| Obama Nominations Face Political Scrutiny |
| Jan-07-2013 |
| Keywords: obama, national security, nominate, chuck hagel, john brennan |
With his batteries recharged over a truncated Hawaiian vacation, President Obama on Monday announced two nominations to fill out his national security team.
The president nominated Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel to be the next Secretary of Defense, replacing the outgoing Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta.
Hagel since 2009 has served as co-chair of the president's Intelligence Advisory Board, and would be the first enlisted soldier and Vietnam veteran to hold the top slot at the Defense Department.
Hagel served two terms as a Senator from Nebraska, during which time he sat on the Foreign Relations and Intelligence committees.
"Chuck Hagel is the leader that our troops deserve. He is an American patriot," the president said.
However, Hagel's nomination doesn't come with some political baggage, likely to be addressed during his Senate confirmation hearing.
Hagel has been criticized for advocating for direct talks with both Iran and Hamas, and voted against encouraging the European Union to label Hezbollah a terrorist group.
Hagel once referred to the "Jewish lobby" and its supposed efforts to "intimidate" members of Congress, and he distanced himself from Israel, reportedly asserting that he was not an Israeli Senator.
"This is a controversial pick," Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., told CNN. "He is an antagonistic figure when it comes to the state of Israel. It's a signal you're sending to Iran at the worst possible time and to our allies."
President Obama on Monday also named John Brennan as choice to head the CIO, currently being led by acting CIA Director Michael Morell.
If confirmed, Brennan brings with him 25-years with the agency, making him well versed in the inter-workings of the secretive intelligence community.
However, like Hagel, Brennan has made his fair-share of miscues that will surely be brought up during confirmation hearings.
Brennan once referred to Jerusalem as "Al Quds," the Arabic name for the city, and he announced that the government would not use the terms "Islamists" and "Jihadists."
After it was reported that 20 percent of detainees released from the Guantanamo Bay prison returned to terrorist activities, Brennan said that rate "isn't that bad" compared to the American recidivism rate.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.) declared Brennan's comment "just absolutely disconnected from the world in which we live."
"He's lost my confidence," Graham said at the time.
Brennan has also advocated prosecuting detained terrorists in the civilian criminal system, and he drew sharp criticism for his handling of the foiled Christmas Day Bomber plot. |
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Posted by Lou Dobbs Staff at 10:00 PM Email to a friend |
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