A mediocre Defense Secretary to join up with a mediocre Secretary of State, a mediocre C.I.A. Director all under the nominal tutelage of a less then mediocre President of the Untied States.
by Bret Stephens
Once upon a time, a Republican senator from Nebraska spoke up for the right of mediocrities to occupy eminent positions of public trust.
“Even if he were mediocre, there are a lot of mediocre judges and people and lawyers,” said Sen. Roman Hruska in 1970 as a defense of G. Harrold Carswell, Richard Nixon’s ill-fated nominee to the Supreme Court. “They are entitled to a little representation, aren’t they, and a little chance? We can’t have all Brandeises, Frankfurters and Cardozos.”
Right. And at the Pentagon, we can’t have all Stimsons, Forrestals and Marshalls. Which is why America needs another senator from Nebraska to vindicate the cause of the mediocre man.That man is Chuck Hagel.
Until his confirmation hearing last week, Mr. Hagel was touted as a courageous tribune of the hard but necessary truth. His nomination, according to one sycophant, “may prove to be the most consequential foreign-policy appointment of [ Barack Obama's] presidency.” He was hailed as a latter-day Dwight Eisenhower, a military hero mindful of the appropriate limits of U.S. power, a real American bold enough to tell the chicken-hawk neocon pretenders where they could stick it.As for his claim about the Jewish lobby intimidating people, it was no more than a gaffe in the sense of accidentally telling the naked truth. “I am certain,” said another prominent Hagel defender, “that the vast majority of U.S. senators and policy makers quietly believe exactly what Hagel believes on Israel.” [.......]
After the hearings, what’s left of that defense?
Chuck Hagel at his Senate confirmation hearing last week.Courageous Chuck is done for. He simply folded in the face of questions about his previous positions on Israel, Iran, nuclear Global Zero, Pentagon overspending and so on. [.......]If he’s insincere, then he’s little more than a dissembler trying to advance his career.
Deep-thinking Chuck is no more, either. His befuddlement on Obama administration policy toward Iran—the flubbed remark about containment, the passed note, the re-flub, the coaching from committee Chairman Carl Levin—was almost the least of it. [.......]
Chuck-in-Charge is also not in the cards. “I won’t be in a policy-making position,” he said, astonishingly, to a question from West Virginia Democrat Joe Manchin. To be the secretary of defense, you see, is a bit like being the grand marshal at an Independence Day parade: You wear a sash, you hold a baton, you say a few words, you smile, wave and walk the route.
It says something about the political state of play that Mr. Hagel’s defenders are now whispering that he just won’t matter all that much. Serious defense policy will be run by the grown-ups in the White House, people like Ben Rhodes, Valerie Jarrett, Denis McDonough and, of course, the president. That’s reassuring.It also says something about the political moment that Republicans seem prepared to let Mr. Hagel through now that they have drawn a bit of blood. Nebraska’s Mike Johanns and Mississippi’s Thad Cochran have declared their support for Mr. Hagel. John McCain opposes a filibuster on the grounds that the president deserves an up-or-down vote on his nominee. [.......] But a political party that can’t press a political advantage when it has one is a loser. And who wants an opposition that thinks its honor lies in losing honorably?
In the meantime, it will come as a comfort to America’s enemies to know what they’ll be getting in a second Obama term.One is a cabinet without a single hawk or even semi-hawk, whereas only a year ago there were three: Leon Panetta, David Petraeus and even Hillary Clinton. Another is a secretary of defense with an unsteady grasp of a department that may, within a month, be facing a historic and blunt reduction in its budgets. A third is a vice president who has just agreed to yet another round of negotiations with Tehran. And finally there’s a president whose second inaugural address was entirely devoted to calling America home for the collective tasks he believes lie ahead.
Ask yourself how Vladimir Putin, Ali Khamenei and Bashar Assad are likely to feel about all of that. Shouldn’t America have at least one officer of cabinet rank who scares the daylights out of these people?
If Mr. Hagel had a sense of the seriousness of the office he is now likely to enter, he would withdraw his name from consideration. But the essential characteristic of mediocre people is that they are the last to recognize mediocrity, either in themselves or in others. That our legislators in their wisdom may soon make this man secretary of defense says as much about them as it does about him. Truly, it’s a Roman Senate.
