Rejecting Chuck Hagel (no longer under consideration?)

Free Beacon ^

[Perdogg]

Former Republican Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel may no longer be President Obama’s favored pick to run the Defense Department, sources told the Free Beacon.

Hagel immediately drew a frosty reception from observers who criticized him for advocating in favor of direct unconditional talks with Iran and for backing sizable cuts to the defense budget.

[Buckeye McFrog]

I’m inclined not to believe it.

The Senate is a chummy, chummy club that would never turn its back on one of its own.

[bigbob]

Nebraskans will be happy - they’re really turned their back on the guy after he endorsed Kerrey et al.

[capydick]

I wonder if he still has a drinking problem?

[Trapped Behind Enemy Lines]

Wish Hagel and Colon Bowel would join the Dem Party and make it official. Charlie Crist did the right thing in that regard. And they should follow suite. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.

[Political Junkie Too]

The Senate is a chummy, chummy club that would never turn its back on one of its own.

They turned their backs on John Ashcroft when George Bush nominated him for Attorney General.

The only Democrats who voted to confirm Ashroft were Chris Dodd, Zell Miller, John Breaux, Ben Nelson, Kent Conrad, Byron Dorgan, Robert Byrd, and Russ Feingold. 42 Democrats voted NO.

Even the widow Carnahan voted against Ashcroft, after he graciously refused to challenge the illegitimacy of her being named to replace a dead candidate who should have been removed from the ballot. Any vote for the late Mel Carnahan should have been treated as a wasted vote, not a vote for an appointment to be named later.

-PJ

[SoFloFreeper]

Hagel under the bus. He is such a liberal punk, he probably put himself there willingly for his hero Obama.

[Kolath]

Near the end of his 2nd Senatorial term, “Chucky” pretty much outstayed his welcome (for a variety of reasons) as the voters turned sour on. He knew he was gonna get primaried BIG TIME (and this was before the TP).

Good riddance Chucky.

[txrangerette]

Even longer ago, during GHWB’s administration, the Senate refused to confirm John Tower as Secretary of Defense. One of its own for many years...

[stylin19a]

Why ? If true, aren't those Obama’s positions ?

or is it apparent those positions are filibuster material ?

[Windy City Conservative]

Hagel was a thorn in the side of the Bush Admin during the War in Iraq. I understand we want to get out of Iraq these days, but Hagel was waving the white flag early. I won’t miss seeing him in a high profile position.

[piasa]

One of Chuck Hagel's backers is Lebanese businessman Elias Aburdene. He is in turn connected to Mohammed Al-Amoudi and bill Clinton's advisor on African Affairs, Joe Wilson [former US ambassador to Gabon, who thought Niger's uranium was too secure for Iraq to seek it, though Libya had no trouble acquiring it.] Aburdene is chairman of Alamoudi's Rock Creek Corporation, and he hired Joe Wilson. Aburdene set up a PAC for Hagel.

SEPTEMBER 2002 : (SENATOR HAGEL GOES ON TRIP TO IRAQ SPONSORED BY OIL FOR FOOD BANDIT AL KHAFAGI) Shakir Al-Khafaji (12 million barrels), a well-connected Detroit-area businessman who led a delegation of anti-war Congressional Democrats to Baghdad in September 2002 and who funded an anti-sanctions documentary produced by former weapons inspector Scott Ritter. Ritter and Congressional Democrats. Which Congressional Democrats? 2 posted on 10/28/2005 9:36:24 AM PDT by ncountylee | To 1
******
To: ncountylee Chuckie Hagel was on that trip. 14 posted on 11/03/2005 9:07:31 AM PST by Eva | To 2

[piasa]

(ISRAEL CAPTURES THE IRANIAN VESSEL THE KARINNA A -— SEE HAGEL) There’s something very odd about Chuck Hagel. He’s been among a very small minority of Senators to vote against resolutions in support of Israel; and when the Israelis captured that Iranian vessel, the Karinna A., with arms destined for the Palestinians, he said immediately that we shouldn’t believe the Israelis, that they were just trying to stir things up against Iran.————72 posted on 01/11/2007 5:54:11 PM PST by BusterBear | To 6

[piasa]

THE ROLE OF CHARITIES AND NGO’S IN THE FINANCING OF TERRORIST ACTIVITIES SUBCOMMITTEE ON INTERNATIONAL TRADE ^ | AUGUST 1, 2002 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1424158/posts
...”Dr. Wiktorowicz, invited at the request of Senator Hagel, is an acknowledged expert on Islamic culture, including charities, and will discuss the scope of the problem and the importance of charity in the Muslim community.”..
81 posted on 07/14/2005 9:04:34 PM PDT by Fedora | To 73

[piasa]

