The press and the clacks in Congress are making big noise over Hagel. Quite a contrast to the Hillary hearing. Hagel is giving them all a safe target and he pushed the real news off the radar

When the Hagel white noise isn’t needed anymore, the WH ops will move on and the MSM can put down their outrage masks

It is a different job he is ‘auditioning’ for, but would Hagel have done a worse job on Benghazi than Hillary? Not that the real reasons behind the Benghazi debacle are acknowledged at any level. but heck, maybe Hagel wouldn’t have caught on, maybe he is so brain dead, he would have sent the ambassador reinforcements.

In any case, Hagel is performing well, obfuscating the real news

antifederalist on February 1, 2013 at 3:27 PM

Just curious, would you refer to what our servicemen/women are doing in Afghanistan as a “sickening slaughter”? Because we’re killing them and they’re killing us it’s a pox on both of our houses – a “sickening slaughter” of sorts, right? Everyone’s at fault. There’s no such thing as a righteous war, even when Obama campaigned on exactly that premise in 2008. Moron.

It just gets worse and worse for Chuckles doesn’t it? Not only did he say that Israel’s defending themselves from Iranian aggression were engaged in a “sickening slaughter,” he also said they were involved in the “continuation of the systematic destruction of an American friend, the country and people of Lebanon”. What an evil, stupid, un-American, a-hole. He truly is a democrat, perfect nominee for someone like the crack smoker in chief. He disdain of Israel matches his disdain of the 30 million Iraqis liberated by Bush. At least Obama admitted he was wrong about the surge.
sheikh of thornton on February 1, 2013 at 4:29 PM

Ask Iraqi Christians if they were liberated.

Full quote from Hagel taken out of context by the lying liar Red Cruz

How do we realistically believe that a continuation of the systematic destruction of an American friend, the country and people of Lebanon, is going to enhance America’s image and give us the trust and credibility to lead a lasting and sustained peace effort in the Middle East?

The sickening slaughter on both sides must end, and it must end now. President Bush must call for an immediate cease-fire. This madness must stop. The Middle East today is more combustible and complex than it has ever been. Uncertain popular support for regime legitimacy continues to weaken governments in the Middle East. Economic stagnation, persistent unemployment, deepening despair, and wider unrest enhance the ability of terrorists to recruit and succeed.

An Iran with nuclear weapons raises the specter of broader proliferation and a fundamental strategic realignment in the region, creating more regional instability. America’s approach to the Middle East must be consistent and sustained, and it must understand the history, the interests, and the perspectives of our regional friends and allies.

The United States will remain committed to defending Israel. Our relationship with Israel is a special and historic one. But it need not and cannot be at the expense of our Arab and Muslim relationships. That is an irresponsible and dangerous false choice.

antifederalist on February 1, 2013 at 3:30 PM

It just gets worse and worse for Chuckles doesn’t it? Not only did he say that Israel’s defending themselves from Iranian aggression were engaged in a “sickening slaughter,” he also said they were involved in the “continuation of the systematic destruction of an American friend, the country and people of Lebanon”. What an evil, stupid, un-American, a-hole. He truly is a democrat, perfect nominee for someone like the crack smoker in chief. He disdain of Israel matches his disdain of the 30 million Iraqis liberated by Bush. At least Obama admitted he was wrong about the surge.

…right-wingers like McCain, Graham…

O.o

How do we realistically believe that a continuation of the systematic destruction of an American friend, the country and people of Lebanon, is going to enhance America’s image and give us the trust and credibility to lead a lasting and sustained peace effort in the Middle East?

The sickening slaughter on both sides must end, and it must end now. President Bush must call for an immediate cease-fire. This madness must stop. The Middle East today is more combustible and complex than it has ever been. Uncertain popular support for regime legitimacy continues to weaken governments in the Middle East. Economic stagnation, persistent unemployment, deepening despair, and wider unrest enhance the ability of terrorists to recruit and succeed.

An Iran with nuclear weapons raises the specter of broader proliferation and a fundamental strategic realignment in the region, creating more regional instability. America’s approach to the Middle East must be consistent and sustained, and it must understand the history, the interests, and the perspectives of our regional friends and allies.

The United States will remain committed to defending Israel. Our relationship with Israel is a special and historic one. But it need not and cannot be at the expense of our Arab and Muslim relationships. That is an irresponsible and dangerous false choice.

Darn that Chuck Hagel for backing down

It’s hard to defend oneself against a bunch of lying and deceiving GOP senators who have it in for you. Here is a good summary of the GOP deception machine:

http://mobile.slate.com/blogs/weigel/2013/01/31/ted_cruz_s_bogus_attack_on_hagel.html?original_referrer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theamericanconservative.com%2Fhagel-on-the-dock%2F

New Sen. Ted Cruz brought three—count ‘em—visual aids to his interrogation of Defense Secretary nominee Chuck Hagel. He played two clips from Hagel’s interviews on Arab-language media, attempting to prove that Hagel agreed with callers who accused Israel of “war crimes” and the United States of “bullying,” because he quickly agreed with the questions and moved on. The third aid was a chart blowing up a July 31, 2006 quote from Hagel, during Israel’s conflict with Hezbollah.

“In a speech on the floor of the Senate you referred to Israel’s military campaign against the terrorist group Hezbollah as a, quote, ‘sickening slaughter,’” said Cruz. “Do you think it’s right that Israel was committing, quote, a ‘sickening slaughter,’ as you said on the floor of the Senate?”

As with so much else today, Hagel was caught short, and tried to explain why “slaughter” might occur if “war crimes” didn’t. It was another hit he should have seen coming; the Weekly Standard, in a morning cheat sheet of Hagel quotes, reported that Hagel “accused Israel of carrying out a ‘sickening slaughter’ in Lebanon.”

But it’s misleading. Hagel’s full speech is available on C-SPAN, and here’s the larger context of the quote.

Of course, all of this deception is performed with Hotair.com’s approval

I’d rather have Maxine Waters in place.

Hagel is a malicious and deceiving Obama capo.