Hagel

[tinselwolverine]

The battle begins...

 

[tsmith7559]

just his comments on gays should make him unqualified? no? Or do the dems have a double standard?
The pic is cover for Obama's hatred of Israel

 

[Michchamp]

The battle begins...

sounds like the GOP will oppose him. the question is how many Democrats will.

...or at least that's the story for the media designed for our consumption.

the real question is will enough DC insiders support a guy who may not keep the spigot of cash flowing directly from the treasury to the Pentagon and its subcontractors to the extent they've grown accustomed to during Bush's "war on terror." He doesn't seem like that much of an extremist, nor were his comments on Israel particularly extreme if you subscribe to the line of thinking that Israel and the United States are separate nations. I guess it comes down to whether even the pretense of independent thought will be tolerated in our DC officials.

 

[Michchamp]

just his comments on gays should make him unqualified? no? Or do the dems have a double standard?
The pic is cover for Obama's hatred of Israel

adults are trying to have a serious discussion here. go back to the Fox News sandbox to play with your dolls.

 

[Michchamp]

The battle begins...

also, was noteworthy they leaked Hagel's name prematurely, but not Brennan's as head of the CIA. last time they named Brennan for the same gig, in 2008, the more progressive elements opposed him on account of his support for some of the nastier pro-torture stuff the Bush Administration pulled and they backed down from the pick. this time they kept it closer to the vest until the last minute.

 

[tinselwolverine]

adults are trying to have a serious discussion here. go back to the Fox News sandbox to play with your dolls.

Seriously.

And tsmith, You continue to outdo yourself.

If Obama truly hates Israel, Hagel would be the LAST choise to "cover" for that.

Okay, maybe Farrakhan would be the last choice.

 

[tinselwolverine]

the real question is will enough DC insiders support a guy who may not keep the spigot of cash flowing directly from the treasury to the Pentagon and its subcontractors to the extent they've grown accustomed to during Bush's "war on terror."

The military industrial complex is an institution that way predates George W. Bush.

Chuck Hagel was a fiscally conservative Republican senator from the Midwest.

There are certain elements in this country-dangerous radicals all of them-who actually believe that cutting the fat out of a bloated department of defense is a fiscally conservative notion.

 

[Thumb]

Seriously.

And tsmith, You continue to outdo yourself.

If Obama truly hates Israel, Hagel would be the LAST choise to "cover" for that.

Okay, maybe Farrakhan would be the last choice.

In defense (although I don't know why) of the aforementioned moron, I think tsmith was trying to say that Obama would use him to deflect the anti-Israel stuff off of himself and onto his SecDef.

Kind of like if you went to a Mensa party, and didn't want to feel like the dumbest guy, you might ask tsmith to go along, because it would make you look much better in comparison.

Of course, it's possible I'm wrong about it and tsmith just mixed up his talking points from this mornings FOX News/GOP email blast. :shrug:

 

[tinselwolverine]

Kind of like if you went to a Mensa party, and didn't want to feel like the dumbest guy, you might ask tsmith to go along, because it would make you look much better in comparison.

I wrote a script for a TV sitcom pilot (still shopping it around; expecting a bidding war anytime) about my on again off again paramour of over 20 years.

In the story my character qualifies for Mensa on a test at the exact minimum score.

So she from time to time refers to him as the "dumbest man in Mensa."

 

[redandguilty]

The military industrial complex is an institution that way predates George W. Bush.

Chuck Hagel was a fiscally conservative Republican senator from the Midwest.

There are certain elements in this country-dangerous radicals all of them-who actually believe that cutting the fat out of a bloated department of defense is a fiscally conservative notion.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gg-jvHynP9Y

 

[Michchamp]

The military industrial complex is an institution that way predates George W. Bush.

Chuck Hagel was a fiscally conservative Republican senator from the Midwest.

There are certain elements in this country-dangerous radicals all of them-who actually believe that cutting the fat out of a bloated department of defense is a fiscally conservative notion.

true. I just wanted to include a dig at Bush since things went off the charts during his term. and I've read some additional articles that tears the numbers the Pentagon cites to downplay spending apart. it was shocking how many things they simply "forget" to include in their budget. other things would be excluded on the flimsiest of reasoning.

they also spent some outrageous amount for military-only golf courses around the country. seriously. I forget whether that was included in the budget though.

EDIT: and I think as Hagel is known as having some principles, there is a palpable fear he would call some of this largesse into question. some commentators have argued that this simply shows how corrupt this system has gotten, when a military veteran and centrist career politician is not "malleable" enough for the job...

 

[tsmith7559]

adults are trying to have a serious discussion here. go back to the Fox News sandbox to play with your dolls.

wow, no picture with his retort...amazing

 

[tsmith7559]

Seriously.

And tsmith, You continue to outdo yourself.

If Obama truly hates Israel, Hagel would be the LAST choise to "cover" for that.

