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McCain pounds Chuck Hagel in Senate confirmation hearing

At the confirmation hearing for Chuck Hagel as Defense secretary, Sen. John McCain took a particularly robust line of questioning, asking him about his views on the surge in Iraq.

It was a marathon, day-long hearing for former Sen. Chuck Hagel as he was grilled in front of a standing-room-only crowd on his past 鈥渧otes and quotes,鈥� as one lawmaker put it, in his quest to become America鈥檚 next secretary of Defense.

Was Mr. Hagel willing to concede that the surge in Iraq was not, as he had argued, America鈥檚 greatest foreign-policy blunder since Vietnam?, Sen. John McCain (R) of Arizona asked 鈥� repeatedly.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R) of South Carolina wanted to know whether Hagel would change his mind and vote, if he had the chance, 鈥渢oday, tomorrow, or after lunch鈥� to designate Iran鈥檚 Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization.

And did he regret calling pro-Israel groups in America an intimidating force that drives US officials 鈥渢o do dumb things鈥�?

On all these questions, Hagel endeavored to reassure critics of his tough national-security bona fides, while remaining, for the most part, characteristically unapologetic about most of his past remarks.

He also stressed that his decisions as secretary of Defense, should he be confirmed, would be driven by how they affect troops and their families.

鈥淭he people in Washington make the policy,鈥� Hagel wrote in his memoir, 鈥渂ut it鈥檚 the little guys who come back in the body bags.鈥澛�

Sen. Carl Levin (D) of Michigan, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, pointed to this remark in his opening statement.聽

Yet Senator Levin also sought to distance himself a bit from some of Hagel鈥檚 positions, in particular his willingness to conduct 鈥渄irect, unconditional, and comprehensive talks鈥� with Iran on some issues that, Levin said, 鈥淚 believe most of us would view as nonnegotiable.鈥�

Throughout the proceedings, Hagel offered a handful of clarifications about his more controversial positions.

He emphasized, for starters, his support for Israel, after being widely criticized 鈥� and apologizing 鈥� for saying that the 鈥淛ewish lobby鈥� intimidates many Washington politicos.聽

鈥淚鈥檝e always said I鈥檓 a supporter of Israel,鈥� he told lawmakers. 鈥淚n some cases, I鈥檝e said I鈥檓 a strong supporter of Israel.鈥澛�

He added that he never voted against Israel, 鈥渆ver,鈥� in the 12 years he was in the Senate, and he pointed to statements from the Israeli ambassador to the United States that have been 鈥渇airly positive about me.鈥�

Hagel鈥檚 most contentious exchange came with Senator McCain, who remarked that he was 鈥減leased to see an old friend here before the committee鈥� before launching into a particularly robust line of questions on the surge in Iraq.聽

He reminded Hagel of his comments labeling the surge as the 鈥渕ost dangerous foreign-policy blunder in this country鈥� since Vietnam. 鈥淭hen of course you carried on for months and months afterwards, talking about what a disaster the surge would be,鈥� he said.

What McCain really wanted to know, he told Hagel, is, 鈥淲ere you right? Were you correct in your assessment?鈥澛�

On this question, Hagel demurred, much to McCain鈥檚 consternation. 鈥淚鈥檒l defer my answer to history,鈥� he said.聽

鈥淚 want to know if you were right or wrong,鈥� McCain responded. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 a direct question. I expect a direct answer.鈥澛�

Hagel did not provide one. 鈥淚鈥檓 not going to give you a 鈥榶es鈥� or 鈥榥o.鈥� I think it鈥檚 far more complicated than that.鈥澛�

Hagel did say he continued to believe that America鈥檚 war in Iraq was indeed the most dangerous foreign-policy blunder America has made since Vietnam.

鈥淎side from the costs that occurred in this country to blood and treasure,鈥� he said, 鈥渨hat that did [was] to take our focus off of Afghanistan, which in fact was the original and real focus of a national-security threat to this country.鈥澛�

These answers did not please McCain. 鈥淚 think history has already made a judgment about the surge, sir,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd you鈥檙e on the wrong side of it.鈥澛�

McCain warned that he did not know whether he could vote for Hagel, given what he said was the nominee鈥檚 refusal to answer a direct question.聽

The Senate Armed Services Committee鈥檚 ranking member, Sen. James Inhofe (R) of Oklahoma, has also vowed to vote against the nomination.聽

Senate Democrats, meanwhile, are consolidating votes within their own party and among Republicans as well, nearly enough to avert any filibuster attempts.

Throughout the hearing, Hagel stressed his take-home message, that his chief concern at the Pentagon would be the troops who bear the cost of US policy decisions.聽

鈥淚 had one fundamental question that I asked myself on every vote I took, every decision I made: Was the policy worthy of the men and women that we were sending into battle and, surely, to their deaths?鈥�

He recalled his service in Vietnam in 1968, serving side by side with his brother Tom during 鈥渢he worst year鈥� of the US war there, in which 鈥渨e sent over 16,000 dead Americans home,鈥� he reminded the committee.

鈥淣ow, that鈥檚 unfathomable in the world that we live in today. I saw that from the bottom,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 mean I鈥檓 any better, Senator. It doesn鈥檛 mean I鈥檓 any smarter, doesn鈥檛 mean I鈥檓 any more appreciative of the service to our country. That鈥檚 not it.鈥�

It鈥檚 simply that 鈥淚 saw the consequences,鈥� he added. 鈥淎nd the suffering and the horror of war.鈥澛