Read the rest – Hagel’s Hruska Defense
Tags: Bret Stephens, Chuck Hagel, Roman Hruska
Actually, Hruska said, “We can’t have all Brandeises, Frankfurters and Cardozos, and stuff like that there.” He was roundly criticized for his endorsement of mediocrity, and for his choosing three Jewish Supreme Court Justices as his examples.
BTW, G. Harrold Carswell was arrested some years later in a Florida men’s room for soliciting sexual favors.
I think mediocre is the best we could shoot for with Obama's nominees. Hagel will be outright bad for the country. That’s why Obama chose him.
Given this schmuck’s history, IMHO it is highly telling he is refusing to disclose foreign funding of organizations he worked with.
Hagel Refuses to Disclose Foreign Funders
What was the question put to him in the hearings last week? Why does Iran support your appointment?
I would think he is simply bought and paid for, but like jimmy carter, and comrade zero I think hagel has found deep pockets that share his hatreds.
citizen_q wrote:
I’d love Hagel to get voted down, but I bet that a slim majority will confirm him. The Democrats see themselves as a rubber stamp for Obama. They’ll do anything he asks.
It’s pretty insulting and cynical that the administration thinks they can slip this loser by on the basis of “hey, we’re bipartisan, we’re nominating a Republican!”. That said, they keep doubling down on their bet that the American people are just stupid enough to swallow anything they’re fed, and in all fairness, that’s been a successful strategy. Republicans need to flush this turd by themselves, they’ll get no help from the American people.
@ MacDuff:
Part of me says why not go ahead and give him to America. Let Americans see how truly bad a President Barack Obama really is. Hagel is being brought in to demolish our military. Obama’s alreayd working on that. Di d you see the thing yesterday where they are severly restricting military pay raises? They can give Congress a raise, and all the Federal drones, but the fighting men on the sharp end of the stick get nada. It is just going to get worse, no matter who Obama appoints Sec Def. Hagel is probably no worse that whomever else Obama would appoint.
@ Iron Fist:
I suppose Обама could nominate Барни Франк for the job….
Tech advice needed before I head to work.
I use Firefox (18.0.2) and in the last day or so, any in thread youtube videos have disappeared.
Any ideas?
Ok, even weirder. Videos in the ‘Shakespeare’ thread aren’t showing, but ones from the ‘Mumford’ one are.
WTF?!
BTW- I’ll be doing the ‘Bowl For Kid’s Sake’ again this year. I’ll post a link to the site where you can sponsor me if you’re able here in a day or two.
Thank you!
@ mfhorn:
Check your plugins.
You might need to reinstall or upgrade them. Occasionally I have issues after a firefox upgrade.
@ Iron Fist:
Comrade zero has not taken responsibility for anything yet, why would they start now?
They can blame boooosh, or the evbil republicans for not increasing taxes, or tsunamis in Japan, sunspots, juptiter aligning with mars, etc…
Bashar Assad is too busy fighting al-Qaeda. Putin is enjoying Russia’s economic boom. Iran is the only potential problem on that list and the Chinese. I don’t get why the GOP elite is obsessed with Assad. He’s nothing and has his own problems.
In case anyone missed it.
Rand Paul’s Foreign Policy speech at the Heritage Foundation
There is nothing groundbreaking here. This was the traditional Republican policy until Bush decided to be the reincarnation of Woodrow Wilson.
@ Rodan:
Top o’ the day Rodan, Here’s a good column that I think you’ll enjoy.
@ MacDuff:
That article is spot on!
How are you? That was a great game Sunday!
MacDuff wrote:
Excellent article.
Rodan wrote:
I’m good and I hope you are as well, just been consumed by other things. Yeah, that was a fantastic game! I had no dog in the fight, which made it all the more enjoyable. BTW, there is a fantastic slideshow of the Battle of Stalingrad over at the National Review website that’s well worth looking at
buzzsawmonkey wrote:
The whole Clement Haynesworth (and after his rejection by the Senate) the G. Harold Carswell nominations were complete embarrassments. It was Nixon (anticipating down the road George W. Bush and Mitt Romney) trying to pander to yahoos in 1969 and it blew up in his face.
