Chuck Hagel stepping down

[AUDub 11,131]

LINK

[Elephant Tipper 430]

LOL.....sorry BB. You posted while I typed.

Someone merge our threads please.

[AUDub 11,131]

LOL.....sorry BB. You posted while I typed.

Someone merge our threads please.

Yours is better. Has more links.

[AUUSN 823]

I nominate David Petraeus as a replacement.

[Elephant Tipper 430]

I'm taking your comment as being facetious. He had his day and is now water under the bridge although he is well qualified. Shame his career ended as it did.

[AUUSN 823]

I'm taking your comment as being facetious. He had his day and is now water under the bridge although he is well qualified. Shame his career ended as it did.

I'm completely serious. He understands unconventional warfare and counterinsurgency and he would be a great counter-balance to the parochial Flag Officers in the five-sided circus looking to protect their high-dollar conventional warfare programs.

[Elephant Tipper 430]

AUUSN, I agree with your assessment of his qualifications but his indiscretions have undermined confidence in his judgment, otherwise he would have easily been the next DS.

Fox News reports, "Make no mistake, Secretary Hagel was FIRED." Not a mutual decision.

[TheBlueVue 177]

AUUSN, I agree with your assessment of his qualifications but his indiscretions have undermined confidence in his judgment, otherwise he would have easily been the next DS.

Fox News reports, "Make no mistake, Secretary Hagel was FIRED." Not a mutual decision.

How do you spell "scapegoat"?

[Elephant Tipper 430]

Naa, I think the Dems finally realized that CH is as dopey as the Repubs were claiming. He undermined BO repeatedly without being aware.

[TheBlueVue 177]

Naa, I think the Dems finally realized that CH is as dopey as the Repubs were claiming. He undermined BO repeatedly without being aware.

You're probably right. His performance in his Oversight committee testimony had to be embarrassing for everyone in this admin.

[cooltigger21 0]

Naa, I think the Dems finally realized that CH is as dopey as the Repubs were claiming. He undermined BO repeatedly without being aware.

Well yes he was dopey but the administration needed someone to blame for everything and he got picked. Certainly POTUS isn't going to accept responsibility.

[AUUSN 823]

AUUSN, I agree with your assessment of his qualifications but his indiscretions have undermined confidence in his judgment, otherwise he would have easily been the next DS.

Fox News reports, "Make no mistake, Secretary Hagel was FIRED." Not a mutual decision.

I agree. I'm hearing possibly Michele Flournoy. She was a top candidate when Hagel was nominated.

http://www.cnas.org/flournoymichele

[TheBlueVue 177]

This seems to resonate with a lot of truth and interesting peerspective:

http://www.weeklysta...e-l_819819.html

"So why has he been fired? Because the Obama White House needs a scapegoat. President George W, Bush fired Don Rumsfeld in connection with a change in strategy (the surge) and to bring in someone of independent stature. That's not the case today. President Obama continues to want a Pentagon with weak leadership and little independence. There's therefore no reason to expect the next two years of Obama foreign and defense policy to be any better than the past two."

[AUUSN 823]

Naa, I think the Dems finally realized that CH is as dopey as the Repubs were claiming. He undermined BO repeatedly without being aware.

Well yes he was dopey but the administration needed someone to blame for everything and he got picked. Certainly POTUS isn't going to accept responsibility.

I'd tone down the name calling. I'd venture to guess his service to this country is much longer than yours or others who wish to denigrate him. Let him leave with grace and admiration.

http://www.defense.gov/bios/biographydetail.aspx?biographyid=365

[TheBlueVue 177]

Naa, I think the Dems finally realized that CH is as dopey as the Repubs were claiming. He undermined BO repeatedly without being aware.

Well yes he was dopey but the administration needed someone to blame for everything and he got picked. Certainly POTUS isn't going to accept responsibility.

I'd tone down the name calling. I'd venture to guess his service to this country is much longer than yours or others who wish to denigrate him. Let him leave with grace and admiration.

http://www.defense.g...biographyid=365

Well, I would agree that in every instance where he opposed the admin he was right.

[Elephant Tipper 430]

Without a doubt, Secretary Hagel has been exemplary in his service to our nation for which I am truly grateful. He commands my respect for that service, however, as a politician he has under performed in just about every capacity, not for lack of heart but capability. His strength of military service is what made most Americans most enduring (not endearing) of him. That lack of capability is what Repubs warned and now the President has faced first hand. His poor performance on an international stage came across as being, well, I'll just leave it at that.

[cooltigger21 0]

Without a doubt, Secretary Hagel has been exemplary in his service to our nation for which I am truly grateful. He commands my respect for that service, however, as a politician he has under performed in just about every capacity, not for lack of heart but capability. His strength of military service is what made most Americans most enduring (not endearing) of him. That lack of capability is what Repubs warned and now the President has faced first hand. His poor performance on an international stage came across as being, well, I'll just leave it at that.

He did about as good as he could do, given who he was working for, and the policies handed down by this administration. Either he didn't fully understand just who Obama is when he accepted the post or he felt like he could help minimize the damage.

