My 100th (Final?) Post: Chuck Hagel for SecDef!

[Eric the Reddish]

We all know the gay slur (for which he has apologized) is an absolute strawman argument: The real reason Joe Lieberman and Bill Kristol are raking him over the coals is insufficient fealty to Bibi Netanyahu.

Does Israel have legitimate security issues? Yes. Does Israel have to factor into its decisions Hamas and Hezbollah? Yes! Does Israel have the right to defend itself? To worry about a psychotic Iranian President who denies the Holocaust and speaks openly of wiping Israel off the map? FUCK YES!

What Israel does NOT have the right to do is to interfere in our political process, which is exactly what Netanyahu attempted to do in our presidential campaign! Well, FUCK. HIM!

I've read some articles by neocons stating that the nomination of Chuck Hagel, a Republican who is actually sane, a man who wore this country's uniform, a man who reached across the aisle while in the Senate, would be a slap in the face of Netanyahu.

If so, that is the best reason for President Obama to nominate him!!!!! Remember, we're talking about a foreigner who came to the nation's capital and had the fucking arrogance to lecture our President in the White House! How's that for a slap in the face, Neo Con Artists?

The Israelis have been slapping US in the face for decades, knowing that their American shills like AEI and AIPAC will suppress any dissention.

Well, guess what? IT'S TIME WE SLAPPED BACK! If current Likudnik policies continue, I advocate the following:

1. Cutting off every penny of our taxpayer dollars to this rogue regime.
2. Clearly desingnating it as a rogue regime.
3. Immediate regognition of a Palestinian state.
4. Economic sanctions against an increasingly-fascist Israel.

Sad to say, but the children have grown up to emulate their abusers. And now, they want US to make war against those whom they fear might be abusers, even though they have the most powerful military in the Middle East, including nuclear weapons.

Stop obeying.

Stop supplying.

Stop fighting their wars.

And start labeling foreign agencies like AIPAC for what they are.

[xxxsdesdexxx]

1. k&r

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. I'm with you, 1000%.

You've said it much more coherently than I could have, too.

I hope you will stick around.

[Eric the Reddish]

3. That's up to the Mods

But I thank you for your support!

[CaliforniaPeggy]

4. There aren't any mods any more...

Anyone who gets banned has it done by the Administrators...

You don't look like a problem to me!

[Eric the Reddish]

5. I hope 101,000+ posts offer this newb some cover!

[Sekhmets Daughter]

21. What are you worried about?

You haven't had any posts hidden. Relax, enjoy the company, keep posting.

[cyberswede]

28. FYI

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=profile&uid=298092&sub=trans

(CalPeggy: You can probably guess who this was from the PPR message )

[CaliforniaPeggy]

29. Thanks for letting me know...

[WinkyDink]

6. You lost me at "a Republican."

[Eric the Reddish]

8. Why?

He's old-school. i.e., not nuts.

[WinkyDink]

33. Oh, sorry; I didn't realize we'd run out of DEMOCRATS.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

18. Hagel is a moderate, and intelligent Republican. One of the few. n/t

[xtraxritical]

25. Why give them an even chance? Stomp the Republicans to the dirt!

[CaliforniaPeggy]

26. He's a RINO. The good kind.

[Skittles]

27. if he was intelligent he would not be a republican

[WinkyDink]

34. BY DEFINITION and the PARTY PLATFORMS, a Republican does not share my values.

[TwilightGardener]

7. I hope Obama goes through with nominating him.

The MIC and the neocons are pulling out all the stops, dredging up all his Senate votes and old interviews, probably sifting through his trash, etc. trying to take him out early and prop up someone more friendly to them in the DoD. Every time they suggest Fluornoy (a career DoD bureaucrat, apparently) I like her less.

[Dragonfli]

9. Is this the place now where we embrace Republicans?

Good luck with your preference, why exactly to you support him over say a Democrat?

Is it getting harder to get them elected in your area these days or are you in a "safe red zone"?
I suppose now that the third way calls the shots Republicans are easier to work with, they have more in common with you guys than Democrats, Socialists, or Greens.

[Eric the Reddish]

10. Red Herring

And you know it!

[Dragonfli]

11. Not really, there are entire sites for promoting Republicans

This has not traditionally been one of them.

Don't you think a Democrat can do the Job?

Not so much a red herring as a red tied Republican.
May I ask if you voted for him?

[Eric the Reddish]

14. I know the game you're playing

Like most Israel-firsters, you wish to divert attention from the topic at hand. C'mon, now, accuse me of being Zombie Reagan!

[Dragonfli]

19. Actually I feel the Palestinians are being horribly abused by the nation of Israel

I am anti-apartheid, but pro Democratic, you don't have to favor a Republican to support human rights.
Republicans, even the Reagan ones, are working against my interests, often with help from Republican enablers.

