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Note: The following text is a quote: Home • Briefing Room • Presidential Actions • Executive Orders The White House Office of the Press Secretary For Immediate Release October 29, 2009 President Obama Signs Executive Order to Amend Executive Order 13462 THE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press Secretary __________________________________________________________________________ For Immediate Release October 28, 2009 EXECUTIVE ORDER ---------------- AMENDING EXECUTIVE ORDER 13462 By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered as follows: Section 1. Executive Order 13462 of February 29, 2008, is amended...

On Wednesday, President Barack Obama introduced former Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel and former Oklahoma Sen. David Boren as co-chairmen of the President's Intelligence Advisory Board. The goal of the board, Hagel said Wednesday, is to provide "thoughtful, informed and independent advice" to the president regarding America's intelligence-gathering agencies and how they can best work effectively to collect and share information to make critical decisions. In a phone interview from his Georgetown University office, he said intelligence directs America's security efforts, informs policy and ultimately protects the country from not only terrorist and militaristic threats, but also energy and economic crises....

President Obama is adding to his anti-Jew crew. Former Republican Senator Chuck Hagel has been named co-chair of President's Intelligence Advisory Board. Hagel will be charged with overseeing the work of the intelligence agencies for the president and investigating violations of law by the clandestine community. Hagel joins Anti-Israel appointees such as Samantha Power and General Jones on the President's "anti-Jew" crew. Steve Clemons, foreign policy head of George Soros' New America Foundation, announced Hagel's move at the Tuesday evening gala dinner hosted by the Anti-Israel organization J Street as part of their first annual conference. How Anti-Israel is Chuck...

The Subprime home mortgage collapse...a Primer. It's ALL about the CRA of 1977 Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) of 1977 - This required banks to offer credit throughout their entire market area for “underserved” populations and small businesses. The CRA gave incentives to help low income borrowers become “home owners”. Liberals call this group “low income borrowers”. Conservatives call them a RISK!The CRA was passed by the Carter administration. In 1995 the Clinton administration authorized subprime loans under the CRA. Democrats added these provisions for the securitization of subprime loans and then ENFORCED the lending to high risk individuals. By 2000,...

Ted Sorensen said Tuesday the election of Barack Obama makes him even more proud of his country and “more optimistic” about its future. The president-elect is “up to any task, any challenge,” Sorensen said. As one foreign statesman told him in a private letter, Sorensen said, “the day Obama walks into the White House, respect for the United States will rise immeasurably all over the world.” The election of the country’s first black president “says good things about America,” Sorensen said. Sorensen, who was chief adviser and speechwriter for President John F. Kennedy, was in Lincoln for a series of...

Door, meet Hagel. That's how many Republicans are likely to react after retiring Nebraska senator Chuck Hagel blasted Republicans in general and Rush Limbaugh in particular, claiming Rush and fellow conservative talkers "don't have any answers." David Shuster, subbing for Olbermann on tonight's Countdown, highlighted Hagel's remarks of today. View video here. After rolling tape of two Republican senators looking on the bright side, Shuster quoted at length from Hagel, whose name had been bandied about as a possible Obama VP pick. SHUSTER: Not all of the GOP is so sunny about their party. Retiring Senator Chuck Hagel of Nebraska...

Door, meet Hagel. That's how many Republicans are likely to react after the retiring Nebraska senator blasted Republicans in general and Rush Limbaugh in particular, claiming Rush and fellow conservative talkers "don't have any answers." David Shuster, subbing for Olbermann on tonight's Countdown, highlighted Hagel's remarks of today. View video here.

As his Senate career nears its end, Republican Chuck Hagel isn't holding back when it comes to criticizing members of his own party — including conservative talk radio hosts. "We are educated by the great entertainers like Rush Limbaugh," Hagel said Tuesday during a speech in Washington, according to the Huffington Post. "You know, I wish Rush Limbaugh and others like that would run for office," a sarcastic Hagel continued. "They have so much to contribute and so much leadership and they have an answer for everything. And they would be elected overwhelmingly. [The truth is] they try to rip...

Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel's former chief of staff is endorsing Democrat Jim Esch in Nebraska's 2nd District House race. Lou Ann Linehan was Hagel's top aide for years and has been involved in Republican politics for more than 20 years. She served a short stint as executive director of the state party in 2006, taking a leave of absence from Hagel's office to try to bolster the Senate campaign of Republican Pete Ricketts. Esch is running against incumbent Republican Lee Terry for the second time. In 2006, he lost by 9 percentage points. Linehan says Esch will put the interests...

THE acute phase of the crisis provoked by the Georgian forces’ assault on Tskhinvali, the capital of South Ossetia, is now behind us. But how can one erase from memory the horrifying scenes of the nighttime rocket attack on a peaceful town, the razing of entire city blocks, the deaths of people taking cover in basements, the destruction of ancient monuments and ancestral graves? Russia did not want this crisis. The Russian leadership is in a strong enough position domestically; it did not need a little victorious war. Russia was dragged into the fray by the recklessness of the Georgian...

Former Republican Rep. Jim Leach endorsed Barack Obama's White House bid Tuesday, and said he hopes the Illinois senator considers a former GOP ally of rival John McCain as his running mate. Speaking on a conference call with reporters to announce a new effort among Republicans in support of Obama's candidacy, Leach said he thought Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel should join the Democratic ticket. "There are a number of impressive potential vice presidential candidates and this is a singular decision for one person, and that is Barack Obama," Leach said. "But personally I'd be hopeful in the list of serious...

Barack Obama's campaign is rolling out a number of centrist Republicans who are endorsing the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee over Republican rival John McCain - in a show of his ability to win cross-over votes. A conference call Tuesday featured former Iowa Rep. Jim Leach, former White House intelligence adviser Rita Hauser and former Rhode Island Sen. Lincoln Chafee, who represented his state as a Republican, but switched to become a Democrat so he could vote for Obama in the primary. Leach predicted that a lot of Republicans and independents are going to be attracted by Obama's campaign. The Obama...

So, how do you rebuild an overstressed — and perhaps broken — Army, whose soldiers endure the longest deployments? “You start by reorienting and prioritizing placement of forces,” Hagel says. That means phased withdrawal of combat troops from Iraq and insertion of more troops into Afghanistan, where they are needed. Match priorities, objectives and policies with resources,” he says. Coordinate with a reoriented foreign policy that seeks and values allies, builds relationships, forms coalitions of common interest, he says. Use all the instruments of power, including diplomacy, trade, foreign aid. That’s soft power. And that’s big picture. It will take...

Hagel is under “friendly fire” now. Only it isn’t so friendly. “It’s time for a reality check,” says former Republican State Chairman Chuck Sigerson, now a member of the Omaha City Council. “Are you a Republican or not? If you’re a Republican, you should be endorsing McCain. “Chuck personally may not like the war, but to go out there and court the presumptive Democratic nominee is beyond the pale.” “Rank and file Republicans are very dismayed by the actions of the senator,” Sigerson says. “It’s time to rally around the Republican nominee. If you don’t feel that way, reassess your...

Omaha, NE - Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel's Vice-Presidential stock has jumped again. Hagel's move up the ladder comes as he sets off for a Mid-East road trip with Barack Obama. According to CBS News Hagel is now third in the Obama Veepstakes, behind Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius and Indiana Senator Evan Bayh. A week ago Hagel was fourth. All this comes as several sources tell Action 3 News that Hagel's been snubbing the Nebraska's Republican Party. Last week-end at the annual GOP State Convention in La Vista, Hagel was a no-show. State Chairman Mark Quandahl says Hagel did not make...

Sen. Chuck Hagel said Sunday he views his upcoming trip to Iraq and Afghanistan with Sen. Barack Obama as a means of helping build bipartisan consensus in foreign policy. Nebraska’s Republican senator acknowledged for the first time he’ll be traveling with the Democratic presidential nominee into the war zones by issuing a brief written statement. “U.S. policies in Iraq and Afghanistan are at the center of America’s national security,” Hagel said. “These critical issues must be addressed in a bipartisan manner that builds consensus for a bipartisan American foreign policy.” In a joint statement, Hagel and Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I.,...