[TheBlueVue 177]

Without a doubt, Secretary Hagel has been exemplary in his service to our nation for which I am truly grateful. He commands my respect for that service, however, as a politician he has under performed in just about every capacity, not for lack of heart but capability. His strength of military service is what made most Americans most enduring (not endearing) of him. That lack of capability is what Repubs warned and now the President has faced first hand. His poor performance on an international stage came across as being, well, I'll just leave it at that.

I agree in principle but the fact that Obama insists on micro-managing his Cabinet posts, Im not ready to lay all the blame for what certainly appears to be, as you stated, a very poor performance at Hagel the Bagels feet

[Elephant Tipper 430]

Without a doubt, Secretary Hagel has been exemplary in his service to our nation for which I am truly grateful. He commands my respect for that service, however, as a politician he has under performed in just about every capacity, not for lack of heart but capability. His strength of military service is what made most Americans most enduring (not endearing) of him. That lack of capability is what Repubs warned and now the President has faced first hand. His poor performance on an international stage came across as being, well, I'll just leave it at that.

He did about as good as he could do, given who he was working for, and the policies handed down by this administration. Either he didn't fully understand just who Obama is when he accepted the post or he felt like he could help minimize the damage.

Disagree. CH was in over his head when appointed as DS.

[icanthearyou 4,462]

Naa, I think the Dems finally realized that CH is as dopey as the Repubs were claiming. He undermined BO repeatedly without being aware.

Well yes he was dopey but the administration needed someone to blame for everything and he got picked. Certainly POTUS isn't going to accept responsibility.

I'd tone down the name calling. I'd venture to guess his service to this country is much longer than yours or others who wish to denigrate him. Let him leave with grace and admiration.

http://www.defense.g...biographyid=365

Exactly. The man has two purple hearts from Vietnam. Might want to tone down the rhetoric.

[TheBlueVue 177]

Without a doubt, Secretary Hagel has been exemplary in his service to our nation for which I am truly grateful. He commands my respect for that service, however, as a politician he has under performed in just about every capacity, not for lack of heart but capability. His strength of military service is what made most Americans most enduring (not endearing) of him. That lack of capability is what Repubs warned and now the President has faced first hand. His poor performance on an international stage came across as being, well, I'll just leave it at that.

He did about as good as he could do, given who he was working for, and the policies handed down by this administration. Either he didn't fully understand just who Obama is when he accepted the post or he felt like he could help minimize the damage.

Disagree. CH was in over his head when appointed as DS.

Let me ask you this. Im not disagreeing with you but do you believe Obama micro-manages his Cabinet posts? I do and for that reason am not expecting the next 2 years of foreign policy and/or military strategies to be any better than they have been the last two years.

[japantiger 4,051]

Naa, I think the Dems finally realized that CH is as dopey as the Repubs were claiming. He undermined BO repeatedly without being aware.

Well yes he was dopey but the administration needed someone to blame for everything and he got picked. Certainly POTUS isn't going to accept responsibility.

I'd tone down the name calling. I'd venture to guess his service to this country is much longer than yours or others who wish to denigrate him. Let him leave with grace and admiration.

http://www.defense.g...biographyid=365

Exactly. The man has two purple hearts from Vietnam. Might want to tone down the rhetoric.

The number of wounds you have is not correlated to your competence as Sec Def. It is a big job in an environment that has changed hugely in the last 5-7 years. Couple that with an incompetent CnC; and you get trouble. Whether anyone could successfully manage in this environment is a fair question to ask...but, CH stepped into it and in general he's not been stellar; or near vocal enough about the contradictions in policy.

[Elephant Tipper 430]

If "micro-manages" means he disagrees with the advice given, then yes. Panetta & Clinton made that painfully obvious. General Jack Keane has stated that the President is micromanaging the Defense Dept. in airstrikes in Iraq and Syria. He describes it as being what LBJ did. Otherwise I wouldn't have a clue.

I'm wondering if Dempsey might be considered for SofD. He's overdue for a move and retirement.

[TheBlueVue 177]

If "micro-manages" means he disagrees with the advice given, then yes. Panetta & Clinton made that painfully obvious. General Jack Keane has stated that the President is micromanaging the Defense Dept. in airstrikes in Iraq and Syria. He describes it as being what LBJ did. Otherwise I wouldn't have a clue.

I'm wondering if Dempsey might be considered for SofD. He's overdue for a move and retirement.

So in general you agree the next 2 years, more than likely, wont be any better than the last 2 when it comes to results from the defense dept.

[autigeremt 6,569]

Prior to confirmation, Ms. Flournoy co-led President Obama’s transition team at DoD.

^^^^This is the reason she will be nominated (if she is). I'm not sure I'd want her in this office but it's not our decision in the first place. She oversaw aspects of the DOD that "may" have led to debacle of allowing Bin Laden to grow during the mid to late 90's. Her former position at the DOD would elude to this. My faith in this administration is so low that I doubt she is ready for the job but who knows in the end. If she is sworn in the fate of US security is in her hands.