discuss the threat of Al Qaeda in North Africa and regional instability associated with recent change.
The popular uprisings of the 2011 Arab Spring, Dempsey said, “stripped that away” leaving “ungoverned space” or “a period at which geography is less governed than it used to be.” That lack of control has allowed jihadist groups such as al Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) to flourish.
Turning to Iran and its nuclear program, Panetta said, “The intelligence we have is they have not made the decision to proceed with the development of a nuclear weapon. The regime in Tehran is enriching uranium. They continue to do that.”
He added, “I can't tell you they are, in fact, pursuing a weapon, because that's not what intelligence says they're doing right now. But every indication is they want to continue to increase their nuclear capability. And that's a concern. And that's what we're asking them to stop doing.”
Vice President Joe Biden said Saturday that the Obama administration is “would be prepared to meet bilaterally with the Iranian leadership,” but that talks would need to be serious, have an agreed-upon agenda, and not be merely an exercise.
On the threat of spending cuts, known in Capitol language as “sequester,” scheduled to start on March 1 that are mandated by the Budget Control Act, Panetta said, “If Congress stands back and allows sequester to take place, I think it would really be a shameful and irresponsible act.”
He added that the spending cuts this year – amounting to about 12 percent of Pentagon outlays apart from overseas operations – would “badly damage the readiness of the United States of America.”
Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta tells NBC's Chuck Todd if a sequester is allowed to happen it will "badly damage" the readiness of the U.S.
Panetta, who served as head of the Office of Management and Budget under President Clinton and as chairman of the House Budget Committee in the late 1980s, said, “As somebody who's worked with budgets throughout my life, in order to deal with the deficit problem, you've got to deal with entitlements. You have to deal with revenues. And you have to deal with discretionary (spending).”
Although Republicans such as Sen. John McCain of Arizona have accused Obama of failing to take the lead in finding a way to avoid the cuts required by the Budget Control Act, Panetta said, “I think he's pushing as hard as he can…. The president of the United States has indicated the concern about sequester. He's indicated his concern about maintaining a strong national defense. And he's proposed a solution to this. The ball is in Congress's court. They have got to take action to delay sequester.”
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As a veteran of the U.S. military I am for spending for defense of this country. That said; I am not for spending billions of dolllars for some of these "pie in the sky" military weapons THAT WE DO NOT NEED. We spend billions on weapon systems THAT HAVE NOT, DO NOT AND WILL NEVER WORK. The Defense Department then goes out and spends billions more on some more assinine projects when they should spend more to equip our military with the basics. Body armor, armored tanks, armored transportation carriers. President Eisenhower, in his last address to the nation spoke agains "the military - industrial complex". To read the speech in its entirety google "Eisenhower military - industrial Complex 1961 speech". Basically he said that when the military and the defense industries start working in tandem the money will be wasted and we will end up broke. The Defense Department employees that approve some of these ridiculous outlays of money then end up working for the same defense contractors when they retire and/or forced from their jobs when a new administration comes into power. Coincidence? If you believe that you also probably believe in the tooth fairy.
No question its @!#%ed up. But then, if another country that takes a notion to jump bad gets a weapon that trumps what we got, then its really @!#%ed up! (think what would have happened if Hitler had gotten the A-Bomb first). Armor is almost obsolete because of advances in hand-held anti-tank weapon power, body armor is a bad investment because its always easy to invent a round or weapon that will penetrate it (laser rifles coming soon), subs are always venerable to advances in detection technologies (remember the impact sonar had on U-Boats?), and on and on; throughout history humans have been busy tryin' to figure out the best ways to kill other humans and to keep from being killed. Robot weapons are the wave of the future; even now U.S. has almost 50% of its Air as robots (i.e. drones). If somebody figures a way to hack into military control centers and/or to disrupt satellite communication, its gonna get really weird! Don't know the solution; its one of those deals where we're damned if we do, and damned if we don't, but its certain the outcome of this arms race can't be good. Just gonna try to survive the madness. Think I need some more 100 rd mags; don't think there's gonna be much law and order when it finally goes crazy.
panetta also said that bin laden was found as a result of waterboarding....i thought obama the ass was opposed to torture!!!!........i guess you lib loonies love torture as long as it is done by obama the ass.....
