This Politico article on Chuck Hagel’s nomination is unmitigated crap. If you keep repeating the premise that Susan Rice was the president’s first choice for Secretary of State when that is not the case, then you are hack reporters. What else would you expect from Politico? In any case, the new idea is that Hagel will be confirmed but that he will be weak, politically isolated, and will leave the Pentagon exposed and vulnerable.
What do you think? To what degree does a Secretary of Defense need friends on Capitol Hill in order to be effective? Is there any real threat that the Republicans in control of our military spending will suddenly stop funding the Pentagon because they don’t like Hagel? Will Hagel be useless for running interference for the White House whenever the next hiccup occurs in our foreign adventures?