Chuck Hagel vs. the neocons
That the neocons hate Chuck Hagel is the best sign yet that he may be the right person for the job, Reich writes.
President Barack Obama's nominee for Secretary of Defense, former Senator Chuck Hagel (L), stands next to counterterrorism adviser John Brennan (R) at the White House in Washington in this January 2013 file photo. What Chuck Hagel believes about the appropriate use of American power should determine whether he is fit for the job, Reich writes.
Jason Reed/Reuters/File
If the neocons in the GOP who brought us the Iraqi war and conjured up 鈥渨eapons of mass destruction鈥� to justify it are against Chuck Hagel for Defense Secretary, Hagel gets bonus points in my book.
They鈥檙e the hawkish, bellicose bunch in the Republican Party 鈥� William Kristol, Richard Perle, and Ellott Abrams 鈥� who shaped DIck Cheney鈥檚 and Don Rumsfeld鈥檚 disastrous foreign policy.
These are also the people who have supported Israel鈥檚 rightward lurch in recent years. They don鈥檛 want a two-state solution. They eschew any possibility of talks with Hamas or Iran. They favor building more settlements in the West Bank.听
Yes, it was dumb for Hagel to use the term 鈥淛ewish lobby鈥� instead of 鈥淚srael lobby,鈥� but that alone shouldn鈥檛 disqualify him.听Everyone in official Washington knows how much power is wielded in that city by the Sheldon Adelsons of American politics who think Israel can do no wrong.听
The problem is Washington pays too little attention to the large number of Americans 鈥� Jewish and non-Jewish 鈥� who think Israel is doing a lot that鈥檚 wrong, and worry that the path it鈥檚 on threatens its long-term survival.听
The real question is what Hagel believes about the appropriate use of American power.
That the neocons hate him is the best sign yet that Chuck Hagel may be the right person for the job.