| Obama Appoints Hagel to Key Advisory Post |
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| by Tom McGregor | Thu, Oct 29, 2009, 11:24 AM |
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Alongside the two former senators, the White House will weigh crucial foreign policy decisions in Afghanistan, Pakistan and other hot spots. According to the Omaha World-Herald, "Hagel said he expects a major focus of the board to be the continuing integration of the country's intelligence gathering operations. He recalled senators gathering for briefings in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and being told by the directors of the C.I.A. and F.B.I. that agencies had no real way to communicate with one another." Hagel said, "all 100 senators were shocked as to what we heard. The 9/11 attacks represented a breakdown of the U.S. intelligence and national security systems with turf battles preventing the varios inteeligence agencies from properly sharing information. Although much progres has been made on those problems, more is necessary. There are also gaps between U.S. intelligence operations and those of its allies overseas." As reported by the Omaha World-Herald, "Hagel has long been rumored to be in line for a spot in the Obama administration, although speculation has tended to focus on higher-profile positions, such as secretary of defense." Hagel had been an outspoken critic of how George W. Bush handled the Iraq War and said Wednesday that there were significant gaps in the intelligence gathering regarding Iraq. Despite friendly associations with Republican nominee John McCain, Hagel refused to endorse a candidate in last year's presidential election, but his wife publicly endorsed Obama. Hagel took a high-profile tour with Obama to Afghanistan and Iraq - a tour perceived as some as tacit support for Obama's candidacy. The Omaha World-Herald reports that, "Obama referred to that trip when he announced Wednesday that Hagel would be leading the advisory board." To read the entire article from the Omaha World-Herald, link here: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
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Comments (3)
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written by Dr. Little , October 30, 2009 Hagel is a good man all around. Boren is a loyal American, and will add a measure of gaiety to the work at hand.
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written by Steven J. Heath , October 31, 2009 Good appointments -especially Hagel. Now if he would just listen to paul Volcker on economic issues, and perhaps appoint Paul Craig Roberts to advise him, he'd be making significant progress. Geithner, Summers and Rahm Emmanuel are very dangerous to the long term health of this country and our economy. He needs to get rid of them.
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written by furrpiece , November 01, 2009 There's no question that Hagel and Boren are good choices for defense, security, and intelligence advice. But, that's NOT the game that Obama is playing. Barack Obama is seeking political cover so he can avoid accountability for his inability to make decisions, and especially make good decisions. He's also looking to decrease competition in areas where he wants more liberal Democrats in power, and fewer conservative voices. Placing Hagel and Boren in the Administration is an excellent way to do that, and still give some comfort to the political middle on security issues. Obama has generally surrounded himself with some of the worst characters in history; Communists, Socialists, eugenicists, sexual predators, radicals and revolutionaries, Maoists, and other real nut jobs. Having a couple of "normal" people on the lists doesn't change the mix of Far-Left wackos and actually dangerous anti-Americans. Write comment
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Former senators Chuck Hagel (R.-Neb.) and David Boren (D.-Okla.) will advise President Barack Obama on national security issues as co-chairmen of the President's Intelligence Advisory Board.
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