McCain: Hagel is "not qualified" to be defense secretary

[they don't love you like i love you]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/24/us-obama-nominations-hagel-idUSBRE91N09F20130224

LOL, McCain is accusing someone of being unqualified. That belongs in the real life Irony Ore Mine.

[Sopranos Republican]

Give me a break, while I may not agree with some of Hagel's stances, calling him unqualified is just plain stupid.

[Antonio the Sixth]

McCain seems really intent on going down in history as a pathetic bitter hack lately.

[Maxwell]

Does this goofball know youtube exists?



Just enjoy it, please.

[Lumine]

And I thought McCain still had some dignity... The only thing missing is him accusing Hagel of being "disloyal" to his party.

[CLARENCE 2015!]

Take a step back and look at what McCain is saying...

From McCain's POV- which I partially agree with, partially not- Hagel opposed the surge which was by all accounts a brilliant and successful strategy... and didn't have the ability to give McCain a straight answer whether he stood by that view or not at the hearings
So McCain sees some one who was wrong on one of the major military issues of the past several years and unwilling to either stand by it or rebuke his prior view

Also- Hagel has never run a bureaucracy, has no experience as a leader in DOD or any other of our national security agencies or departments, and has been out of government for some time now....In some ways, the Hagel pick is like when Bush nominated Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court... perhaps a fine woman, who held views in agreement with many Americans', but hadn't been a judge...

You all should stop trying to smear McCain with attacks on his dignity whenever he says something you don't agree with!

[Sbane]

Take a step back and look at what McCain is saying...

From McCain's POV- which I partially agree with, partially not- Hagel opposed the surge which was by all accounts a brilliant and successful strategy... and didn't have the ability to give McCain a straight answer whether he stood by that view or not at the hearings
So McCain sees some one who was wrong on one of the major military issues of the past several years and unwilling to either stand by it or rebuke his prior view

Also- Hagel has never run a bureaucracy, has no experience as a leader in DOD or any other of our national security agencies or departments, and has been out of government for some time now....In some ways, the Hagel pick is like when Bush nominated Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court... perhaps a fine woman, who held views in agreement with many Americans', but hadn't been a judge...

You all should stop trying to smear McCain with attacks on his dignity whenever he says something you don't agree with!

The Iraq war itself was a mistake! Mccain was wrong on that! Now, the surge was a good idea, and Hagel would have have more credibility if he was against the Iraq war to begin with, but we have to realize the Iraq war was a mistake. Hagel was wrong on the surge, a tactic used within the Iraq war, but Mccain was wrong on whether we should gone in there to begin with. Why should we listen to Mccain?

[CLARENCE 2015!]

I agree with you onthat, but that was not my point...

My point was that some folks here assume that McCain doesn't have genuine reasons to distrust Hagel's judgment and is doing so only out of being a "hack" with no "dignity"
Say what you want about the Iraq War and I do agree with you on that- but the surge worked and is a legitimate point to raise when considering the next Secretary of Defense

[Sopranos Republican]

Take a step back and look at what McCain is saying...

From McCain's POV- which I partially agree with, partially not- Hagel opposed the surge which was by all accounts a brilliant and successful strategy... and didn't have the ability to give McCain a straight answer whether he stood by that view or not at the hearings
So McCain sees some one who was wrong on one of the major military issues of the past several years and unwilling to either stand by it or rebuke his prior view

Also- Hagel has never run a bureaucracy, has no experience as a leader in DOD or any other of our national security agencies or departments, and has been out of government for some time now....In some ways, the Hagel pick is like when Bush nominated Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court... perhaps a fine woman, who held views in agreement with many Americans', but hadn't been a judge...

You all should stop trying to smear McCain with attacks on his dignity whenever he says something you don't agree with!

I wouldn't smear John McCain, I have a lot of respect for the man. I said his comments were stupid, but he's not stupid.

[they don't love you like i love you]

Take a step back and look at what McCain is saying...

From McCain's POV- which I partially agree with, partially not- Hagel opposed the surge which was by all accounts a brilliant and successful strategy... and didn't have the ability to give McCain a straight answer whether he stood by that view or not at the hearings
So McCain sees some one who was wrong on one of the major military issues of the past several years and unwilling to either stand by it or rebuke his prior view

Also- Hagel has never run a bureaucracy, has no experience as a leader in DOD or any other of our national security agencies or departments, and has been out of government for some time now....In some ways, the Hagel pick is like when Bush nominated Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court... perhaps a fine woman, who held views in agreement with many Americans', but hadn't been a judge...

You all should stop trying to smear McCain with attacks on his dignity whenever he says something you don't agree with!

I wouldn't smear John McCain, I have a lot of respect for the man. I said his comments were stupid, but he's not stupid.

If he's not stupid, why did he think Sarah Palin is fit to be Vice President?

[Antonio the Sixth]

I agree with you onthat, but that was not my point...

My point was that some folks here assume that McCain doesn't have genuine reasons to distrust Hagel's judgment and is doing so only out of being a "hack" with no "dignity"
Say what you want about the Iraq War and I do agree with you on that- but the surge worked and is a legitimate point to raise when considering the next Secretary of Defense

I think Sbane's point is that McCain isn't holding himself to the standard he's holding Hagel to. And as you can see, he's quite used to having double standards.

[Sopranos Republican]

Take a step back and look at what McCain is saying...

From McCain's POV- which I partially agree with, partially not- Hagel opposed the surge which was by all accounts a brilliant and successful strategy... and didn't have the ability to give McCain a straight answer whether he stood by that view or not at the hearings
So McCain sees some one who was wrong on one of the major military issues of the past several years and unwilling to either stand by it or rebuke his prior view

Also- Hagel has never run a bureaucracy, has no experience as a leader in DOD or any other of our national security agencies or departments, and has been out of government for some time now....In some ways, the Hagel pick is like when Bush nominated Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court... perhaps a fine woman, who held views in agreement with many Americans', but hadn't been a judge...

