Chuck Hagel draws criticism for his moderate views from the far right, the far left and the Israeli lobby.
The right-wing, fear-mongering neocons do not like him because the wasteful spending of the military industrial complex may suffer. He wants a rapid withdrawal from Afghanistan. As a decorated Vietnam veteran, he will not be inclined to waste American lives and treasure.
The left does not care for him because he criticized the appointment of an openly gay ambassador, something he has since apologized for.
The biggest problem for Hagel will be from the Israeli lobby, which he called out while serving in the Senate by saying he was a senator from Nebraska, not Israel. This lobby spends millions of dollars to support the election or appointment of people with pro-Israel views.
If you think the U.S. Middle East position of blindly supporting Israel - backed by bought-and-paid-for U.S. politicians - has not made a mess of our foreign policy for the past 50 years, I have a kibbutz to sell you in what used to be Palestine.
The pro-Israel lobby and the mindless religious right don't like him. The far left doesn't like him. The war-mongering chicken hawks who never saw a country they did not want to bomb don't like him.
Hagel's got my vote.
CHARLES D. KING
Villas
