Senator John Kornin (R-TX): He will actively oppose Mr. Hagel, a Republican from Nebraska, if President Barack Obama appoints him to the highest office at the Pentagon. Mr. Corninus predicted that many members of his faction would join him in moving to block Mr. Hagel. “Some of Senator Hagel’s positions will either weaken America or create ambiguity about our role in maintaining security and peace,” Senator Kornin said. “He has taken positions that I think are beyond the mainstream and atypical even for this administration.
Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL): Senator Marco Rubio’s office is threatening to retain former Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel if he is promoted to Secretary of Defense. In a statement on Washington’s Free Beacon, communications director Rubio Alex Konant said, “promoting democracy in Latin America is a priority for Senator Rubio, and he is holding back other nominees in the administration on this issue. If President Obama had nominated Senator Hagel to the Cabinet, I’m sure we would have questions about Cuba’s position”.
Senator Lindsay Graham (R-SC): 1) “I like Chuck, but his position is… are actually outside the mainstream and far to the left of the president. I think it will be a difficult nomination. 2) “I can say that the Republicans would support his nomination very little, after all, very few votes.
Senator Kelly Hayott (R-NX): “Although he has not yet been nominated, I am concerned about his previous positions on Israel and Iran,” she said. “If he is nominated as Minister of Defense, I intend to actively question him about those previous positions.
Senator John McCain (R-AZ): John McCain of Arizona said he “strongly disagrees” with Hagel’s comments on the “Jewish lobby. “I don’t know any ‘Jewish lobby’,” McCain said. “I know that there is strong support for Israel. I don’t know any ‘Jewish lobby’. I hope he will determine who it is.”
Senator Tom Coburn: “I can’t vote for Chuck Hagel. …just because of some of the positions he took and the statements he [made]…he doesn’t have the experience to run a large organization like the Pentagon.
Representative Tom Cotton (R-AR): “While his track record in Iraq alone should disqualify Mr. Hagel from leading our troops during the war, his views on current issues are equally worrying and show that he has not learned from his mistakes. Unlike the current secretary of defense, Mr. Hagel seems willing to accept devastating cuts in defense spending, calling the u.s. military ‘inflated’ and in need of ‘leniency…. While mr. Obama has every right to choose his defense secretary, I urge him not to nominate mr. Hagel. If he does, I urge the senate not to approve him.
Log cabin Republicans: “Chuck Hagel: Gay rights mistake. Wrong in Iran. Wrong in Israel,” continues the announcement. “Tell President Obama that Chuck Hagel is wrong about the Defense Minister.
Filed Under: What They Are Saying