A question which many might be asking themselves amid the media frenzy by neo-cons and pro-"Israeli's" regarding his status as a leading candidate for the US Secretary of military Affairs.
Chuck Hagel is a former US Republican Senator (who served in the Senate from 1998-2007). He is a 66 year old Vietnam war veteran who's past bitter experiences in the battlefield seem to have had a heavy impact on his political views, particularly regarding decisions to go to war. He is perceived as someone who regards war as the last resort, and this was manifested in his strong objection to the Iraq war [though he supported it initially].
He spoke strongly against the troop surge in Iraq towards the end of the Bush administration and thus came to be known as the biggest Iraq war critic of the Republican party. His criticism of the Bush administration and the neo-cons only intensified as time went by. In one of his well-known statements he described the Bush administration as "the most impotent and arrogant administration".
According to one of his former aides Hagel spoke of "how uncomfortable it was for him to go to Republican Caucus" because he would have to encounter former vice president Dick Cheney.(one of the more extreme right wing hawks and neocons).And finally, Hagel, unlike most people on Capitol Hill, didn't go along with all resolutions sponsored by AIPAC, the Zionist lobby in the US. He has objected to blacklisting the Iranian revolutionary guards as well as Hizbullah, called for US dialogue with Hamas and on occasions has refused to sign letters expressing support for "Israel". Perhaps what worries "Israeli" lovers most is his frank, open remark "the Jewish lobby intimidates a lot of people (in Congress)".
So given the above, do "Israeli" lovers have a right to be concerned?
The answer is yes. While Hagel cannot be described as anti-"Israeli" and while his nomination (if he is nominated) may not break the ties between the US and "Israel", such a figure leading the Pentagon is an indicator of a new American approach in this new era of American decline. Hagel fits right in with an American approach that seeks to put US interests first and above anything else , including the interests and policies of "Israel". Hagel is the exact opposite of the ideologues (note his hostile relationship with Cheney and the likes of Donald Rumsfeld as well). His previous stances on Iran [opposing blacklisting the revolutionary guards] show a strong anti-demonization approach.
The more anti-ideologue and more anti-demonization the more readiness for dialogue with countries like Iran.
And with respect to Iran, it is here where a Hagel nomination would be most important. In light of all the fuss of striking Iran and the Netanyahu deadline, the appointment of the former Nebraska Senator means that Obama has chosen dialogue rebuffing the Netanyahu government.(it is almost certain that Netanyahu will be prime minister for another term). This would also elevate the friction which already exists between an Obama led administration and a Netanyahu led government.
By choosing Chuck Hagel, Obama would have hit two birds with one stone. He will show bipartisanship cooperation by nominating a former Republican, but more importantly this just might be the indicator of the beginning of the end of the American arrogance which has been in control of US policies.(and which reached the climax during the Bush administration). What some people expected the Obama administration to actually do in its first term, may very well be done (in practice and not just rhetoric) if the likes of Hagel come into play.
Obama's slogan of "change" could actually be put into action and their just might be a new policy towards Iran which is not overshadowed by hostility and sanctions [as opposed to the first term when he put Zionist Dennis Ross in charge of the Iranian file].Hagel shares with Obama the same personal convictions of the need for dialogue and a recognition of the limits of US power.
All this of course is the result of necessity and Washington's need for playing a different game to preserve its interests that have been subject to so much damage due to its hegemonic hubris. Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has spoken before about Washington being pre-occupied with its own problems and hence unable to fully accommodate "Israel" like before. If predictions about Obama's new cabinet turn out to be true, Sayyed Nasrallah will have been proven right again.
Source: moqawama.org