I believe Reagan Democrats are an oxymoron I also believe that supporting Republicans leads to adopting their policies.

I don't get why you support one over any Democrat, are there none you trust as much?

[TwilightGardener]

20. Depends on which Democrat, honestly. Hagel and Ben Nelson

were both my Senators, and I thought Hagel was a more honest man. Honestly WRONG on some issues, but not the treacherous weasel that Nelson could be.

[Dragonfli]

22. LOL, I always considered Nelson to be the Republican he is, no matter how he

registered for the purposes of getting elected.

The same for LIEberman.

[Skittles]

32. you seem to really embrace the color RED

[WinkyDink]

35. Really? How is YOUR recommending a Republican a DU value?

[cheapdate]

12. Good post. (Don't go.)

[pasto76]

13. If McCain had picked Hagel (I was expecting him to), he would have won

Sen Hagel is one of the few guys who have reminded me, by being a real republican, of how badly radical the right has become. I would welcome him as secdef of my beloved military

[1ProudAtheist]

15. Israel Is Our Enemy

Not our ally. They bilk us for billions of dollars with crocodile tears, terrorize the entire middle eastern region, and play the "victim" card whenever anyone tries to stand up against their imperialistic acts. They are the ones behind all of the spying schemes, the blatant attempt at subversion with our political system, and to top it all off, they are the ones supplying military style assault weapons on a worldwide scale.

It is not the entirety of the Jewish people that are guilty of these most heneous acts, it is the zionists in charge of their government. When will the world finally awaken to the fact that any right-wing extremist government is just another code word for terrorism?

[WinkyDink]

36. Thank you, Mr. Hamas.

[question everything]

16. Can you please provide the link

to "Israel interfering in our political process?

Last I checked, both Joe Lieberman and Bill Kristol are American citizens with their right to express their opinions just like Wayne LaPierre.

Netanyahu expressing his opinion while on these shores? So what? I remember when Hugo Chavez was talking about the "stench" after Bush was talking at the U.N and members of this board were applauding him. I personally found it rude to offend the his host but, of course, was derided here.

As for supporting Israel. You may want this country to dismantle every thing military but as long as it does not, it has strong ties with the Israeli military. Both countries share intelligence and applications of military equipment and method.

Oh, and like every other country that receives funds from us - most of it has to be plowed back here to support our own - mostly military - industry.

[Sekhmets Daughter]

23. Well, Bibi did go a bit too far in letting his preference for Romney

become common knowledge. And there is this:


Even Jeff Goldberg of The Atlantic, who is more sympathetic toward Netanyahu than the Israeli leader deserves, accused the prime minister of “incompetent management of the US-Israel relationship”; not one of the best kept secrets in either capital. “If you want to find out red lines, don’t mouth off about the President and secretary of state two months before an election,” Goldberg advised.

But the problem goes much deeper. Netanyahu has a reputation as a serial meddler in American politics and in Israel is known as the leaker-in-chief.


http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Columnists/Article.aspx?id=285580

[Dragonfli]

24. Pardon my interruption, but isn't lobbying by definition "interfering in our

political process"?

AIPAC is a lobbying group yes?

[dsc]

17. would we be ok with a man as racist as Hagel was homophobic

if not why not? I think without a total and abject apology Hagel is unfit.

[wildbilln864]

30. k & fucking r! Thank you. nt

[EmeraldCityGrl]

31. K&R

[Fawke Em]

37. I still can't figure why Wes Clark hasn't been mentioned.

He's got far more experience than Hagel AND CLARK IS A DEMOCRAT.

[MNBrewer]

38. Some of us here in DU take the anti-gay history seriously

For example, those of us who hang out frequently in the LGBT forum. He really hasn't fully answered for his past.

[Vanje]

39. Chuck Hagel is an open flagrant agressive heterosexual.

I feel that would interfere with his duties as Sec Defense.

http://www.washingtonblade.com/2012/12/21/hormel-questions-sincerity-of-hagel-apology-for-1998-anti-gay-remarks/

[jrandom421]

40. He's be serving at the pleasure of the President

If he attempts to contravene a publicly stated policy by the President, he's gone.

[Bluenorthwest]

42. Yes, because Republicans have a sterling reputation for abiding by the law when in 'service'....

If he had said about any other minority group what he said about gay people, he'd not be in consideration for dog catcher. But so many straights rush to defend that peculiar form of bigotry that it is almost as if it does not bother them at all....

[stevenleser]

41. Hagel is not acceptable to me until he makes sufficient amends to the LGBT community.

It's great for you that he thumbs his nose at someone you feel deserves it.

It's more important to me that he has harmed a group of folks who didn't deserve it at all and has not adequately addressed that harm.

[malz]

43. DURec

And Amen!