President Obama made a calculated decision on Monday to nominate former U.S. Sen. Chuck Hagel as the next U.S. secretary of defense, despite Hagel's controversial record on gay rights and his past statements on the matter.
The President's views on gay marriage have "evolved" back and forth and back and forth - over the years, to suit his political needs. But over the last year or so, Obama finally completed his evolution [his flip-flops, to be precise], and he is now - and will continue to be - a staunch advocate for same-sex marriage. Hence, Obama's slap-in-the-face to the gay community - the appointment of Hagel - will ultimately be forgiven, and the political fallout, no doubt, will be short lived.
A Politically calculated decision, indeed.
Ultimately, when it comes to defense policy, and foreign policy, Hagel and Obama share the same ideologies; they think alike, which is why Obama was unable to ward off the overpowering, and irresistible, urge to appoint his ideological twin to the top defense post, despite the inevitability that such a move would offend the sensitivities of his gay constituents. But of course Obama knows that he will soon be forgiven for this act of betrayal.
Chuck Hagel has consistently voted in opposition to gay rights. He also refused to back legislation that would extend basic employment nondiscrimination protections and the federal hate-crimes law to cover gay Americans. But Mr. Hagel's most memorable moment on the gay rights stage came in a statement he made in 1998, regarding James Homel, a Clinton ambassador nominee and a gay rights advocate:
"[U.S ambassadors] are representing America," said Hagel. "They are representing our lifestyle, our values, our standards. And I think it is an inhibiting factor to be gay — openly aggressively gay like Mr. Hormel — to do an effective job."
Hagel's opposition to gay-rights left the newly reelected President with the following options: He could choose not to nominate Hagel as Secretary of Defense because of the latter's opposition to gay rights. Or, he could tap Hagel for the defense post based on Hagel's merits, such as his refusal to sign onto a letter designating Hezbollah a terrorist group, his opposition to sanctions on Iran, his support of engagement with Iran, and his fierce criticism of Israel.
The decision was a no-brainer for Obama; he couldn't pass up the golden opportunity of tapping a like-minded ally to be the next Secretary of Defense.
The President on Monday also nominated white house counter-terrorism adviser John Brennan as the next director of the CIA.
Mr. Brennan, who once referred to himself as a "strong opponent of many of the policies of the Bush administration", offered the following words of praise for Hezbollah in 2009.
"Hezbollah started out as purely a terrorist organization back in the early ’80s and has evolved significantly over time. And now it has members of parliament, in the cabinet; there are lawyers, doctors, others who are part of the Hezbollah organization... And so, quite frankly, I’m pleased to see that a lot of Hezbollah individuals are in fact renouncing that type of terrorism and violence and are trying to participate in the political process [in Lebanon] in a very legitimate fashion. "
Legitimate fashion, indeed......
Last month, President Obama nominated Sen. John Kerry to be the next Secretary of State.
Mr. Kerry's resume?
In 1971, Mr. Kerry testified against his fellow Vietnam War veterans and accused them of violating the Geneva conventions. In 2005, Kerry accused U.S. troops of "terrorizing" Iraqi women and children.
Likewise, in 2008, then-Presidential candidate Obama accused U.S. troops of "air-raiding villages and killing civilians in Afghanistan."
Birds of a feather, indeed.
Conclusion: The President no longer faces reelection, hence he is free to act at will. Which means the transformation and downward spiral of America will continue full speed ahead.........
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