Article

2012-12-25 Home Front: Politix

Archived material is restricted to Rantburg regulars and members. If you need access email fred.pruitt=at=gmail.com with your nick to be added to the members list. There is no charge to join Rantburg as a member.

Posted by trailing wife 2012-12-25 00:00|| E-Mail|| Front Page|| [11134 views ] Top

#1 A senior administration official told National Journal on Sunday that it was fair to say Obama is considering candidates other than Hagel for Defense secretary, in particular Michele Flournoy, who was under secretary of Defense for policy in Obama's first term, and Ashton Carter, the current deputy Defense secretary.

Selecting Hagel was one of two things:

A move right out of the liberal playbook: Show you're willing to 'reach across the aisle', but make sure the candidate was a maverick (I suspect they briefly considered asking McCain, but the White House burned that bridge years ago)

Or -

The two alternates are who the administration actually wants. Probably Flournoy more than Carter. The White House wants to tighten its control over the Pentagon. Flournoy is more the ideological soulmate.

Posted by Pappy 2012-12-25 00:53|| 2012-12-25 00:53|| Front Page Top

#2 Nothing wrong with Hagel. He served honorably in Vietnam and was awarded two PH's and the CIB. The 9th Infantry Division was no bunch of FOB queens, and Hagel was right in the middle of the shi* as an enlisted man. He went on to do a lot for military veterans. Quite frankly, I think we wore out the racist, homophobe, uncle Tom, and anti-Semitic labeling long ago. I'm staunchly pro-Israel, but anyone who says anything even moderately negative about the Jewish community is immediately labeled anti-Semitic.

Posted by Besoeker 2012-12-25 04:28|| 2012-12-25 04:28|| Front Page Top

#3 Keep fighting boys---while Michele Flournoy becomes SecDef to preside over "transforming" your millitary.

Posted by g(r)omgoru 2012-12-25 06:16|| 2012-12-25 06:16|| Front Page Top

#4 Take a look at the economic profile of Hagel's native Nebraska. Kindly note the absence of demographic data.

Posted by Besoeker 2012-12-25 10:22|| 2012-12-25 10:22|| Front Page Top

#5 Besoeker (#4)???????????

Posted by g(r)omgoru 2012-12-25 11:40|| 2012-12-25 11:40|| Front Page Top

#6 Let's look on the bright side, at least Hagel probably doesn't believe in Nation-Building in the Middle East.

Posted by Thing From Snowy Mountain 2012-12-25 12:28|| 2012-12-25 12:28|| Front Page Top

#7 Nothing wrong with Hagel

Oh, he's an equal opportunity sonuvabitch, I'll grant you that.

It's quite an accomplishment to be able to p*ss-off everyone in the Senate except for the janitor.

Posted by Pappy 2012-12-25 23:32|| 2012-12-25 23:32|| Front Page Top

00:12 JosephMendiola
23:44 JosephMendiola
23:42 JosephMendiola
23:32 Pappy
23:26 Pappy
22:41 Barbara
22:39 Barbara
22:34 trailing wife
22:14 Redneck Jim
22:08 Redneck Jim
22:04 Redneck Jim
22:02 Redneck Jim
21:52 dan
20:58 JosephMendiola
20:49 Frank G
20:22 JosephMendiola
20:00 JosephMendiola
19:46 JosephMendiola
19:40 JosephMendiola
19:33 Mike Kozlowski
18:54 Bright Pebbles
18:29 Frank G
18:25 Frank G
18:04 Shipman
Merry-Go-Blog