Ed Morrissey
HotAir
12/14/2012
Not just Jewish Republicans, either, according to BuzzFeed’s Zeke Miller, who heard from sources attending a White House Hanukah party that the group of Jewish political activists didn’t come entirely for the celebration. Chuck Hagel’s track record on Israel and the Middle East has Jewish leaders across the aisle concerned about his potential nomination as Secretary of Defense, and one Democrat in the group predicted that the fight would dwarf the controversy that drove Susan Rice to withdraw her name from consideration for the top job at State:
On Thursday night, hundreds of American Jewish leaders visited the White House to celebrate Hanukah, but many also came with a less celebratory agenda: They were there to deliver a warning to President Barack Obama about the potential nomination of former Sen. Chuck Hagel.
The buzz around former Republican senator from Nebraska — seen as a top contender to lead the Department of Defense — has Israel supporters worried. Hagel has been a frequent target for Jewish Democratic and Republican groups for more than a decade, even as he is close to Obama, having been a supporter in 2008 and an appointee to the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board.
“He was one of these worst senators in his party in memory when it comes to Israel,” said one Jewish Democratic operative. “It’s a terrible idea.”
They went on record opposing Hagel once before during the Obama administration. Miller recalls that Obama’s own campaign outreach director to Jewish voters told the Weekly Standard that they were leery about Hagel’s connection to White House foreign policy when he got appointed to the intelligence advisory board…
- …In August 2006, Hagel was one of only 12 Senators who refused to write the EU asking them to declare Hezbollah a terrorist organization.
- In October 2000, Hagel was one of only 4 Senators who refused to sign a Senate letter in support of Israel.
- In November 2001, Hagel was one of only 11 Senators who refsued to sign a letter urging President Bush not to meet with the late Yassir Arafat until his forces ended the violence against Israel.
- In December 2005, Hagel was one of only 27 who refused to sign a letter to President Bush to pressure the Palestinian Authority to ban terrorist groups from participating in Palestinian legislative elections.
- In June 2004, Hagel refused to sign a letter urging President Bush to highlight Iran’s nuclear program at the G-8 summit…
The complete article is at HotAir.com
Update: Ed Koch on Chuck Hagel as Defense Secretary: “It Would be a Terrible Appointment”
…Explaining his opposition to the appointment, which is looking increasingly likely to materialize, Koch said that it would lead Arab states to believe that President Obama was seeking to create distance between his administration and Israel.
“Such an appointment would give great comfort to the Arab world that would think that President Obama is seeking to put space between Israel and his administration,” Koch said, “I hope he doesn’t go forward with that appointment.”…
Update 2: Hagel appointment to defense shows the game has changed Obama seeking to fundamentally transform America’s relationship with Israel
