Big changes coming in the Obama cabinet. Already, he has nominated John Kerry to replace Hillary Clinton, after striking out on undeserved opposition to Susan Rice, his obvious first choice.
Now, opposition is mounting in the Senate to his rumored first choice for Secretary of Defense, former Senator Chuck Hagel.
Hagel would make a first rate Secretary of Defense. A moderate Republican and former Senator from Nebraska, Hagel currently co-chairs President Obama's Intelligence Advisory Board. He is Purple Heart Viet Nam War veteran and, in the Senate, he has served on both the Foreign Relations and the Intelligence Committees.
Opposition to Hagel's nomination comes primarily from conservatives who say his policy views are "out of the mainstream." Frankly, that's what makes him such a good choice, in my opinion. After voting for the Iraq war, he soon became a critic and wanted to bring it to an end. However, he has mostly angered conservatives for speaking forthrightly about Israel. Although he is a staunch supporter of Israel's survival, he does not remain silent about the current Israeli policy toward Palestine. In fact, he believes that the survival of Israel, as well as peace in the Middle East, depends on reining in its current self-destructive direction and a revival of the center-left political influence.
He has even been described as to the left of President Obama on some issues concerning the Middle East, including Iran, where he would push for diplomatic negotiations rather than military action.
So. Wouldn't it be a good idea to have him in a significant place in our government?
Ralph
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Barney Frank says he strongly opposes Hagel's nomination for Secretary of Defense because of his anti-gay remarks made in 1998 when an openly gay man was being appointed ambassador to Luxemburg by President Clinton.
ReplyDeleteHagel called him "openly, aggressively gay" and said that his sexual orientation would be an inhibiting factor that would prevent him from doing an effective job.
Since his potential nomination has been publically discussed, he has apologized, saying his remarks "were insensitive." That's not good enough for Barney and many others. Is this just the obligatory cleaning up of past remarks when someone faces public scrutiny? Has he had a sincere change of attitude?
My guess is that he would not have been a good person to have in that position during the implementation of the DOMA repeal. And I would rather have someone who does not have such feelings now -- or in the past. But it was 14 years ago, and many people have changed.