Whatever political scum ends up in office, the people will suffer for it. It seems that all politicians suffer from the same genetic abnormality. The only problem is finding the appropriate name for this syndrome. If named for the Kennedys, the Democrats would howl. If named for the Bushes, the Republicans would scream. I would suggest a bipartisan nomenclature that would reveal the insecurities of both parties.
interesting....both parties are corrupt to the core....what to do?......most importantly i think we need tighter restrictions on who is eligible to vote in national elections.....first maybe a literacy test, second, proof that you have paid some federal taxes, and third one must own a piece of real estate...if the deadbeats and freeloaders continue to have a say in the taxation of working people, the usa is truly fecked....
I know it is unbelievable but some of these same defense contractors then end up on money donor lists to congressmen and women. WOW WHAT A COINCIDENCE!
Just like the Democrat bundlers, supporters, and even White House staff members end up on the list of people getting BILLIONS of guaranteed loans and grants when it comes to "green" energy companies.
The difference is that DEFENSE contractors actually makes something to defend us, while the "green" people just put hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars in their pockets and do NOTHING for the country.
Really Cheryl? Some of the money spent on defense is well spent How about the other billions that we spend on things that do not work? You never know about it because most of the Defense appropriation bills are CLASSIFIED TOP SECRET and you never even know that they are being developed. When they do not work the project is quietly shelved. I am not a conspiracy buff as I worked for 4 years for a defense contractor and watched the money being wasted. The company knew that the device would not work within 6 months and continued getting money for another 3.5 years. p.s. the liason man that was assigned from the department of defense knew that it would not work and to my knowledge never notified anyone. I left in disgust and never worked for another defense contractor. I cannot tell you the name of the company, the item nor the amount of money spent as I had a Top Secret clearance and could still be charged with divulging classified information.
Hagel is a RINO (Republican In Name Only)He will do great with Obama destructive agenda.
The only reason Panetta is supporting Hagel is that Panetta wants to step down fast and get away from the other bozos. I'm no military person, have no family in the military, but even I know our policy towards Iran.
A liberal anti Defense moron defending a liberal anti Defense idiot. What a stunner!
Ya.... we need to attack Iran immediately and get US taxpayer dollars flowing in to money grubbing Republican defense contractors pockets again as soon as possible just like Iraq and Afghanistan.
We can't let Iran have a Nuclear bomb !!!... The same bullshi-t we were fed about N Korea....who now has a nuclear bomb and nobody says s-hit about.
Let there be no misunderstanding, IRAQ was a power grab by the US for eventual control of the Middle east by the American Empire. We accomplished nothing except the drain on our treasury and the loss of blood of our citizens. All of the destabilization of Africa and the Middle east is a plan hatched by the Trilateral Commission to subjugate those populations to global capitalism. What kind of world are we creating for future generations? As a capitalist myself who takes no government money, we must understand that here is no such thing as pure capitalism except in theory. Economistas are out to line their own pockets with unscrupulous theories that violate all banking ideas. Credit creation will ultimately doom the world because it leads to devastation of the environment and unsustainable banking ideas such as derivatives. We are kicking the can down the road but that road will have an end.
What a STUPID comment. If Iraq was a "power grab" why aren't we there anymore? Why is Iraq selliing oil to everyone BUT us?
As for the "American Empire", exactly WHERE is that "empire"? After WWII we could have controlled nearly EVERY nation in the free world!!!! We were in Japan, all of Western Europe, and the Phillipines. We could have destroyed Russia and taken over everything they controlled, including their own country. Geez, we could have even taken over ALL of Mexico over a hundred fifty years ago and didn't
What did we do? We paid to rebuild Japan, Germany, and most of Europe. We could have made the Phillipines the 51st state (and it was seriously discussed), and we gave them their own nation.
