Chuck Hagel

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CIA Too Busy With Drones to Spy: Report

Hagel panel says agency isn't gathering enough intel

(Newser) - US spy agencies have neglected intelligence gathering operations in strategically critical places like China, the Middle East, and elsewhere, because they've been too busy flying drone strikes and conducting quasi-combat operations, a classified report warned President Obama last year. The panel, headed by Chuck Hagel and former Sen. David...

Hagel Meets Karzai After Threats, Friction

Pushes back against Karzai's US-Taliban comments

(Newser) - Chuck Hagel finally did meet privately with Afghan President Hamid Karzai yesterday before returning to Washington today, and despite the security concerns that initially canceled the meeting , Hagel told the press he and Karzai discussed key issues, the AP reports. "I think he understands where we are and where...

Threat Cancels Hagel-Karzai Press Conference

And not Karzai's statement that US, Taliban are colluding: Pentagon

(Newser) - A news conference with Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and Afghan President Hamid Karzai was cancelled because of a security threat, but the two men plan to meet privately. The cancellation comes a day after a suicide bomber on a bicycle struck outside the Afghan Defense Ministry, killing nine Afghan civilians...

Blasts Rock Afghanistan as Hagel Visits

Nearly 20 people killed after defense chief arrives

(Newser) - A suicide bomber on a bicycle struck outside the Afghan Defense Ministry in Kabul today, one of two attacks that killed at least 18 people as Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel visited the nation. Nine people were killed in the bombing at the ministry, a fresh reminder that insurgents continue to...

Hagel Hearings Ended With Last Salvo of Smears

Dana Milbank thinks Congress should be ashamed of itself

(Newser) - Chuck Hagel was finally sworn in as defense secretary today, but not before enduring one last salvo of smears before yesterday's confirmation vote . Two Republicans said Hagel had accused Israel of "commiting, quote, 'sickening slaughter,'" Dana Milbank reports. "There was something sickening about this,...

After Closest Vote Ever, Chuck Hagel Sworn In

He'll next address Pentagon workers

(Newser) - Chuck Hagel's 58-41 confirmation vote wasn't just close; it was the closest ever for a defense secretary, notes Reuters , with just four Republicans voting in favor of the Republican, who was sworn in this morning. The closed-door ceremony will be followed by an address to Pentagon workers at...

Senate Confirms Hagel as Defense Chief

Move follows end of GOP filibuster

(Newser) - It took a few weeks longer than expected, but the Senate today approved Chuck Hagel to be the next defense secretary. The final vote—58-41, with four Republicans voting in favor—came after the GOP dropped its unprecedented delay of President Obama's choice to head the Pentagon. The former...

Hagel Nomination Clears Filibuster

Senate will vote to confirm in a matter of hours

(Newser) - The Senate has voted 71-27 to end debate on Chuck Hagel's nomination for secretary of Defense, paving the way for his all-but-guaranteed confirmation later this afternoon. Republicans had been filibustering Hagel's nomination, with the last vote to end debate on Feb. 14 falling just short of the 60-vote...

Dems, GOP Duke It Out Over Sequester
 Dems, GOP 
 Duke It Out 
 Over Sequester 


TALK SHOW ROUNDUP

Dems, GOP Duke It Out Over Sequester

Everybody hates it, but no solid ideas how to avoid it

(Newser) - With five days to go before a little thing called the sequester kicks in, there are a lot of fingers being pointed at and from both sides of the aisle. A look around the Sunday talk show dial, as per Politico :
  • Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine : "We laid a plan
...

Journo: Oops, I Started the Hagel-Hamas Rumors

Dan Friedman explains how made-up group he joked about became news

(Newser) - Ever wonder how unconfirmed rumors snowball into political news stories? At the New York Daily News , Dan Friedman offers an example—in which he was the unwitting source of the false story. In the midst of Chuck Hagel's confirmation process, Friedman called a GOP aide to find out more...

