I’m wondering about all the negative hoorah over Sen. Hagel. Is he for-real evil or just another hack pol who can’t remember to tell the truth, if he ever knew it? Brett Shephens, at the link below, shows how he prefers to ride on bandwagons.
The fact that he’s a former Vietnam grunt with two Purple Hearts is interesting but hardly dispositive of anything (so is that creep Kerry) because he’s been a pol for several decades now, a line of “work” that doesn’t require being courageous or smart, just “flexible.” Hence:
“Moving forward, in 2008 Mr. Hagel endorsed engagement with Syria’s Bashar Assad and North Korea’s Kim Jong Il, and he was especially keen on engagement with Iran, enthusing at one point that ‘Iran had rights for women long before many countries in the world. Women could vote, I actually think before they could vote in America.’ (He’s wrong: Iranian women were enfranchised only in 1963, thanks to the Shah.)”
That he’s a liar or a fool doesn’t surprise me. That he might withhold military aid (i.e. bombs or ammo) from Israel at some crucial time worries me. On the other hand, does Barry think Hagel’ll be denied confirmation and have someone worse (like Samantha Powers) waiting to benefit from a consolation quicky follow-on approval? Or is that too paranoid?
THE TEXAS SCRIBBLER 
No, it’s not. It’s a win-win situation either way.
And while I’m fine with anyone being a combat veteran, that’s mostly a matter of fortune (once one has enough fortitude to join up, of course — that makes a difference).
I just don’t see, though, how being shot qualifies someone to be an official of high trust and responsibility.
Heh. It obviously doesn’t. As a friend who has a PH says, it would have been more impressive to have avoided getting shot in the first place. I think Hagel was drafted. So was I for that matter, but I went to OCS. Apparently he didn’t.