U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel issued the following statement today in favor of the Senate housing package. This legislation includes the creation of a new independent regulator for Government Sponsored Enterprise’s (GSEs) Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Hagel’s legislation was originally introduced in 2003: “This legislation will create a strong new independent regulator for Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the Federal Home Loan Banks and provide refinancing assistance for troubled homeowners. “Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac own or guarantee over $5 trillion in mortgages which the taxpayer could be liable for if either were to fail. Fannie and Freddie have faced...

Sen. Barack Obama is heading to Iraq later this month with two Senate colleagues, Republican Chuck Hagel and Democrat Jack Reed, according to two sources familiar with the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee's plans. The sources said the official Congressional delegation trip, known as a CODEL, will occur around the time Obama heads overseas for a previously-announced campaign trip to France, Germany, Great Britain, Israel, and Jordan to help beef up his foreign policy credentials. Officials are keeping the precise dates of Obama's trip under wraps, however, for obvious security reasons. The inclusion of Hagel on the official portion of the...

It's Time to Talk to Syria By JOHN KERRY and CHUCK HAGEL June 5, 2008; Page A19 After Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1991, President George H.W. Bush did the improbable and convinced Syrian President Hafez Assad to join an American-led coalition against a fellow Baathist regime. Today, these leaders' sons have another chance for a diplomatic breakthrough that could redefine the strategic landscape in the Middle East. The recent announcement of peace negotiations between Israel and Syria through Turkey, and the agreement between the Lebanese factions in Qatar – both apparently without meaningful U.S. involvement – should serve as a...

WASHINGTON - Sens. John McCain and Chuck Hagel have long been friends. Fellow Republicans and Vietnam War veterans, their Senate offices are just across the hall from each other. But at least during the presidential primary, Hagel's wife, Lilibet, is helping McCain's likely Democratic rival, Barack Obama. According to Federal Election Commission records, Mrs. Hagel donated twice to Obama's campaign in February for a total contribution of $500. The contributions were first reported by the Washington Post The contribution came a month before Sen. Hagel, a sharp GOP critic of the war in Iraq, appeared on ABC's "This Week" and...

Chuck Hagel as Barack Obama’s running mate? Obama could “make this gauzy idea of consensus politics concrete” by choosing Nebraska’s Republican senator or independent New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg to fill his vice presidential slot, David Ignatius wrote in the Washington Post last week.“Hagel would be an especially interesting choice for Obama,” he wrote. “As a decorated Vietnam veteran, he would add some national security heft to the ticket.”In addition, Hagel was “an early and courageous GOP critic of the Iraq war,” Ignatius wrote. “At the same time, although Hagel agrees with Obama on the need for withdrawal from Iraq,...

A lesson of Vietnam that applies to Iraq is “the deeper you bog down in a morass, the more difficult it is to get out,” Sen. Chuck Hagel said Friday. “The more troops you put in, saying you need another six months or another year, a surge, five more combat brigades.” All of that runs counter to the reality that “we’re going to have to unwind,” Hagel said. “No foreign policy, no war policy can be sustained without the support of the American people,” he said. “Most of them say (Iraq) was a mistake and we want out.” Hagel’s remarks...

McCain Almost Left the GOP -- Twice March 24, 2008 BEGIN TRANSCRIPT Senator McCain has not wrapped up the Chuck Hagel endorsement yet, and I wanted to mention this to you. Hagel was on This Week with Stephanopoulos on Sunday, and Stephanopoulos said to him, "Senator McCain is a good friend of yours. Why haven't you endorsed him?" HAGEL: When I work for someone or commit to someone, I want to be behind that person in every way I can. I've obviously got some differences with John on the Iraq war. That's no secret. I want to understand a...

