Hagel defends record at confirmation hearing

By Ernesto Londoño

Lawmakers on Thursday demanded that secretary of defense nominee Chuck Hagel explain controversial remarks he has made and votes he cast during his Senate career, as the Nebraska Republican sought to defend his record at a confirmation hearing. In a tense exchange, Sen. John McCain (R.-Ariz.) pressed Hagel on whether he stood by his opposition to the decision to surge U.S. troops into Iraq in 2007. Hagel, who once called the surge the “most dangerous foreign policy blunder in this country since Vietnam,” resisted McCain’s repeated attempts to solicit a “yes” or “no” answer. “I’m not going to give you a ‘yes’ or ‘no.’ I’ll defer that to the judgment of history,” said Hagel, arguing that his comments at the time were a reflection of his opposition to the war in Iraq and not just the surge. He added: “I did question the surge. I always ask the question: Is this going to be worth the sacrifice? We lost almost 1,200 Americans and thousands of wounded. Was it required? Was it necessary? I’m not sure. I’m not that certain that it was required.” McCain, whose vote could influence Republicans who are on the fence, parried: “I think history has already made a judgment about the surge, and you’re on the wrong side of it.” Hagel told the Senate Armed Services Committee that, if confirmed, he would ensure U.S. policy is “worthy of our troops and their families and the sacrifices we ask them to make.” He provided the committee a detailed rebuttal to criticism that he has faced in recent weeks, including allegations that he is too dovish on Iran, foolhardy on nuclear containment and eager to slash defense spending. “Like each of you, I have a record,” Hagel said. “A record I am proud of, not because of any accomplishments I may have achieved, or an absence of mistakes, but rather because I’ve tried to build that record by living my life and fulfilling my responsibilities as honestly as I knew how and with hard work.” Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.), the committee chairman, said during opening remarks that Hagel would have to explain “troubling” statements he made in the past about Middle East policy. He nonetheless called Hagel a “person of integrity, and one who has a personal understanding of the consequences of decisions relative to the use of military force.” Hagel’s is likely to be among toughest confirmation hearings for the defense secretary job in recent years. His predecessor, Leon E. Panetta, sailed to confirmation in the summer of 2011, as he transitioned from the helm of the CIA. Panetta’s predecessor, Robert M. Gates, another former CIA chief, was unanimously confirmed by the Armed Services Committee in December 2006, replacing Donald H. Rumsfeld, who left the post as an unpopular secretary. Sen. James M. Inhofe (Okla.), the ranking Republican on the committee, charged that Hagel has been wrong on many policy issues in the past and accused him of trying to backpedal on issues in an effort to get confirmed. “This apparent willingness to walk by or alter his position, possibly for the sake of political expediency on such important issues, is deeply troubling and sends a concerning message to our allies and our adversaries, alike,” Inhofe said. The Republican senator took other jabs at Hagel when he questioned him, asking rhetorically about what he described as the Iranian Foreign Ministry’s endorsement of his nomination. “I have a difficult enough time with American politics,” Hagel responded. In the face of strong criticism of remarks and positions he has defended in the past, Hagel, 66, has sought to win over senators from both parties in recent weeks during dozens of meetings on Capitol Hill. A Hagel aide said the former senator hopes that the effort and his response to questions Thursday will get him confirmed for the job. Votes in the committee and full Senate could come next week. The effort to vilify Hagel and his record, which began when his name was first floated for the job in December, has remained at a buzz but has not reached the type of crescendo that has doomed high-profile political nominations in the past. “We’ve had a very aggressive strategy for tackling some of the issues that have been raised,” the Hagel aide said Wednesday, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the nominee’s outlook. “I think we’re in a good place.”