by Boaz Bismuth
All assessments point
to Chuck Hagel becoming the next U.S. defense secretary. His resume is
impressive, the military section (a decorated Vietnam veteran) no less
so than the political one.
Hagel was the first
Republican from Nebraska to enter the Senate in 24 years. In 2002 he
maintained his seat with 83 percent of the vote. What is there to worry
about?
In 2008, Hagel
published a book, “America: Our Next Chapter,” in which he recommended
that the U.S. adopt an independent foreign policy. Nor has he gone out
of his way to please the Israelis. "I’m not an Israeli senator. I’m a
United States senator," he said when he was told that an attack on Iran
would help Israel. In addition, he has refused to sign senatorial
letters on subjects important to Israel and the AIPAC lobby group.
"The Jewish lobby
intimidates a lot of people [on Capitol Hill]," he was quoted as saying
in Aaron David Miller's 2008 book, “The Much Too Promised Land.” Hagel
is opposed to war with Iran and has even opposed imposing sanctions on
the country. Meanwhile, he supports a dialogue with Tehran, as well as
with the heads of Hamas in the Gaza Strip. No bombs and no sanctions.
These are not the kind of ideas that sit well with Jerusalem.
From Israel's point of
view, this is a problematic appointment. Harvard Professor Stephen Walt
writes in his blog: "The real meaning of the Hagel affair is what it
says about the climate inside Washington. Simply put, the question is
whether supine and reflexive support for all things Israeli remains a
prerequisite for important policy positions here in the Land of the
Free."
With Obama in the White
House, Kerry in the State Department and Hagel in the Pentagon, America
seems intent on continuing to lose stature in the world. Hagel believes
that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict destabilizes the Middle East.
Let's hope there are people in the Pentagon who can point out Iran to
him from time to time, if not in aerial photos, then at least on the
map.
Boaz Bismuth
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_opinion.php?id=3177
Copyright - Original materials copyright (c) by the authors.
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