Hagel grilled by Republican critics

The Vietnam war veteran picked to lead the Pentagon, Chuck Hagel, faced a rough reception at his confirmation hearing Thursday as Republican critics reopened the bitter debate over the Iraq war and painted him as naive on national security. In a dramatic exchange, a fellow veteran of Vietnam, Senator John McCain, blasted Hagel for his opposition to the troop surge in Iraq in 2007 and demanded he declare if he was “right or wrong” for his stance. But Hagel, a Republican, calmly refused and tried to explain his thinking at the time, even as McCain repeatedly interrupted him. “I would defer to the judgment of history,” Hagel said. McCain responded with disgust: “History has already made a judgment on the surge sir, and you’re on the wrong side of it.” Hagel, however, said it was unclear if it was worth losing some 1,200 Americans in the surge of reinforcements to Iraq. The tense back-and-forth underscored the tensions between Hagel and his fellow Republicans over his outspoken criticism of the Iraq war, which he initially supported before breaking ranks. Hagel, wounded and decorated for his combat tour in Vietnam, also has come under fire for some statements and senate votes on Israel and Iran. The blunt-speaking former senator from Nebraska has said military action should be a last resort and has sometimes expressed impatience with Israel while expressing support for direct talks with Iran over its nuclear program. But Hagel sought to reassure lawmakers he was ready to back military action if necessary against Iran or other adversaries. “We will not hesitate to use the full force of the United States military in defence of our security,” Hagel said before the Senate Armed Services Committee. “But we must also be smart, and more importantly wise, in how we employ all of our nation’s great power.” Hagel told lawmakers he endorsed the president’s stance on Iran’s nuclear program, with military force remaining an option if diplomacy fails. “I am fully committed to the president’s goal of preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, and - as I’ve said in the past many times - all options must be on the table to achieve that goal,” he said. Despite harsh criticism and a conservative media blitz against Hagel, the White House is hopeful the Senate will approve his nomination in the end, albeit with little support from the Republican minority. Most of the questions at the hearing focused on his past remarks and his record but not what he would do as defence secretary, amid looming budget cuts and a troop drawdown in Afghanistan. Hagel has pursued a charm offensive in recent weeks, holding a flurry of meetings with Republicans and Democrats in Congress. But the ranking Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee said he was not convinced, portraying Hagel as ready to appease Tehran. “His record demonstrates what I view as a lack of steadfast opposition to policies that diminish US power and influence throughout the world,” Senator Jim Inhofe said at the start of the hearing. “Too often, it seems, he’s willing to subscribe to a world-wide view that is predicated on appeasing our adversaries while shunning our friends.” Inhofe and others also accused Hagel of being too soft on arms control and questioned his support for scaling back the country’s nuclear arsenal. But Hagel said: “We’re not going to unilaterally disarm.” McCain, who supports supplying weapons to Syrian rebels, pressed Hagel on the conflict in Syria, asking him if he supported the United States arming opposition forces or backing a no-fly-zone. Hagel said he endorsed the Obama administration’s policy and avoided offering an opinion on arming the rebels fighting the Damascus regime. “I believe part of our review is looking at those options,” he said. If confirmed, Hagel would be the first Vietnam veteran to serve as Pentagon chief, as well as the first to come from the military’s enlisted ranks.