How many other countries are part of the "American empire" genius?
The out and out ignorant garbage put out by some people is unbelievable.
We are better merchants and traders than imperialists. We rebuilt the post WW II world, in part, to enable them to buy our products...which worked up until the 1970's and created the largest,. most prosperous middle class society human civiliation has ever known. We have not, however, handled their recovery, the impact of technology, or the end of communism, and their impact on the American middle class, very well.
But, we've learned, brutally, that over-valued domestic assets, such as dot.com stocks or securitized home mortgages are no substitutes for manufactured goods...and we're on our fourth President in this cycle that began with Bush Senior.
obama is an ass.....someone in congress find the balls and draw up articles of impeachment on this guy....save our country!!!
Meanwhile...an ignorant (2) term Ex-President cock-sucker named George W. Bush who lied us into (2) Trillion dollar wars and cost hundreds of thousands of innocent people their lives to help his crony war profiteering contractor buddies, now resides in Texas like a cowardly f-ucking dog with its tail between its legs to protect its genitals when the prick should be in prison as a murderer and a war criminal.
Hey Jack-ass Republicans.... If Obama is a Socialist why is the DOW at 14000 now when under Bush in "2008" it was 7000?
Hey jackass.......Jackass. Have you read any of his memoirs? Try reading up on one of them and get back to us. HE'S A SOCIALIST! And he doesn't hide it. Happy reading.
Wow.....the moderators must be at a Super Bowl party; G. Brown's rant violates just about every tenet on Newsvine.......
But back to the point.....Hagel blew his chance at the nomination with the WORST performance EVER in front of Congress.....blame McCain all you want, but Hagel shot himself in the foot with the most unprepared, rambling testimony I have ever seen.
It's simple and it's formulaic;
Hagel 'ON' --> Iran 'OFF' --> Israeli Apartheid 'OFF' --> Israeli Lobby 'OFF'.
It's nearly a Zero Sum game - it's useful to keep this in mind considering the major Israeli propaganda thrust to prevent a clear understanding of this.
Let's keep our mind on the prize here. The primary prize Obama is driving for is America's own ‘clean break’ from the stranglehold of the Israeli Lobby as it currently stands, with it’s command of 99-0 Senate votes and all the rest of it’s fun and games
There are other prizes and benefits corollary to this prize - it's kind of 'chicken and the egg' but kind of not - the reality is the co-evolution of both - weakening netanyahu/Israeli Apartheid weakens the neocons/Israeli Lobby and vice versa.
But the key is still Iran
So the 'secondary prize' is the complete dismantling of Israeli Apartheid secondary to the 'primary prize' of dismantling the bizarre status of the Israeli Lobby holds in modern day America. Who says Obama can't dribble and chew gum at the same time? - that's what he's been doing on netanyahu and the Lobby for months now, stopping netanyahu/the Lobbys' drive to war on Iran
The 'powershift' is the dismantling of the Israeli Lobby with the degree of power it has over American political affairs, our foreign policy, and our military itself.
The 'power shift' is that simple - and the key is Iran and thus Hagel is the key.
William Kristol knows it and Netanyahu knows it and even Obama has come to understand it. Thus are all their current behaviors explained. Obama is performing a miracle - he is destabilizing and beginning to disable the existential threat/damage caused to the US by the Israeli Lobby as it currently is operating. wow
For those who had given up on the permanent entrenchment of the Israeli Lobby - no war on Iran knocks the door down.
The 'shifting' of power to Obama/America from control and manipulation from the Israeli Lobby and Israel is taking place because of Obama STOPPING the Israeli hoaxing/forcing of the US into a war with Iran as a continuation of the neocon/Israeli Clean Break Plan agenda
The key is Iran - by successfully stopping this KEY neocon strategic thrust the US is managing to free itself from the dictates of AIPAC and Israel over the US political process, foreign policy, and military strategies
If the Israeli Lobby as we know it was by some miracle we all woke up one day and the Israeli Lobby in the US had been 'accidentally destroyed' - Israeli Apartheid would be on the fast track to collapse as well - and vice versa
The ONLY thing that matters right now is that Obama and Hagel stop Netanyahu and the Israel Lobby from forcing/mousetrapping the US into an attack on Iran - THAT'S IT.