@ MacDuff:
Will do that battle fascinates me.
Rodan wrote:
He is an Iranian stooge and a pale imitation of his father.
@ Rodan:
I’d rather sign on with Eisenhower’s foreign policy. Rand Paul is a phony. He’s trying to thread the needle between his father’s policies and the policies of Bill Kristol. The result is a FAIL.
theoutsider wrote:
I see you got OFA’s talking points.
What did Rand Paul say that bothers you? His policy is no different than Ike or Reagan. Please tell me what bothers you about Rand Paul’s speech?
@ Speranza:
Al Qaeda will end up beheading him.
theoutsider wrote:
oh, please do flesh out the following:
He’s trying to thread the needle between his father’s policies and the policies of Bill Kristol. The result is a FAIL.
i also eagerly await details on that and deatails on how you plan on paying down the debt. seriously, i am getting sick of your shuck and jive. please answer the above questions or be a coward and nothing more than a talking point memo. the floor is yours.
David Bosse in Breitbart: The Civil War Has Begun
If this has already been posted or otherwise noted, my apologies, but it’s not my fault.
Good morning. The Brennan hearing could be interesting if the Republicns
ask the right questions about the drone program.
What criteria are they using to kill Americns on foreign soil with apparently no
judicial or other legal process?
Obama is so grovvy & nuanced, waterboarding is a human rights violation,
but kaboom by a drone is standrd ops.
@ Rodan:
OFA’s talking points? No way in hell. Can’t you see that Rand Paul is sucking up to the NeoCons?
@ RIX:
until the gop grows a set, the dems and 0 will govern at will.
we are led by cowards.
theoutsider wrote:
What’s this sudden fascination on the left with Eisenhower?
MacDuff wrote:
stop. i want an answer from outsider to my #24.
seriously want an answer. i’m done playing around with it.
theoutsider wrote:
How is he sucking up to the Neocons, when he rejects their nation building philosophy. Please give me an example how he is kissing up to Neocons.
MacDuff wrote:
That is what fascinates me. He was Center-Right and not a man of the Left.
coldwarrior wrote:
Guggi pasted a very good Ayn Rand quote on the previous thread apropos to that point:
@ MacDuff:
Establishment vs. Purists. Neither one is the answer.
Obama & his people are lawless. Checks & balances is a concept that they
find quaint. They consider the Constitution a set of suggestions that they are
free to ignore.
Senator Durbin slandered our troops, as Nazis, Gulag Guards & Pol Pot henchman
for water boarding. But he’s cool with the drone program with no oversight.
@ MacDuff:
ayn is a fun read but a bit of a kook.
in that quote she blames everyone else for the evils of a few. no, i blame the perpetrators not everyone else. she gives the elites an out for bad behavior by blaming the masses there.
i await an answer from outsider.
the clock is ticking.
RIX wrote:
because the opposition allows them to think that.
it is reality
@ coldwarrior:
He’s awaiting an answer from OFA.
@ coldwarrior:
good luck
with an answer from the outsider
the slimey little pusbucket has got nuthin
coldwarrior wrote:
THe Republicans seem to think that to much criticism of Obama gets
them branded as mean & racist.
They are playing it safe, hoping to win the Senate in 2014.
Bad idea, it didn’t do Romney any good.
wow
Dick Yuengling rips Philadelphia over $6 million lawsuit
Dick Yuengling said he was “probably the happiest guy in the beer business” -- until Tuesday.
That’s when he learned, from an article in the Daily News, that the city was suing his Pottsville brewery, D.G. Yuengling & Son, for more than $6 million in business taxes it claims he owes
Councilman Bill Green said it’s in the city’s interest. “I don’t know whether it’s a warning shot for everyone else in the market,” he said. “It’s a good idea, if it is.”
The suit, filed last week, seeks $6.6 million in business-income and -receipt taxes (BIRT) from Yuengling. That figure includes interest and penalty fees.
The suit claims that Yuengling refused to let the city’s Revenue Department audit its books, so the department made an assessment based on a Philly beer distributor’s accounts-payable list.
