Katrina vanden Heuvel: The GOP Hates Hagel’s Independence

Katrina vanden Heuvel: The GOP Hates Hagel’s Independence

Katrina vanden Heuvel: The GOP Hates Hagel’s Independence

Obama’s defense secretary nominee will likely be confirmed, despite Republican obstructionism

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Already, six Republican senators have said they will vote against Barack Obama’s pick for secretary of defense, Republican former Senator Chuck Hagel. The GOP has criticized Hagel for being too tough on Israel and too soft on Iran, but what really bugs Republicans is the Vietnam War veteran’s willingness to split with the party line, Nation editor and publisher Katrina vanden Heuvel said on MSNBC’s Now with Alex Wagner today. Party politics aside, Obama's nomination of John Brennan as CIA head should be the more controversial choice.

—Alec Luhn

How will the left greet Hagel's nomination? Phyllis Bennis said Obama's decision is a good starting point for change, while John Nichols called out the senator on voting for the Iraq War.

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With the midterm elections now firmly upon us, the question is whether Democratic candidates will do more than merely occupy ballot lines as mild alternatives to the red-hot crisis that is Donald Trump.

As Trump spends over $1 billion a day on a globally destabilizing war on Iran and admits that he doesn’t “think about Americans’ financial situation,” millions across the country are struggling with the surging costs of essentials. Democrats must seize this moment and advance bold, small-“d” populist ideas—not settle for cynical caution that once again snatches defeat from the jaws of victory.

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Onward,

Katrina vanden Heuvel
Editor and Publisher, The Nation

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