It is funny to watch conservatives get so upset about the nomination of Chuck Hagel for secretary of Defense. John McCain recently blasted Hagel for opposing the troop surge in Iraq.
Hagel as secretary of defense will change nothing when it comes to U.S. foreign or military policy. Will the U.S. Navy no longer be a global force for evil (not good as the commercials say)? Of course not. Does Hagel want to bring all U.S. troops home from overseas? Of course not. Has he ever said that U.S. troops should no longer be in Germany, Japan, and Italy–since WWII ended in 1945? Of course not. Does Hagel want to close all foreign military bases? Of course not. Does he want to close any? I mean out of principle, not because they are no longer an efficient use of resources. Does Hagel think very highly of the U.S. military and its role in the world? Of course he does. Will Hagel be loyal to the president and his foreign and military policy objectives? Of course he will. Does Hagel think that the U.S. military should withdraw from the Middle East and stop intervening? Of course not. Would Hagel be “better” than Rumsfeld? Only in the sense that getting hit 9 times is better than 10 or getting $9 stolen is better than $10.
12:23 pm on February 1, 2013