It's a 'single issue'
If an Iran attack is stopped, Israeli Apartheid is without any effective cover and will be taken care of how Apartheid South Africa was taken care of - and then the Israeli Lobby no longer has any cover as well.
With the Netanyahu-hoaxed/mousestrapped pushing of the US into a war with Iran STOPPED - it's all over for Israeli Apartheid
Let's keep our eye on the PRIZE - it's Iran. The rest are dominoes
Hagel 'ON' = Iran 'OFF' = Israeli Apartheid 'OFF' = Israeli Lobby 'OFF'
(The Israeli Lobby 'OFF' = the 2nd American Revolution = the 'shifting of power' from netanyahu and the Israeli Lobby (like the George Bush days) - back to to Obama/America)
AIPAC is a powerful lobby...but I think you can overstate it's importance as well as understate it. And, as pointed out earlier, the United States cannot play a meaningful role in brokering a Palestinian-Israel Peace, if the Muslim world perceives us to be in Netanyahu's pocket.
stone
Whether Jew is a race or not seems to be a gray area. Depending on the context in which it is used it can be a race, religion or an ethnicity. As far a being a Zionist, I very much enjoyed my time spent in Zion National Park in Utah. The name is kinda funny as most of the people living in the area were not Jewish, but rather Mormon.
Utah was known in the Church as "The Land of Zion." You might want to check Wikipedia on it.
Two liars defending each other. It is the essential of the Democrap party, a bunch of liars.
For one thing McCain was asking a yes or no question that does not have a yes or no answer. McCain wouldn't let Hagel answer unless it was the 'right' answer. McCain only want to hear what makes him look good and that's it. McCain doesn't want to know the complexity of issues that make him look bad. Besides it just goes to show you how Republicans hate their own if their own is not in 'lock-step'.
Panetta is a YES man and Hagel too, that's what a weak president like Barakhussein wants to govern this country in a mediocre way.
You would, I presume, prefer a Shah?
Hagel is just anothe communist in line to give away America. It's coming sooner than you think. He's just another link in the regimes communistic success.
Yeah I thought Penetta was a lying traitor all along...this proves it.
The corrupt defending the corrupt....how shocking!
And you defenders...."Don't look here....look over there".
Never changes.....same sh*t every day.
With all due respect, Sen. McCain is a hateful hypocrite and a political hack who has lost all integrity. He is no longer worthy of being taken seriously when he opens his mouth.
yankee17,
So is American liberalism.
Actually, liberalism is not hypocritical..........It's PHONY!
I suspect he'll resign before his term ends, for "health problems."
BACKGROUND CHECK GONE AMOK:
I went to Cabella's the other day to buy a gun. When I went to pay for it, the cashier said, "Turn around and strip down".
I had no idea she was talking about my credit card!!!
The asked me NEVER to come back!
That's hilarious Bernie. Did you make it up on your own or hear it elsewhere? May I use it; it fits almost any retail situation, you know...the part about the credit card and running it through the machine. Did you realize that part?
stone,
Thanks......I've got a million of 'em!
That's the most honest thing you've written on here in years. I have no doubt.
P.S. And, I always enjoy them. Happy Super Bowl Day.
Panetta would defend his momma in a whorehouse!!
You are accusing the United States Senate of being a whorehouse?
More like a bunch of high priced prostitutes ripping off America and giving you half of the services they promise.
stone6
Well, now that you brought it up, not a bad analogy...
JH - we must go to different places.
beaner - Naturally, you would think that, being in the House and all. P.S. Get a nose job. It will help in 2016. Hillary isn't running.