Okay, maybe Farrakhan would be the last choice.

Like I said, Hagel is a cover for OBama.....NJ certainly not conservative

http://www.nationaljournal.com/poli...st-problem-he-s-like-president-obama-20130107

"""Here are four reasons why Hagel is worth the fight to Obama:

1.As a Republican who criticized President Bush?s policy in Iraq and supported the Afghanistan war, Hagel gives Obama COVER to pull troops out of Afghanistan.
2.As a Republican who in 2011 called the Pentagon budget ?bloated,? Hagel gives Obama COVER to slash military spending, and to redirect money to deficit reduction and investments in Democratic policies.
3.As a Republican who questioned the validity of unilateral sanctions against adversaries like Iran, and who spoke against knee-jerk acquiescence to Israel, Hagel gives Obama room to maneuver against Tehran.
4.As a Republican maverick with little goodwill inside the GOP caucus, nominating Hagel is a stiff finger in the eye of Obama?s intractable rivals. """""""

He just didnt expand on the cover on Israel.....which is obvious

 

[tinselwolverine]

and who spoke against knee-jerk acquiescence...

True, knee-jerk responses are generally considered to be an important characteristic of strong leadership.

 

[redandguilty]

Like I said, Hagel is a cover for OBama.....NJ certainly not conservative

http://www.nationaljournal.com/poli...st-problem-he-s-like-president-obama-20130107

"""Here are four reasons why Hagel is worth the fight to Obama:

1.As a Republican who criticized President Bush?s policy in Iraq and supported the Afghanistan war, Hagel gives Obama COVER to pull troops out of Afghanistan.
2.As a Republican who in 2011 called the Pentagon budget ?bloated,? Hagel gives Obama COVER to slash military spending, and to redirect money to deficit reduction and investments in Democratic policies.
3.As a Republican who questioned the validity of unilateral sanctions against adversaries like Iran, and who spoke against knee-jerk acquiescence to Israel, Hagel gives Obama room to maneuver against Tehran.
4.As a Republican maverick with little goodwill inside the GOP caucus, nominating Hagel is a stiff finger in the eye of Obama?s intractable rivals. """""""

He just didnt expand on the cover on Israel.....which is obvious

 

[Michchamp]

Like I said, Hagel is a cover for OBama.....NJ certainly not conservative

http://www.nationaljournal.com/poli...st-problem-he-s-like-president-obama-20130107

"""Here are four reasons why Hagel is worth the fight to Obama:

1.As a Republican who criticized President Bush?s policy in Iraq and supported the Afghanistan war, Hagel gives Obama COVER to pull troops out of Afghanistan.
2.As a Republican who in 2011 called the Pentagon budget ?bloated,? Hagel gives Obama COVER to slash military spending, and to redirect money to deficit reduction and investments in Democratic policies.
3.As a Republican who questioned the validity of unilateral sanctions against adversaries like Iran, and who spoke against knee-jerk acquiescence to Israel, Hagel gives Obama room to maneuver against Tehran.
4.As a Republican maverick with little goodwill inside the GOP caucus, nominating Hagel is a stiff finger in the eye of Obama?s intractable rivals. """""""

He just didnt expand on the cover on Israel.....which is obvious

True, knee-jerk responses are generally considered to be an important characteristic of strong leadership.

I know right? all those reasons are actually positive... or should be in a democracy.

now if we were some sort of militaristic, totalitarian, fundamentalist warring nation, then maybe. oh wait...

 

[TheVictors]

Wait a minute!!! You mean to tell me there are "political angles" to an appointment in DC?!

Get the fuck out!!! There are reasons why Obama isn't naming a staunch Republican who disagrees with him on everything?? That's odd.

 

[Michchamp]

Wait a minute!!! You mean to tell me there are "political angles" to an appointment in DC?!

Get the fuck out!!! There are reasons why Obama isn't naming a staunch Republican who disagrees with him on everything?? That's odd.

and to start with, the idea that Obama is some sort of dangerous, extreme socialist, pacifist, is intellectually bankrupt and completely disproven by this point. the failure to understand that is one of the clearest signs - to me at least - that I'm talking to a Fox News programmed drone, not a thinking person.

so really, the debate is whether Hagel is "pro-Israel" enough, which is absurd on its face for a number of reasons. and beyond all that... Obama re-nominated Brennan for head of the CIA, which should by itself dispel any notion that this move is to somehow reign in all the Bush Jr. policies and "surrender to the terrorists" or whatever the jingoist phrase for opposite to our policies was.

 

[TheVictors]

The Neo-con movement is shady and scary

 

[tinselwolverine]

Additionally it appears that the sequester is going to happen.

Assuming it does, significant cuts in the defense budget will be mandated by law.

So arguably, it makes sense to have a guy in there who is all the mind to cut the fat out already.