WASHINGTON (AP) - Helicopters carrying three senior U.S. senators made emergency landings Thursday in the mountains of Afghanistan because of a snowstorm. Sens. John Kerry, Joseph Biden and Chuck Hagel were aboard the aircraft. No one was injured, according a statement from Kerry's office. The senators and their delegation returned to Bagram Air Base in a motor convoy, and have left for Turkey. "After several hours, the senators were evacuated by American troops and returned overland to Bagram Air Base, and left for their next scheduled stop in Ankara, Turkey," the Kerry statement said. "Sen. Kerry thanks the American troops,...

Yes, yes, yes, it's much too early to start thinking about running mates. Too bad. People are doing it anyway. And even though they won't admit it, odds are that Sens. John McCain, Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton are giving it at least some thought. So, too, are people who turn up their noses at the suggestion they might be a good fit, yet secretly harbor ambitions of getting the nod. Veepstakes speculation - always an undercurrent with a presidential election afoot - intensified this past week after Mitt Romney dropped out of the race, helping to clear McCain's...

I had to look up the word "conniption." I wasn't sure how to spell it, but I'm sure that the likes of Code Pink, MoveOn, and other far left anti-war groups had a collective conniption fit last week. One of their poster boys, John Murtha, quit toeing their line. Surely what followed were the same fits of rage I've seen them have before. In September at a Washington D.C. rally as Senator Joe Lieberman began to address a group of pro-mission vets and Gold Star Families, several members of the anti-war groups charged toward the stage with seemingly unrestricted fury,...

WASHINGTON (MCT) -- In the latest sign of how unsettled the Republican presidential race is, Newt Gingrich says he'll run if supporters come up with $30 million in three weeks. "I don't see as a citizen how you could turn that down," Gingrich said on "Fox News Sunday." The fiery and controversial former speaker of the House has been a polarizing public figure. Still, he believes he can mount a White House bid just a few months before voting starts because the GOP faithful have yet to solidify behind a candidate. Rudy Giuliani remains the leader, at 30 percent in...

WASHINGTON - Chuck Hagel will announce Monday that he is retiring from the U.S. Senate and will not run for president next year, people close to the Nebraska Republican said Friday. Hagel plans to announce that "he will not run for re-election and that he does not intend to be a candidate for any office in 2008," said one person, who asked not to be named. Hagel has scheduled a press conference for 10 a.m. Monday at the Omaha Press Club. According to one person interviewed, Hagel told Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky on Friday morning that he...

WASHINGTON - Chuck Hagel will announce Monday that he is retiring from the U.S. Senate and will not run for president next year, people close to the Nebraska Republican said Friday. Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel plans to leave the Senate after two terms as a Republican Party maverick, people close to him say.Hagel plans to announce that "he will not run for re-election and that he does not intend to be a candidate for any office in 2008," said one person, who asked not to be named. Hagel has scheduled a press conference for 10 a.m. Monday at the Omaha...

Other conservatives in this dependably Republican state are unhappy with Graham for supporting the failed Senate effort to legalize illegal immigrants and for his role in the 2005 bipartisan compromise that preserved the right of the Senate minority to filibuster judicial nominees. In the midst of this unease, several local Republicans -- including the lieutenant governor -- have floated the possibility of challenging Graham from the right for the GOP Senate nomination next year. In Connecticut, Republican Rep. Christopher Shays has a different problem. Last year, he narrowly survived a Democratic tide that left him the sole Republican holding a...

Note: For the purposes of this column, we will assume that former Senator Fred Thompson is, for all intents and purposes, in the race for president. The field of 18 candidates - eight Democrats and ten Republicans - can only shrink, for several reasons. First, next year's presidential election looks to have genuinely captured the attention of the American public. The latest Washington Post-ABC News poll shows that fully 70% of Americans say they are following the race at least somewhat closely, 20 points higher than at the equivalent time in 2003. Among those respondents, 83% of Democrats say they...

Robert Novak writes that Attorney General Jon Bruning raised twice as much money as Senator Chuck Hagel in the second quarter and now has a significant cash advantage. Novak says that most observers think Hagel is in his last term in the Senate, one way or another.

