Photo: Flickr/ Secretary of Defense
President Obama has nominated former Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel to be Secretary of Defense and counter-terror advisor John Brennan to head the CIA. Both nominations are extremely problematic for pro-Israel Americans, and the Hagel nomination is especially worrisome for those who care about the Jewish community.
Let’s start with Sen. Hagel. If he were merely a non-interventionist who favored budget cuts for the Pentagon and opposed American projection of power, we would have a hard time opposing his nomination; there is a general agreement in the U.S. that presidents have a right to the cabinet members they want. If President Obama wants a Secretary of Defense who thinks that American military power is a bad thing … well, that’s why we have elections.
But Sen. Hagel is not merely bad on general policies regarding our military. He is specifically anti-Israel, opposed to sanctions on Iran, in favor of negotiating with the terrorist group Hamas, and had a reputation among the Jewish community in Nebraska for being hostile not just to Israel, but to Jews. He has made conspiratorial comments about a “Jewish lobby” as opposed to a pro-Israel lobby – as if Christians (like many of our readers) are not heavily involved in pro-Israel advocacy. He advocated closure of a USO facility in the Israeli port of Haifa, telling a Jewish group that, if the American Jewish community wanted the facility open, “let the Jews pay for it.” As a Senator, he refused to condemn anti-Semitism in Russia, and refused to call on the EU to add Hezbollah to its terror list. He has no signature legislation or policy accomplishments. His nomination is offensive and, frankly, mystifying.
Mr. Brennan is also problematic. He has referred to Jerusalem by its Arabic name, “al Quds.” He suggested, after a visit to Lebanon in 2010, that U.S. policy should be to “build up the more moderate elements” of Hezbollah – an Iranian-funded terrorist organization that, until 9/11, had killed more Americans than any other, and that still exports terrorism around the world (in other words, WHAT moderate elements is Mr. Brennan talking about?).
It is our hope that senators will oppose Sen. Hagel’s nomination. While President Obama does, under normal circumstances, have the right to choose his cabinet, the Senate has the power to “advise and consent” to those nominations. We hope you will call your Senators today and urge them to oppose Chuck Hagel’s nomination for Secretary of Defense and, at least, ask some tough questions about John Brennan’s nomination for Director of Central Intelligence.
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