You all should stop trying to smear McCain with attacks on his dignity whenever he says something you don't agree with!

I wouldn't smear John McCain, I have a lot of respect for the man. I said his comments were stupid, but he's not stupid.

If he's not stupid, why did he think Sarah Palin is fit to be Vice President?

It wasn't a stupid move. He wanted a women, who was younger, attractive, and at the time Someone who was generally seen as a moderate. It was a pretty smart campaign move, even if she's not fit to be the Vice President.

[Obamanation]

Take a step back and look at what McCain is saying...

From McCain's POV- which I partially agree with, partially not- Hagel opposed the surge which was by all accounts a brilliant and successful strategy... and didn't have the ability to give McCain a straight answer whether he stood by that view or not at the hearings
So McCain sees some one who was wrong on one of the major military issues of the past several years and unwilling to either stand by it or rebuke his prior view

Also- Hagel has never run a bureaucracy, has no experience as a leader in DOD or any other of our national security agencies or departments, and has been out of government for some time now....In some ways, the Hagel pick is like when Bush nominated Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court... perhaps a fine woman, who held views in agreement with many Americans', but hadn't been a judge...

You all should stop trying to smear McCain with attacks on his dignity whenever he says something you don't agree with!

I wouldn't smear John McCain, I have a lot of respect for the man. I said his comments were stupid, but he's not stupid.

If he's not stupid, why did he think Sarah Palin is fit to be Vice President?

It wasn't a stupid move. He wanted a women, who was younger, attractive, and at the time Someone who was generally seen as a moderate. It was a pretty smart campaign move, even if she's not fit to be the Vice President.

But that's exactly why it's a double standard...

[badgate]

Would Hagel be unqualified if he were nominated for Defense secretary by the new Romney administration?

[Antonio the Sixth]

Would Hagel be unqualified if he were nominated for Defense secretary by the new Romney administration?

To be fair, I'm sure the Cruz-Paul types of nutjobs would still bitch about this. But they wouldn't be followed by the near-entire GOP caucus.

[CLARENCE 2015!]

So because McCain made a mistake in picking Palin- he is now prohibited from calling any one unqualified?

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

I agree with you onthat, but that was not my point...

My point was that some folks here assume that McCain doesn't have genuine reasons to distrust Hagel's judgment and is doing so only out of being a "hack" with no "dignity"
Say what you want about the Iraq War and I do agree with you on that- but the surge worked and is a legitimate point to raise when considering the next Secretary of Defense

I completely support Hagel for SoD and believe he's as qualified as anyone, and question whether the surge itself was all that successful - but you're absolutely right there's no reason to think McCain is being insincere.  All this stuff about McCain being driven by spite is projection as much as anything.

[Maxwell]

Would Hagel be unqualified if he were nominated for Defense secretary by the new Romney administration?

To be fair, I'm sure the Cruz-Paul types of nutjobs would still bitch about this. But they wouldn't be followed by the near-entire GOP caucus.

Honestly, Paul seemed rather quiet on the Hagel hearings, so the "Rand Paul is the most radical right-winger" meme doesn't work here. Sorry.

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

Would Hagel be unqualified if he were nominated for Defense secretary by the new Romney administration?

To be fair, I'm sure the Cruz-Paul types of nutjobs would still bitch about this. But they wouldn't be followed by the near-entire GOP caucus.

Honestly, Paul seemed rather quiet on the Hagel hearings, so the "Rand Paul is the most radical right-winger" meme doesn't work here. Sorry.

Yeah, we'll probably see Paul vote in favor while Collins and Kirk vote against.

[Antonio the Sixth]

You're right, sorry, I think I confused him with Rubio.

[Landslide Lyndon]

So because McCain made a mistake in picking Palin- he is now prohibited from calling any one unqualified?

Yes.

And FTR, he still hasn't acknowledged that he made a mistake.

[Queen Mum Inks.LWC]

Take a step back and look at what McCain is saying...

From McCain's POV- which I partially agree with, partially not- Hagel opposed the surge which was by all accounts a brilliant and successful strategy... and didn't have the ability to give McCain a straight answer whether he stood by that view or not at the hearings
So McCain sees some one who was wrong on one of the major military issues of the past several years and unwilling to either stand by it or rebuke his prior view

Also- Hagel has never run a bureaucracy, has no experience as a leader in DOD or any other of our national security agencies or departments, and has been out of government for some time now....In some ways, the Hagel pick is like when Bush nominated Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court... perhaps a fine woman, who held views in agreement with many Americans', but hadn't been a judge...

You all should stop trying to smear McCain with attacks on his dignity whenever he says something you don't agree with!

On whether the surge was a good idea or not - it's been a few years since it happened.  Whether or not it was a good decision won't be revealed for a long time when historians can fully evaluate all of the Iraq War.  And it's hard to say whether or not something that never happened would still be a good idea.

Hagel was President and CEO of the USO; he was COO of the 1990 G7 summit; he was a deputy administrator in the VA; and he's served in some type of governing capacity for numerous companies... he has quite a bit of executive experience, including bureaucratic when he was in the VA.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

Hagel is going to be a disaster in this job. 

[Middle-aged Europe]

Chuck Hagel is certainly no less qualified to be Secretary of Defense than John McCain would be.

And we all know that McCain wouldn't say no to the job if it were offered to him.

[Earthling]

Chuck Hagel is certainly no less qualified to be Secretary of Defense than John McCain would be.

And we all know that McCain wouldn't say no to the job if it were offered to him.

Obama might have given him a job, if he hadn't acted like a total jerk in the last four years.