For the past few months, Sen. Chuck Hagel, Republican of Nebraska, has flirted with the idea of running for president as an antiwar Republican. Now, however, that platform is threatening Hagel’s standing within his own state and party. In a race that has received scant national attention, Jon Bruning, Nebraska’s 38-year-old Republican attorney general, is challenging Hagel’s bid for re-election to the Senate--by attacking him from the right. Bruning charges that Hagel’s stance on Iraq, as well as his criticism of the president and members of his cabinet (see: Alberto Gonzales), put the incumbent out of touch with the majority...

If the amnesty bill in the Senate passes, we're going after any Republican Senator up in 2008 who votes for it. Conservatives put these Senators into office and if they won't listen to us, then we will replace them in the primaries with Senators who will. Hopefully, the Republicans in the Senate will come to their senses and filibuster this bill. But, if they don't, we're going to teach the GOP to respect their base again -- the hard way. If you would like to help, email hawkins@paybackproject.com.

The attorney general of Nebraska, Jon Bruning, stopped by our office yesterday to let us know that tomorrow he will announce he will challenge Senator Hagel in the Republican primary, which is in May of 2008. A poll conducted for Mr. Bruning shows him leading Mr. Hagel among likely Republican primary voters by 9 percentage points. Mr. Bruning assails Mr, Hagel for being, "The Republican that talks like a Democrat," pointing to Mr. Hagel's support for a timeline for withdrawal from Iraq, as well as his discussion of impeaching President Bush. "He's become arrogant and out of touch," Mr. Bruning...

Sen. Chuck Hagel said Thursday he’ll hold an immigration forum in Lexington next Monday hours before the Senate is scheduled to vote on immigration reform. Hagel will fly to Washington from Lexington to cast his vote in favor of a scheduled motion to proceed with consideration of reform legislation. The Nebraska Republican has been a leader in proposing comprehensive reforms that include a pathway to earned legal status for illegal immigrants already settled in the United States. Hagel told a telephone news conference he believes senators and the White House may be “pretty close” to reaching a compromise on immigration...

When visiting Duncan Hunter’s website today, you’ll notice that prior to going to the main site there is a screen with a quote about Jerry Falwell. If you look at the title of that page in your browser’s menu bar it says: Chuck Hagel Official Web Site - watch latest news on Hagel.tv please contribute,… The title bar from Chuck Hagel’s official site (hagel.tv) says the exact same thing as the vandalized title on Hunter’s site (including punctuation): Chuck Hagel Official Web Site - watch latest news on Hagel.tv please contribute,… Developing…

Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel says the Republican party has been led astray by “isolationist insulationists” and it may be time for an independent presidential ticket — perhaps with the names Bloomberg and Hagel on it. Hagel, a lifelong Republican who has been a frequent critic of the Iraq war, said Sunday he will decide about running by late summer after determining where he can best play a role to “make a better world.” After dining recently with former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who is also considering a run for president as an independent, Hagel said people might want...

Every day, the fence at the U.S.-Mexican border grows a little longer as the government continues to spend the billions authorized by Congress. But the problem of illegal immigration remains as large and complex as ever. Building a fence is not enough. Other aspects of the issue need to be addressed. As President Bush said, “We cannot fully secure the border until we take pressure off the border.” The country needs an orderly and legal process for temporary workers. And the country needs to find a practical way to deal with the estimated 12 million immigrants who already are in...

Climate Change: Some in Congress think global warming is so important it should be an issue of national defense, not science. It's a wrongheaded and dangerous idea, one that shows how crazy the debate has become. Unfortunately, the proposal to make global warming a matter of national security is bipartisan, with Sen. Chuck Hagel, a Nebraska Republican, joining Sen. Dick Durbin, an Illinois Democrat, as co-sponsors. If nothing else, this proves neither party has a monopoly on wisdom. According to the Boston Globe, their plan calls for the U.S. intelligence chief to produce a "national intelligence estimate" on global warming....

