Though likely to be confirmed, McCain questions Hagel's qualifications

Chuck Hagel is expected to be confirmed as secretary of defense by the Democratic-controled Senate. On Sunday, Republican Senator John McCain said he did not believe Hagel is qualified for the job, despite their personal friendship. 

|
J. Scott Applewhite/AP/File
Senate Armed Services Committee members, (from l.), Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., gather for a Capitol Hill hearing on looming defense budget cuts to be followed by a confirmation hearing on former Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel's nomination to Secretary of Defense Feb. 12. The fierce Republican opposition to the Hagel nomination has long been seen as a proxy for the never-ending scuffles between the Democratic president and congressional Republicans.

Republican Senator John McCain on Sunday said his former colleague Chuck Hagel was not qualified to be US defense secretary but the Senate would likely vote on his nomination rather than hold it up with procedural hurdles.

Before going on a weeklong recess, Republican lawmakers succeeded in delaying a Senate vote on Hagel's nomination earlier this month. Hagel is expected to win confirmation if a vote is held because Democrats control 55 votes in the 100-seat Senate.

"I do not believe that Chuck Hagel, who is a friend of mine, is qualified to be secretary of defense," McCain of Arizona said on CNN's "State of the Union" show.

"I believe that when the questions are answered, and I believe they will be by this coming week that the president deserves an up or down vote" on Hagel, said McCain, who is a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Hagel's nomination was likely to go for a vote in the Senate "barring some additional revelation," he said.

Hagel, a decorated Vietnam War veteran, angered Republicans when as senator he broke from his party by opposing former President George W. Bush's handling of the Iraq war.

Republicans are demanding more information from the administration related to the attacks on U.S. facilities in BenghaziLibya, last year.

The Senate confirmation vote on John Brennan for CIA director also faces delay over the request by Republicans for more information related to Benghazi.

"I don't want to put a hold on anybody, but the American people deserve answers about Benghazi. There are so many questions that are still out there, including what was the president doing the night Benghazi happened?" McCain said.

You've read  of  free articles. Subscribe to continue.
Real news can be honest, hopeful, credible, constructive.
What is the Monitor difference? Tackling the tough headlines – with humanity. Listening to sources – with respect. Seeing the story that others are missing by reporting what so often gets overlooked: the values that connect us. That’s Monitor reporting – news that changes how you see the world.

Dear Reader,

About a year ago, I happened upon this statement about the Monitor in the Harvard Business Review – under the charming heading of “do things that don’t interest you”:

“Many things that end up” being meaningful, writes social scientist Joseph Grenny, “have come from conference workshops, articles, or online videos that began as a chore and ended with an insight. My work in Kenya, for example, was heavily influenced by a Christian Science Monitor article I had forced myself to read 10 years earlier. Sometimes, we call things ‘boring’ simply because they lie outside the box we are currently in.”

If you were to come up with a punchline to a joke about the Monitor, that would probably be it. We’re seen as being global, fair, insightful, and perhaps a bit too earnest. We’re the bran muffin of journalism.

But you know what? We change lives. And I’m going to argue that we change lives precisely because we force open that too-small box that most human beings think they live in.

The Monitor is a peculiar little publication that’s hard for the world to figure out. We’re run by a church, but we’re not only for church members and we’re not about converting people. We’re known as being fair even as the world becomes as polarized as at any time since the newspaper’s founding in 1908.

We have a mission beyond circulation, we want to bridge divides. We’re about kicking down the door of thought everywhere and saying, “You are bigger and more capable than you realize. And we can prove it.”

If you’re looking for bran muffin journalism, you can subscribe to the Monitor for $15. You’ll get the Monitor Weekly magazine, the Monitor Daily email, and unlimited access to CSMonitor.com.

QR Code to Though likely to be confirmed, McCain questions Hagel's qualifications
Read this article in
https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Latest-News-Wires/2013/0224/Though-likely-to-be-confirmed-McCain-questions-Hagel-s-qualifications
QR Code to Subscription page
Start your subscription today
https://www.csmonitor.com/subscribe