Interesting days in Washington...
GOP Senator Richard Shelby of Alabama is on record saying that he will now vote for Chuck Hagel tobe conformed as Secretary of Defense.
"He’s probably as good as we’re going to get," Shelby said of Hagel in a Wednesday speech, according to a report in the Decatur Daily.
As good as we're going to get? Now, there's a rationale for making a clueless anti-Israel, pro-Iran and pro-Islamist Secretary of Defense if I ever heard one.
A deal of some kind was obviously made between Shelby and the White House since Shelby also apparently kissed off a large chunk of the GOP caucus at the same time. His announcement came at the same time that 15 GOP Senators led by John Cornyn ( R-TX) sent a letter to President Obama asking him to withdraw the Hagel nomination:
“While we respect Sen. Hagel’s honorable military service, in the interest of national security, we respectfully request that you withdraw his nomination.It would be unprecedented for a Secretary of Defense to take office without the broad base of bipartisan support and confidence needed to serve effectively in this critical position.
While Senator Hagel’s erratic record and myriad conversions on key national security issues are troubling enough, his statements regarding Iran were disconcerting. More than once during the hearing, he proclaimed the legitimacy of the current regime in Tehran, which has violently repressed its own citizens, rigged recent elections, provided material support for terrorism, and denied the Holocaust.
Regarding U.S. policy on Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons, Senator Hagel displayed a seeming ambivalence about whether containment or prevention is the best approach, which gives us great concern. Any sound strategy on Iran must be underpinned by the highly credible threat of U.S. military force, and there is broad bipartisan agreement on that point.If Senator Hagel becomes Secretary of Defense, the military option will have near zero credibility. This sends a dangerous message to the regime in Tehran, as it seeks to obtain the means necessary to harm both the United States and Israel.
The letter is signed by Senators John Cornyn (R-Tex.), Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), David Vitter (R-La.), Ted Cruz (R-Tex.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Dan Coats (R-Ind.), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) and Tim Scott (R-S.C.).
You'll notice John McCain's name isn't on the list. Yes, Chuck Hagel, shamefully, is a step closer to confirmation.
Even from a standpoint of intelligent politics, conforming Hagel makes non sense. Even the dumbest, egocentric RINO ought to realize that Hagel is simply a Republican fig leaf for President Obama's hollowing out of our military. When the inevitable crunch comes, the Leftist media talking heads will be sure to mention that the damage was done by Chuck Hagel, a R E P U B L I C A N.
The letter also makes a point I've mentioned on these pages. What kind of message does the White House thinks nominating people like Hagel, John Brennan and John Kerry to key national security posts sends to the Ayatollahs? To Israel? To the Islamists. To our diminishing number of friends and allies in that part of the world?
On second thought, that's probably exactly the message President Obama and his enablers want to send. Particularly to Israel.
Appeasement is always a zero sum game...because it never ends, and the price just keeps getting higher.
No comments:
Post a Comment