WASHINGTON — Chuck Hagel, the former senator and decorated Vietnam veteran picked by President Barack Obama to serve as secretary of defense, is on the receiving end of fire from some of his brothers in arms.
A group of 10 House Republicans who served in the military, including Arkansas’ Rep. Tom Cotton and Rep. Tim Griffin, issued a statement Wednesday slamming Hagel, a Nebraska Republican who served two terms in the U.S. Senate.
The group praised Hagel for his “valiant” service during the Vietnam War. But they said they were concerned about his “troublesome record” on maintaining an adequate defense budget, support of Israel and U.S. policy on Iran.
Hagel will appear before the Senate Armed Services Committee today. As a congressman, Cotton won’t get an opportunity to vote on Hagel - that’s the Senate’s job. But Cotton, who served in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan, said he is worried that Hagel’s record of courage on the battlefield would paper over his policy stances.
“We don’t want his military service to stifle debate,” Cotton said.
Though he has received the support of many former U.S. defense officials, Hagel’s record in the Senate also has been criticized by both conservatives and liberals. Gay-rights groups have criticized his opposition to confirming a Bill Clinton nominee, James Hormel, as the first openly gay ambassador.
Jewish groups and defense supporters have said Hagel has been soft on Iran as that country purportedly attempts to build a nuclear-weapons program, and that he has not backed Israel strongly enough.
On Wednesday, Hagel submitted 112 pages of answers to a questionnaire prepared by the Senate Armed Services Committee.
“If confirmed, I will focus intently on ensuring that U.S. military is in fact prepared for any contingency,” he wrote, according to The Associated Press.
Hagel wrote that he favors maintaining sanctions against Iran and that the “window is closing” on the use of diplomacy and “pressure” would have to be added if Iran continues to flout international insistence and develop a nuclear arsenal.
In December, Cotton penned a Wall Street Journal opinion piece that said Hagel “abandoned the very troops he once sent to war.”
Hagel had originally voted to send troops to Iraq, then in 2006 reversed position.
Cotton said Hagel was “ostentatious” and “grandstanded for political benefit” in opposing a surge of troops to Iraq.
He said Obama picked Hagel in order to be able to get “cover” to make “catastrophic” cuts at the Pentagon. Because Hagel is a Republican, Cotton said, Obama will be able to claim that the cuts have bipartisan support.
Griffin said if he did have a vote, he would “be inclined to vote no.”
“I’m not a fan of Hagel,” Griffin said.
The nominee should receive tough questions from his former colleagues in the Senate, Griffin said, especially about statements Hagel had made about the “Jewish lobby” intimidating members of the Senate.
Arkansas’ two senators, Democrat Mark Pryor and Republican John Boozman, said they had not decided how they will vote. Boozman said Hagel appears to “have somewhat of a hostility toward the Jewish community and Israel.”
“I don’t believe any punches will be pulled,” during the hearing, Boozman said.
Pryor served with the Nebraskan in the Senate for six years, and said he likes Hagel personally.
Before he decides on his vote, Pryor said he’d like to sit down and talk with Hagel privately. Hagel canceled a meeting scheduled earlier this month so he could meet with members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Pryor said.
Pryor said he had no specific concerns about Hagel’s record, but said it was “problematic” that Hagel was the focus of so much opposition.
Front Section, Pages 2 on 01/31/2013