John Mc Cain, John Mc Cain, John Mc Cain, John Mc Cain, John Mc Cain, and on and on and on and on with his badgering, and babaling idiot and child like questioning as if he thinks he is the Government of the United States and the spokes person of the whole Republican Obstructionist Conservative hound dogs party. He needs to just give it up and give in and go some place and just die!
"saying on NBC’s Meet the Press, “The political knives were out for Chuck Hagel"
Just easy questions for Hagel to answer, what's the problem?
No. An "easy question" would have been: "What did Jack and Jill go to fetch with their pail?"
When anyone even asks about our being unprepared for Benghazi (on the anniversary of 9/11)....the immediate response from the left is "What about Bush?"...."What about how many people died on 9/11/2001 ?".....still blaming Bush for this Administration's continual inept approach to EVERYTHING. NOW they are ready to talk to Iran.....for what ?
Yada, yada, yada, yada. Hey trouble 1954, get past the Bush thingy, ok? The tragedy of his Administration is locked in history and even those of us 'raging Lefties' who were/are critical of him don't have to waste time reminding others about him. Grow up and enter the world of today!
You don't know Jack.....if you think this Administration has been solid in foreign policy you only make my point stronger.......Libya, Egypt, are shinig examples of Obama's inept attempts at world affairs.....
You deserve what you get from this guy.......
You got anything else better to ask them to talk about? I DO..What about the continuing high price of Gasoline and what about Jobs that pay $25.00 per hour other than the near slave wages of $7.35 minimum wage and what about stopping the sales of all guns if we have 300 million Americans here and almost that many guns are in possession of these 300 million why the hell do we need more guns sold/ and lastly, Bring the poor up to a standard of living like the middle class and weed out the undesirable socially designed system that keep poor people poor especially BLACK people who make up most of the poor in this nation by design and don't give me that shilt that they have opportunities and education and means to get rich like everyone else causes that's pure bull shilt and Obama needs to stop the hype on the middle class and helping the rich get richer and start were the real people are and that is the underclass and the derelicts and African Americans who are told they belong and we all know it's one big dam lie. Chicago has the strictest gun laws in the nation but Blacks are sold guns and then labelled as gangs and criminals but have no jobs or any clear future or training and parents who are just as dam stupid and ignorant and still think they live in the jungles of Africa where real Africans don't even want African Americans know where near them and we keep talking about what the White man has and he still suppose to owe us something when all Blacks want is nothing and abandon their children to nothing and no dreams of ever having anything and dam right I can talk the talk and walk the walk cause I AM BLACK but I am proud of me and my daughter and one son as the other son died a horrible death being shot four times in the face with a Shotgun just sitting in his car going to help a black girl in a dispute with her crazy azz boy friend. Fucck all guns and people who feel the need to have them in this sick insane society we call ourselves so dam civilized. Answer this, If crime has decreased so dam much, then why in hell does over 300 million households need to have more than one gun and why in hell do average people need to have assault weapons? Yes I am am angry and yes I am mad and yes I am upset as I love life to the fullest but I see everything dying around me.
Hagel's performance at the hearing kind of reminded me of President Obama at his first debate against Romney and we know President Obama is intelligent. Hagel is one of the few Republicans that I really admire. He knew he was going to be drilled by those neo-cons so he was disengaged probably because he would have liked to punch both McCain and the rest of them in the face.
Hillary probably should have prepped him to deal with them.
I hope he gets the job.
McCain is a grumpy old man who's lost his sting and has morphed into an impotent viper. Time to hang up your flight suit and parachute, John.
A condition well-known among ex-fighter jocks. Comes from the decibels of the engines and the G-forces.
@Jack: you need to take a check up from the neck up.......you would do well to just thank that man for his service to this country and shut up.
You are confusing "patriotism" with "intelligence." There is no necessary causal link between the two.
No one is questioning his patriotism.
But, you might want to trace the roots of the Arab Spring back to the Bush Administration's desire to bring an Islamic "island" of democracy and freedom to the Middle East, as the reason for thier invasion of Iraq, when we couldn't find the WMDs.