Chuck Hagel, President Barack Obama’s pick to become the next U.S. defense secretary, has begun calling critics in the Senate in an attempt to clarify his views about how to deal with Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas before his upcoming nomination hearing. The decorated Vietnam veteran’s Republican credentials have done little to rally support with his…
Hawkish groups that sought to pre-emptively sink Chuck Hagel’s candidacy for secretary of defense may have been trying to teach President Obama and his supporters a lesson — but it seems they’re the ones who may look back at this episode as a cautionary tale. “You don’t want to wound the king,” Joseph Cirincione, president…
Just two weeks before his second inauguration, President Barack Obama is acting as if he believes he has a big mandate for his next term. The latest sign: his decision to defy a concerted campaign against his choice for defense secretary. The Democratic president, re-elected in November, unveiled a more combative approach during the end-of-year…
The Israeli government kept clear on Tuesday of a brewing battle in Washington over U.S. President Barack Obama’s choice for defense secretary, Chuck Hagel, whose record on Iran and Israel is under scrutiny. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Ehud Barak offered no immediate comment on the pick, announced on Monday after being rumoured…
It’s a different ballgame now. After President Obama announced his selection of Chuck Hagel as defense secretary, pro-Israel activists and mainstream Jewish groups toned down criticism of the controversial choice to lead the Pentagon, who analysts say is now a prohibitive favorite to win confirmation. Most Jewish groups have made clear they will not lobby…
A decorated Vietnam veteran acutely aware of the limits of military power, Chuck Hagel is likely to favor a sizable drawdown in Afghanistan, more frugal spending at the Pentagon and extreme caution when contemplating the use of force in places like Iran or Syria. Obama’s decision to nominate Hagel – a Republican former senator who…
President Barack Obama on Monday nominated former Republican Senator Chuck Hagel as his next defense secretary and counterterrorism adviser John Brennan to head the CIA, potentially setting up a Senate confirmation battle on two fronts and establishing a tough tone to start his second term. Mindful of the concerns about both Hagel and Brennan on…
President Barack Obama appeared poised on Friday to pick former Republican Senator Chuck Hagel as the next U.S. defense secretary and the announcement may come early next week. Sources on Capitol Hill and in the national security community said all signs were pointing to Hagel as Obama’s choice to replace current Defense Secretary Leon Panetta….
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