The suit has no details of what activities Yuengling conducted in Philadelphia that the city found to be taxable. City officials declined to elabor
@ rain of lead:
yeugling is in pottsville, many miles away from the shithole that is phillie.
take it to court, dick. you will win in a jury trial!
coldwarrior wrote:
tick tock outsider.
the floor is yours.
@ Rodan:
Maybe a lot more voter @ Rodan:
I give in. I read the whole AEI speech, and it it is not Neocon friendly. I’ve been going on his last few appearances on Fox News.
coldwarrior wrote:
It’s rather a paragraph-long expansion of Burke’s (and I paraphrase) ‘Evil triumphs when good men do nothing’ line, but it’s a thought that I believe has currency. Self-governance is not always positive or wise and, in fact, can sometimes lead to horrendous consequences when “The People” are swayed by emotion instead of rational thought.
As for myself, I’ve
@ coldwarrior:
You’ll not get it. I’ve never had an answer on what we are going to do when the debt reaches 150% GDP.
MacDuff wrote:
you’ve….?
@ theoutsider:
What has he said on Fox that gives you that impression?
Neocons!
Hagel is as Mark Steyn wrote, “an over sedated Elmer Fudd”.
Speranza wrote:
at least elmer was likeable.
The Left always rehabilitates a Republican that they used to disdain,
to use as a club against them.
They constantly use Reagan as an example of Republican reason.
But in life they loathed & smeared him.
Obama told his room mate at Columbia that he wanted to be a Community
Organizer to undo Reagans policies, but he constantly uses Reagan to
somehow justify himself.
@ coldwarrior:
Rand Paul’s speech struck a nerve with the Spread Democracy/Nation Building crowd.
I wonder what the Outsider has to say now.
coldwarrior wrote:
Her books are like 1,000 pages. Good luck with that. I also do not like the cult of personality her fans have developed over her (and that includes a woman whom Charles Johnson used to like but now hates and who named her blog after one of Rand’s novels).
theoutsider wrote:
that is half of the answer.
do continue, my man. we wait with great anticipation.
to refresh the second part of my question: i also eagerly await details on that and deatails on how you plan on paying down the debt.
my ceylon aislaby estate will be brewed in 3 minutes and i await some enlightening reading whilst i enjoy sri lanka’s finest.
@ Rodan:
Hannity, O’reilly, Greta. I’ve seen him on all three. The guy is not a libertarian in their eyes. He wants to suck up to every viewer he can possibly get.
coldwarrior wrote:
I’ve prematurely hit “submit”!
I was going to say that I’ve lost the reverence for “the wisdom of the People”. Fool us once, shame on Obama, fool us twice, shame on us.
Rodan wrote:
He is checking with TPM.
MacDuff wrote:
It may sound elitist but the masses (low information voters) are asses.
Speranza wrote:
most folks have just read the cliff notes. she was required reading in two of my undergrad courses so i had no choice but to slog through.
theoutsider wrote:
He is a small “l” libertarian as am I. He does not have his head up his ass like his father has. The Ronulans on Hot Air hate him.
MacDuff wrote:
there are treatments for that you know.
theoutsider wrote:
Can you be specific on what Rand has said that is sucking up. I want an example and not generalities.
coldwarrior wrote:
Atlas Shrugged is over 1,000 pages as is The Fountain Head, you have to have some ego to write novels that long.
Speranza wrote:
I, too, may sound elitist by saying that I heartily agree.
coldwarrior wrote:
Well played!
Speranza wrote:
shining prince robert is going to scold you for that!
Frum is of course defending Obama on his drone policy.
This is an odious comparison. R.E Lee was the commander of
enemy forces in a declared war.
RIX wrote:
Another favorite former Republican President whom they reviled but now have rehabilitated was George H.W. Bush probably because he was at heart a big liberal, kinder and gentler type and was anti-Israel as well. Colin Powell called himself a George H.W. Bush, James Baker, Brent Scowcroft Republican.
@ theoutsider:
my tea is done.
to refresh the second part of my question: i also eagerly await details on that and deatails on how you plan on paying down the debt.
i take my tea straight, so you have a few minutes whilst it cools.