OCTOBER 28, 2009 WED : (OBAMA INTRODUCES CHUCK HAGEL & DAVID BOREN AS CO-CHAIRMEN OF THE PRESIDENT’S INTELLIGENCE ADVISORY BOARD / PIAB [WHICH WOULD EXPLAIN THE BAD INTELLIGENCE WE SEE LATER]-——see IOB)————“Obama names Hagel co-chairman of intelligence board”, By CORY MATTESON / Lincoln Journal Star | Posted: Wednesday, October 28, 2009 7:45 pmhttp://journalstar.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/article_9ef29dee-c424-11de-b267-001cc4c002e0.html
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http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2373623/posts
16 posted on Saturday, October 31, 2009 5:32:49 AM by Cindy
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http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/paperchase/2009/10/obama-signs-executive-order.php
9 posted on Saturday, October 31, 2009 4:57:41 AM by Cindy
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Cabinet Room 1:41 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, everybody. Today I am proud to announce the newest members of my national security team. I just met with them in the Oval Office, and I’m very pleased to have two extraordinary Americans — Senators Chuck Hagel and David Boren have agreed to serve as co-chairmen of my Intelligence Advisory Board — Intelligence Advisory Board, otherwise known as PIAB.
Now, since Dwight Eisenhower, Presidents have relied on the advisory board for advice on intelligence matters, and under Chuck and Dave’s leadership, I will be looking for the board to provide me with objective, independent, and non-partisan counsel as we work to strengthen our intelligence community and our national security.
And that’s why we’re joined today by my DNI, Director of National Intelligence, Denny Blair, and leaders from all 16 of our agencies involved with intelligence gathering. They represent countless men and women, uniformed and civilian, who work, often in obscurity, to keep our country safe.
Now, in recent months we’ve seen some of their successes, in partnership with law enforcement and homeland security — real progress against al Qaeda and its extremist allies. And we thank those behind these successes, and we pledge to continue to provide the utmost support to them. Having Chuck Hagel and Dave Boren next to me I think is going to help us do an even better job.
Chuck understands that accurate and timely intelligence is essential for effective foreign policy. He served for many years as — on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and six years on the Senate Elect Committee on Intelligence. And I came to appreciate his sound judgments in our travels together overseas, including to Iraq and Afghanistan.
He also understands, from personal experience, the need to protect our troops and provide them with the best possible intelligence. During Vietnam, Sergeant Hagel served as an infantry squad leader, along with his brother, where they both were wounded twice. I thank Chuck for his lifetime of service and his willingness to serve once again.
David is a longtime champion of intelligence reform. He was the longest-serving chairman in the history of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. In that time, he authored the legislation that created an independent inspector general at the CIA and major reforms to our oversight of covert actions.
David was also the leading force behind legislation that has encouraged thousands of American college students to study abroad to deepen their knowledge of the world and cultures. I thank David for agreeing to serve in this capacity, even as he continues to lead the University of Oklahoma. And we are sorry about Bradford’s shoulder.
SENATOR BOREN: Thank you. (Laughter.)
THE PRESIDENT: I look forward to working with Chuck and David in their new roles. They will report to me, they will have my full support, and they will have the full cooperation of my National Security Council staff and the organizations represented here.
We are off to a good start with this meeting — by welcoming the press, which past advisory boards have rarely done. That’s a reflection of my administration’s commitment to transparency and open government — even, when appropriate, on matters of national security and intelligence.
In the near future, I’ll be naming additional members to the board. I look forward to Chuck, David, and these men and women around the table for their candid and unvarnished advice on the quality and accuracy of our intelligence and the effectiveness of our intelligence community.
Our work is clear. The organizations represented here have made real progress in recent years. But we all agree that more needs to be done — to improve the collection of intelligence, to ensure that analysis reaches senior decision-makers in a timely way, and to provide strong oversight to ensure that our intelligence activities are consistent with our democratic values and the rule of law.
The American people — and the men and women of our intelligence community as well — deserve nothing less. As I’ve said in my recent visits to the National Counterterrorism Center and the Joint Terrorism Task Force, we are extraordinarily grateful to them for the hard work, without any fanfare, that they do to keep the American people safe.
That’s what I’m committed to doing as President, and that’s why I want to again thank Senators Hagel and Boren for agreeing to serve in this capacity. I think they are going to be a invaluable resource to all of us sitting around the table.
Thank you very much, everybody.
END 1:46 P.M. EDT-——— “Remarks by the President Before Meeting with the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board Co-Chairmen and Senior Leadership of the Intelligence Community,” Speeches & Remarks, The White House
Office of the Press Secretary, For Immediate Release October 28, 2009
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/remarks-president-meeting-with-presidents-intelligence-advisory-board-co-chairmen-a
6 posted on Saturday, October 31, 2009 4:54:36 AM by Cindy

[Cindy]

Thanks for updating this thread, Piasa.

[Fedora]

Thanks for the ping! I remember that.

[Eva]

I have been searching and searching for that thread that you quoted about Hagel, the Sand Creek PAC and Elias Aburdene and it just won’t come up. Do you have a link?

I sure wish that Clarisse Feldman (aka: Fedora) would weigh in on Hagel, she did a lot of research on him and most of her links are now dead.

[piasa]

I’m not sure what thread that was on other than I think it was a thread concerning al Amoudi.

Looking at the replies it was probably dated the same day or a day before: 11/03/2005 . Might look for an alAmoudi or Nigerflap keyword thread with that date.

[Eva]

I found one little bit of information regarding Alamoudi that was really interesting. Alamoudi was tied to the plot to kill the Saudi King that was planned in Libya.