I wouldn't say they love Kerry, a number of right wing Republicans voted against him.
( Some say they supported the Kerry nomination just because they are current colleagues, or to get him out of the Senate and replace him with a Republican in Massachussets.)
But Hagel, if you look at his voting record, is very left wing, including being against sanctions on Iran, he is even to the left of Obama on cutting defense.
Thomas Sowell: There are no solutions, just trade-offs.
Who said Republicans love Kerry?
Do all Democrats walk lock step with every belief system and policy that is proposed by their leaders?
Mr Hagel's beliefs are certainly questionable as well as Kerry's.
Chuck Hagel earned not one, but two Purple Hearts. Does anyone here seriously doubt that the defense budget is bloated and full of waste? Does anyone here think that war with Iran would go better than war with Iraq and Afghanistan? Does anyone here think that if Hagel is withdrawn as a candidate that Obamas next choice will be more conservative? All I see here is more Republicans shooting themselves in the foot.
Or Obama shooting himself in the foot by pissing off all the Americans who like that our troops do have proper equipment that is well maintained?
Just because a guy took damage in combat a couple times doesn't mean that he will be a competent Sec'y of Defense.
Like you, I think a few years of budget freezes are only fair after giving the military a blank check for over a decade, but we just saw in Benghazi what happens when mission creep happens without a budget. And while campaigns have winded down in Afghanistan and Iraq, Syria, Egypt, Algeria, and Mali are heating up.
Thomas Sowell: There are no solutions, just trade-offs.
Hagel has had his boots on the ground. He will not make cuts that will hurt our soldiers, but will go after overblown spending that only benefits defense contractors and bureaucrats. His record shows him as a true conservative and a staunch defender of our nation. I believe it is the defense contractors who spearhead this campaign against him being determined not to interrupt the hemorraging of tax dollars into their fat wallets.
LBJ & Kennedy were both veterans and they sent boots on the ground to Vietnam. And according to Hagel himself, LBJ knew by '67 that we couldn't win there but he keep sending GI's into the meatgrinder that was 'Nam.
Thomas Sowell: There are no solutions, just trade-offs.
Hagel isn't running for President, nor is he a Democrat fearing to look weak. Having met the man and following his career for decades I am personally appalled at the current character assassination he is being subjected to.
Some say they supported the Kerry nomination just because they are current colleagues, or to get him out of the Senate and replace him with a Republican in Massachussets.)