WASHINGTON - Give Chuck Hagel his way, and he’d know what to do with the politicians another senator wrote about a half century ago, men who stood up against public opinion. Kick them out of office. Get rid of anyone so bold as to find a place between the covers of John F. Kennedy’s book, “Profiles of Courage.” If you doubt the Nebraska Republican capable of feeling contempt for the act of resisting public pressure for the sake of a principle, take note of what he has been saying. “Any president who says ‘I don’t care’ or ‘I will not...

Is America worthy of being presided over by Chuck Hagel? That's the question Chuck Hagel is pondering, and he has promised to get back to us with an answer no later than March 17, 2008--just 357 days from today. Earlier, of course, Chuck Hagel promised us an answer by March 17, 2007--but it turned out he wasn't ready to commit one way or another. That's OK, though. We're not going to rush Chuck Hagel. Chuck Hagel needs his space. Yesterday was the first Sunday of springtime. We spent the morning fast asleep. Maybe you were in church, or hanging out...

Take a look at the pic above of Senator Chuck Hagel at his press conference last Monday. Gone is his normal know-it-all shmuck demeanor to be replaced by a sad looking bleary-eyed soul who announced in a hesitant voice that he hasn't made his mind up yet whether he will run for President. To get the full effect of the astonishing change in Hagel, one needs to watch the VIDEO of his non-announcement. His whole body language speaks of utter defeat. So what happened? Some in the press have speculated that Hagel is such an incredible egomaniac that he...

All of this Democratic hand-wringing and knee-jerking is poisonous to this country, and I want no part of it. Only by rejecting these tendencies, did the United States become the military, industrial, economic, and technological superpower that it remains today. Only by rejecting these tendencies every time we confront them, will we continue to remain a free nation. History, not Congressman Chuck Hagel (R-NB) will be the judge whether the addition of 20,000 plus troops was the the most dangerous foreign policy blunder since Vietnam. Nor will history look favorably upon the naysayers in either party, once the consequences of...

WASHINGTON -- Democratic senators this week will face trouble trying to cleanse themselves of the stain left by voting for President Bush's Iraq war resolution. Republican senators who have turned against U.S. military intervention in Iraq are not interested in bailing out Democrats by approving their proposal to repeal the 2002 authorization passed overwhelmingly by Congress. As Congress returns this week from the year's first recess, authorization repeal is supposed to be attached to the bill containing homeland security recommendations by the 9/11 commission. But Sen. Norm Coleman, who has become prominent among Republican critics of Bush's war policy, told...

The Rockefellers and Iran: Jay Rockefeller’s Reversal and the Iranian-American LobbyBy Fedora In 1979, Rockefeller representatives launched an unsuccessful operation to lobby the Carter administration in support of the Shah of Iran, who was seeking safe haven in the wake of a coup by Islamic revolutionaries. Codenamed Project Alpha, the operation was spearheaded by Chase Manhattan Bank Chairman David Rockefeller and former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, with support from oil lobby lawyer John McCloy. Although Project Alpha won the support of National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski, it met opposition from Secretary of State Cyrus Vance and failed to win...

Hagel for President No, that's not an endorsement. Sunday, February 4, 2007 12:01 a.m. EST No, we don't mean this as an endorsement. The Journal doesn't endorse candidates, and on the big issues of the day we don't much agree with Chuck Hagel in any case. But with the Nebraska Republican loudly agitating for a rapid withdrawal from Iraq, we think it's time the Senator tested his ideas somewhere other than the Sunday talk shows.

Apparently the International Herald Tribune is very strict about their excerpting requirements for stories they pick up from the Associated Press. Click on the link if you want to read this story, I'm not taking any chances.

Senate panel approves nonbinding measure opposing Bush's Iraq plan

A month ago the idea that Sen. Chuck Hagel would make a serious run for the Republican presidential nomination would have been a non-starter. As an outspoken critic of President Bush on Iraq and other issues, Hagel's way was blocked. His best hope was nomination by a quixotic third party in an online convention. It's a measure of the step change brought about by the Nov. 7 elections that Hagel is now seriously exploring a GOP presidential bid. The Republican blowout, he says, reflected a "breakdown of confidence and trust in governance" and opened the way for what he believes...