Nebraska GOP Senator to Retire

He's one of only two Republicans backing Chuck Hagel

(Newser) - Nebraska Sen. Mike Johanns has informed his state's governor that he doesn't intend to run for re-election next year, sources tell NBC News . Johanns is notable as the man who replaced Chuck Hagel in the Senate—and is now one of only two Senate Republicans publicly backing his...

John McCain: Just Confirm 'Unimpressive' Hagel Already

Lindsey Graham, John Barrasso similarly unimpressed

(Newser) - John McCain thinks Chuck Hagel is "the most unimpressive" Defense secretary nominee he's "ever seen," reports Politico , but that little detail shouldn't stop him from getting confirmed to lead the Pentagon. "No, I don't believe he's qualified, but I don't believe...

GOP Blocks Nomination of Hagel, for Now

He's still expected to become defense secretary, but after Senate recess

(Newser) - The Chuck Hagel drama continued on Capitol Hill today, as Republicans refused to allow a final vote on his confirmation to become defense secretary, reports the Hill . Hagel is expected to prevail eventually—but now it can't happen until lawmakers return from the Presidents' Day recess. Expect the next...

Chuck Hagel Confirmation No Sure Thing: Hill Insiders

Reid looks to head off filibuster threat

(Newser) - The Obama administration has voiced confidence that Chuck Hagel will be confirmed as defense secretary, but congressional sources aren't so sure, they tell CNN . After declaring he wouldn't support a filibuster , John McCain now appears to be waffling on the issue: Before committing, he wants to know more...

Senate Panel Backs Hagel for Defense

But vote in full Senate is no gimme

(Newser) - Chuck Hagel has cleared his first hurdle in becoming secretary of defense: The Senate Armed Services panel voted 14-11 to approve President Obama's pick to succeed Leon Panetta. All of the Democrats on the committee backed Hagel, and all of the Republicans opposed him. The nomination now goes to...

Graham: I'll Block Brennan, Hagel Over Benghazi

Wants White House to 'fess up on what happened

(Newser) - Lindsey Graham says he's ready to block the confirmations of both Chuck Hagel and John Brennan if President Obama isn't a little more forthcoming with what he knows about the Benghazi consulate attack. "No confirmation without information," he said today, adding that the confirmations shouldn't...

Cheney: Obama Cabinet Picks 'Second Rate'

That means you, Kerry, Brennan, Hagel

(Newser) - One guy not real thrilled with President Obama's second-term Cabinet picks? Dick Cheney. And the onetime veep isn't exactly being shy about it, telling a group of Wyoming Republicans last night that the president's choices for his national security team were "dismal," and that "...

McCain: Let's Not Filibuster Chuck Hagel

Defense nominee nears confirmation

(Newser) - John McCain wasn't easy on Chuck Hagel during the defense secretary nominee's confirmation hearing—but it looks as though he and other Republicans are letting up. (After all, the two were friends before falling out.) McCain says he opposes a filibuster of Hagel's confirmation and will...

McCain, Hagel Spar Over Iraq
 McCain, Hagel Spar Over Iraq 

McCain, Hagel Spar Over Iraq

Defense nominee says he's still not sure the surge was worth it

(Newser) - Chuck Hagel got into a testy verbal sparring match with John McCain at his Armed Services Committee hearing today, with McCain demanding that Hagel admit he was wrong when he warned against the "surge" in Iraq. Hagel tried to prevaricate: "I would defer to the judgment of history,...

Chuck Hagel Hearing: What He'll Face

Unprecedented opposition campaign could make for an interesting vote

(Newser) - Chuck Hagel heads to Capitol Hill for his confirmation hearing today, and one thing we can say with confidence: It won't be a John Kerry-esque cakewalk . Hagel's facing skepticism and outright opposition from both sides of the aisle over past stances, particularly on Israel and nuclear proliferation. But...

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