President Obama’s nominee for Defense Secretary, Chuck Hagel, is finally getting his turn in the hot seat on Capitol Hill. The former senator has been facing criticism since long before he was officially announced by President Obama to take the top position at the Pentagon. The controversy stems from a number of Hagel’s past remarks and policy positions, including his stance on Israel and Iran, the Iraq war, and the gay community.
Chuck Hagel was selected despite the possibility of a difficult nomination process because of his military service background. Hagel is a Purple Heart veteran who served in the Vietnam War. Since the announcement of his nomination Hagel has been walking back his previous comments and trying to win over Jewish organizations and Republicans and Democrats who see him as a threat. As msnbc Contributor Jimmy Williams pointed out on Wednesday’s show, “the Senate pretty much confirms its own.” Thus, even though more than $123,000 of outside money has been spent on ads against Hagel’s confirmation, he will most likely get confirmed.
Washington Post Pentagon Correspondent Ernesto Londono joins the conversation to discuss the latest with the Hagel hearings. See you at 3 for an interesting in-depth conversation.
Abby Borovitz