Mendte: Chuck Hagel Nomination

NEW YORK, NY. (KPLR) – President Obama feeling the heat for his nominee, former senator Chuck Hagel to lead the Pentagon.

Larry Mendte looks at the fight brewing over the post.

What is wrong with Chuck Hagel? President Obama announced haggle as his nominee for Secretary of Defense.

Chuck Hagel, a republican, a two term senator from Nebraska and a Vietnam veteran.

But in congress the bi-partisan coalition is blasting the nomination.

You would think the president nominated this chucky as opposed to a two time Purple Heart recipient.

So what is the problem, first off, there is a feeling that Hagel might be ‘soft’.

This is because he said that after his service in the infantry, he would think long and hard before sending young men and women to battle, to me that`s a big plus.

Hagel also came out against the Iraq war after first supporting it, you know like 75 percent of Americans.

Hagel also said he wants to pare down the military budget, well good; it needs to be cut, it is one third of our total budget, paring down is the perfect word.

And finally, Hagel is criticized for saying that the ‘Jewish lobby’ in Washington is too powerful.  Okay, well the pro-Israel lobby in Washington is very powerful that is a fact.

As a matter of fact most of the senators you hear on TV blasting Hagel are doing so because they don`t want to tick off the powerful Jewish lobby or the even more powerful defense contractors lobby.

So what is wrong with Chuck Hagel, nothing and in the end he will be confirmed.  But there is something very wrong with Washington.

So try to ignore the petty pot shots, these senators are just trying to impress their bosses, the lobbyists.