Fresh off of his Christmas vacation in Hawaii, President Obama used his first day back on the job yesterday to nominate former Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel as his choice for Secretary of Defense, and current Counterterrorism Adviser John Brennan for CIA Director.
Both choices are well qualified for their respective positions, however both are also considered controversial for very different reasons.
Chuck Hagel, a Republican and Vietnam vet, is considered too soft on defense by members of his own party, for opposing the Iraq war and for saying he believes war should only come as a last resort. He is also under fire for past remarks he made regarding an openly gay Ambassador and for saying he was concerned about the power of the “Jewish lobby.”
As for CIA nominee John Brennan, he is actually considered too harsh when it comes to national security. This reputation supposedly comes from his work with the Bush administration during their use of controversial torture tactics in the name of national security.
Traditionally, presidential nominations are swiftly confirmed by the senate, giving the president the team he wants alongside him in his administration. However, a weakened Republican party has recently taken to attempting to micromanage the presidency by throwing a monkey wrench into presidential appointments.
Still, despite what will likely be a contentious confirmation battle, political pundits believe both men will be confirmed and will soon serve at the privilege of the president.
I'm definitely pleased with the Hagel pick. I honestly don't know enough about Brennan to have an informed opinion. However, if the President thinks he's "the man" for the job, than so be it. I too believe that despite the theater that'll likely be fully acted out by some Senators (Repubs and perhaps even a few Dems), "both men will be confirmed and will soon serve at the privilege of the president." The big losers in all this: The neoCons and *Israel-First* crowd (including the puppet-politicians who are afraid of the Israeli Lobby) Note: Word is that the Israeli lobby has chosen to NOT oppose Hagel's nomination..at least not publicly anyway. The same is reported to be true of the ADL. In both cases, I suspect (if true) it's because those extremely PRO-Israel groups don't want to attract the ATTENTION of the greater American public to the unholy alliance that… Read more »