RIX wrote:
Frum has a tendency to tweet before he thinks things through.
RIX wrote:
if W had done this the left would have flipped the hell out.
@ coldwarrior:
He’s awaiting OFA.
The Civil War actually was not a declared war and neither was the Revolution.
@ Rodan:
Any time he’s been on O’Reilly, Greta, or Hannity. Isn’t it obvious?
Speranza wrote:
maybe she was russian?
@ coldwarrior:
If W had done this, he’d have been impeached.
theoutsider wrote:
Any time he’s been on O’Reilly, Greta, or Hannity. Isn’t it obvious?
how i plan on paying down this debt is…
(i started it for you)
theoutsider wrote:
Can you be specific. What has Rand Paul said that would be considered kissing up? Please I want a specific example.
Be honest, you just hate Rand Paul because the media and OFA tells you too. Be real.
Iron Fist wrote:
ya think!
Iron Fist wrote:
There would be massive protests. But Obama is a god-king and can do what he pleases.
The Hitler comparisons would be all over the place.
RIX wrote:
chimpymcbushitler, baby!
Speranza wrote:
History isn’t a continuum, it’s a series of events, somewhat contained by their time and surrounding events. Positing the morality of assassinating Lee as a historical measure of a contemporary act, is like surmising what Alexander the Great would have done- it’s absurd on it’s face. One might just as well wonder what Captain Kirk would do…..
Didn’t you always know that the bunny was a cracker?
What about that ho Alice? I never saw her hanging out with
anybody looking like he could be Obamas son.
Thanks, that is something that I didn’t know.
@ coldwarrior:
Ohn yeah.
coldwarrior wrote:
Just because people dislike the same things you do does not necessarily make them your friends.
@ RIX:
damn krakaz.
coldwarrior wrote:
Actually I think she was Russian.
MacDuff wrote:
That is why comparing Generals from different eras is pointless.
RIX wrote:
Wars are declared between independent nations.
Always keepin the people down.
Speranza wrote:
that explains the seemingly endless epic novels.
I know off topic…but not only are Americans going to feel the burn with their income tax returns, gas prices and now food….which would effect the poor and the old. Yeah obama really cares/NOT. Really the obama administration likes we are stupid.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/02/06/jail-time-for-food-labels/?test=latestnews#ixzz2KE9APcRy
RIX wrote:
kraka-assed honky bunny!
@ Speranza:
the long russian winters can get tedious.
Iron Fist wrote:
And that is just sad to be honest.
theoutsider wrote:
my tea is finished and you have not answered part 2 of the question.
a gentleman and/or a scholar would have answered by now. you are neither.
good day.
bbl all y’alll….yinz….youze guys….
She was born in St. Petersbug Russia in in 1905.
The Bolshevik Revolution caused her family to emigrate.
OT for those following the Moran thread over at PJM; a response to his last comment in thread #73:
coldwarrior wrote:
Straight up, yo!
Iron Fist wrote:
I just can’t see us giving him our country….This is were we stand. We can only hope people are going to start seeing how rough it is going to be in the next few months. Already gasoline is high and food is fixing to go up and let’s not mention all those tax returns people *think* they are going to get this year when in reality they are going to end up owing the government and yeah they can thank the feds for all of this.
Lily wrote:
We are
We elected him. TWICE
Man, it’s 42 and sunny out there and it’s expected to get to 60. I need to get out there and suck up some of that Global Warming whilst it’s still available! Later, peeps……..
@ buzzsawmonkey:
If they were to find a homosexual gene, then they could do a prenatal test for it and abort potential homosexuals. I don’t think the gay lobby is planning for them all to be wiped out, but if they were to find a genetic determinant for it, that would probably be the net effect.
Iron Fist wrote:
Even if there is some other alleged “cause,” such as a measurable physiological difference in some gland or secretion or something, that resurrects all of the “cure” stuff that the gay-rights lobby has been trying for decades to get away from and suppress.
The lobby is on the horns of a dilemma; it can’t claim “civil rights” on the basis of choice or preference, but it places its alleged constituency at risk the more it attempts to obtain scientific proof of inevitability.
