His contributions are many. If you had been watching C-SPAN hearings on Hagel confirmation this morning, you would have been impressed with the comments of Illinois Senator Dick Durbin on the many ways Hagel has served the country. They were many, and for reasons of wanting to be totally accurate in response to your question, I will comment on one that really stands out. During the Viet Nam War he was sent to a safe post in Europe. At that time, he requested a change so he could participate in the war zone in Viet Nam. There, in the war zone, he received many awards for performance in active duty.
Trotting out the commentary of Dick Durbin is not a very effective strategy. Didn’t he compare U.S. troops to Nazis and more in the not-too-distant past?
It is not unfair to judge a nominee on his past, and Hagel’s service is certainly a big weight on the positive side of the balance. However, the negatives of the past decade or so very much outweigh his service positives. Like McCain and Kerry, whatever honor they once had has been fed to the fire to fuel their political careers. This is not a thing to be celebrated...
Service does not always equate to qualification. McCain served and sacrificed, yet he has voted consistently to reduce our freedoms and against rights spelled out in the Constitution. Hagel served, but his comments, not just occasional stupid comments like Biden’s, show a consistent anti-military, anti strong US and pro enemy ideology. He is not who should be in charge of the US military
I'm never impressed by Dick Durbin.
John Murtha was also a decorated Vietnam veteran. What are your thoughts on him, since you brought up Abu Ghraib?
Dick Durbin?!?!?! Really!?!?!
NOTHING, and I repeat NOTHING Durbin says would impress me EVER!!!!!