The White House on Thursday came to the defense of former Republican
Senator Chuck Hagel against critics who have attacked his record on
Israel and Iran in a bid to head off his possible nomination as
President Barack Obama’s next Pentagon chief.
With Hagel considered a leading choice for defense secretary, the
administration joined allies rallying to support him against the
onslaught, led by some pro-Israel groups and neo-conservatives, but also
including former colleagues on Capitol Hill.
It was the second time since Obama’s re-election last month that the
White House has found itself forced to defend a Cabinet candidate who
has yet to be nominated for anything, a source of frustration for the
president’s advisers.
Obama’s aides have been preparing for a realignment of his national
security team, possibly by Friday, sources familiar with the process
have said. But with Obama focused on the “fiscal cliff” standoff and the
Hagel controversy also fueling concerns, an announcement could easily
be delayed.
Some American Jewish leaders contend Hagel, who left the Senate in
2008, at times opposed Israel’s interests, voting several times against
U.S. sanctions on Iran, and made disparaging remarks about the influence
of what he called a “Jewish lobby” in Washington.
White House spokesman Jay Carney made clear Obama’s faith in the former lawmaker, who is a decorated Vietnam war veteran.
“Senator Hagel fought and bled for his country. He served his country
well. He was an excellent senator,” Carney said, without acknowledging
that Hagel was under consideration to succeed Defense Secretary Leon
Panetta. He did not address any of the specific criticisms aimed at
Hagel.
The controversy over Hagel’s possible nomination comes after U.N.
Ambassador Susan Rice withdrew from consideration for secretary of state
last week amid withering attacks from Republicans over her role in
initial explanations of the deadly September assault on the U.S.
consulate in Benghazi, Libya.
“We’ve been through this before with Ambassador Rice where there’s an effort to go after somebody,” Carney said.
The drumbeat of criticism against Hagel could prompt Obama to
reconsider whether it would be worth the likely Senate confirmation
battle. But the White House has given no sign of dropping him the
president’s short list.
Obama himself has been criticized by some Jewish leaders for his
approach to close U.S. ally Israel, especially given his strained
relations with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
BATTLE LINES DRAWN
Some of the attacks on Hagel stem from comments he made to former
U.S. diplomat Aaron David Miller for his 2008 book, “The Much Too
Promised Land,” in which Hagel was quoted as saying, “The Jewish lobby
intimidates a lot of people up here.”
Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a member of the Armed
Services Committee, said earlier this week that Hagel would “have to
answer for that comment” if he is nominated.
William Kristol of the conservative Weekly Standard wrote in a recent
column that Hagel “has anti-Israel, pro-appeasement-of-Iran bona
fides.”
Hagel’s supporters have started firing back, insisting he has shown himself supportive of Israel and tough on Iran.
“His views are strong, solid on American foreign policy. I’m amazed
at the turnout of the neo-cons and so on,” Brent Scowcroft, national
security adviser under President George H.W. Bush, told Reuters.
He was referring to the neo-conservatives, a loose group of
right-wing foreign policy thinkers who gained ascendancy during the
tenure of Obama’s Republican predecessor, George W. Bush.
And Jeremy Ben-Ami, president of J Street, a liberal American Jewish
group, denounced what he said was a “smear campaign” against Hagel.
Democratic presidents have sometimes turned to Republicans to fill
key national security posts. Former President Bill Clinton chose former
Senator William Cohen to lead the Defense Department, and Obama kept
Robert Gates, former President George W. Bush’s last defense secretary,
on board for part of his term.
QUESTIONS ON CUBA
Florida Republican Senator Marco Rubio’s office said he also would
have questions about Hagel’s record on Cuba, and raised the possibility
of putting a hold on his nomination. Hagel has voiced doubts about the
wisdom and effectiveness of maintaining the decades-old U.S. trade
embargo on communist Cuba.
“Promoting democracy in Latin America is a priority for Senator
Rubio, and he’s put holds on other administration nominees over the
issue,” said Rubio spokesman Alex Conant.
“If President Obama were to nominate Senator Hagel for a cabinet
position, I’m sure we would have questions about Cuba positions.” Rubio
is Cuban-American.
Adding to the sense of battle lines drawn, Hagel’s critics and allies are circulating dueling fact-sheets on Capitol Hill.
Many Republicans consider Hagel suspect. He was an early dissenter on
the Iraq war - an issue that helped Obama rise to prominence - and
crossed the aisle to endorse the president in his successful re-election
bid this year.
Since leaving the Senate after two terms, he has also been a vocal critic of his own party’s fiscal policies.
Obama is said to feel comfortable with Hagel. The two traveled
together to the Middle East during the 2008 campaign. Hagel currently
co-chairs Obama’s Intelligence Advisory Board.
http://www.vosizneias.com/119919/2012/12/20/washington-white-house-defends-hagel-as-obama-mulls-pentagon-choice
Friday 21 December 2012
White House Defends Hagel
Posted @ 04:06
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