Panetta just said regarding Benghazi that ‘” It is not the role of
the U.S Military to provide a 911 servce………….”
eaglesoars wrote:
Not moi!
RIX wrote:
and he was considered to be one of the “grown ups” in the Obama administration.
coldwarrior wrote:
A Russian short story is 600 pages.
I guess that it’s all relative. will even one Senator call him out for that remark?
eaglesoars wrote:
Darn it that was a PIMF thinks we are stupid.
/well we know over 1/2 of us are stupid and I’m going to wonder how they react in the next few months…it should be interesting.
@ RIX:
They left those people there to die. I am coming to believe that they wanted them to die. There was so much that they could have done and didn’t. I would chalk it up to shere incompetance, but the more they deny (and how they make their denials) the more I suspect malfeasance. id the ambassador step on somebody’s toes? Were they pissed about his repeated calls for more security? Certainly, the Obama Administration feels it is above answering to the people for its acts, and the lap-dog media seems willing to give them a pass on this.
RIX wrote:
WTH??? Not even for our own country? I swear the hate for anything American is very strong with this administration.
Speranza wrote:
Neither did I…but supposedly 1/2 the country did.
An arguement for gun conrol that you’ll never hear about:
First off, he’s an ex-cop. To make an arguement for gun control, you have to argue that the police shouldn’t be allowed personal guns, at the very last. It gets better, though:
The shooter is, of course, black. The racial motives make this a hate crime, or would if the shooter were white.
Iron Fist wrote:
And that is a disgrace. You are correct the more they protest the more it is mostly they are hiding…They protest too much.
Iron Fist wrote:
One gets the impression that the former SEALS’ resistance was not part of the script that Washington had in mind. There was speculation, I recall, that the whole Benghazi incident was supposed to be a staged kidnapping that would provide cover for a swap—Stevens and anyone with him in exchange for releasing the Blind Sheik. If so, the SEALS deciding to weigh in, and put up resistance, screwed up the playbook—and letting them all die was intended to put the lid on the swap plan.
That would certainly explain why the Administration has been so lackadaisical about its attempts to “bring the perpetrators to justice,” even when they’ve been out in the open; put them in front of a camera and they might blab the works.
@ Iron Fist:
They could at least dispatched an aircraft to do maneuvers to at least
occupy the attackers.
The rapid respnse tem did not have time to change out of uniform?
It was a shocking comment. I know that he is talking about cost & logistics,
but wtf?
New Thread
@ Iron Fist:
There is so much that stinks about the whole affair. PC aside one has to wonder about the wisdom of sending and openly gay ambassador into a backward, tribal, muslim area.
I have heard conjecture that they were supposed to be kidnapped to be used in trade for the blind sheik.
I am pretty sure we will never learn anything approaching the truth. We are fed lie up lie to obfuscate and attacked by the administration and the admin propagandists masquerading as objective journalists when we question the obvious falsehoods.
RIX wrote:
In the context of his larger point, he was absolutely correct.
The primary responsibility for securing diplomatic facilities and personnel falls on the State Department, not DOD. Yes, they can call on the military for help, but that doesn’t mean that the military has people standing by waiting for someone to call, like a fire department does.
If State has serious concerns about its ability to defend a particular facility, it’s their responsibility to reach out to DOD and make some sort of arrangements to accomplish that mission.
I know, but it just seemed like a crass way to put it.
He put primary responsibility on the host country.
France would be correct, but Libya?
Iran should be a lesson.
@ RIX:
Under international law, the host country is responsible for security of diplomatic facilities.
There are obviously place where we have our own security forces, including military personnel. Baghdad and Kabul come to mind.
Maybe this facility should have been in the same category. In hindsight, it probably should have.
But it’s not DOD’s responsibility to make that determination.
buzzsawmonkey wrote:
Obama hasn’t even tried out his new Super Power of Assassination on them. He’s quite deliberately let these people walk free. And he’s gotten away with it. Only “fringe lunatics” like ourselves are concerned with it.
Iron Fist wrote:
Well, it’s not as though they’re Americans.
Until after amnesty/”comprehensive immigration reform”, anyway.