Hagel slams the door on attacking Iran

[killerbush]

Chuck Hagel has come out with strong language about the possibility of attacking Iran. He said a military strike on Iran is not a "feasable, viable, responsible option". He added that a political settlement is the best answer, and not a military one.

Any lasting solution to Iran's nuclear weapons program will also require that the US, and its allies sit down and have direct discussions with Iran, and the US is capable of having such discussions, without sacrificing its intersts or objectives in the region.

Hagel joins a growing list of people who want to see a political solution, and not a military one. Some of those on the list include;

James Carafano; Heritage Foundation
Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen; R-Fla
Ret. Air Force Lt. Col. Sam Gardiner
Joe Cirincione; Carnegie Endowment for peace
Ray Takeyh; Council on Foreign Relations
David Albright; Institute for Science and International Studies
Mohamed Elbaradei; IAEA Director
John Murtha D-Pa
Richard Clarke; Former Counterterror Chief
Richard Haas; Former Bush State Dept. policy director

http://www.thinkprogress.org

[AX10]

1. Wes Clark too.

A political solution can be found.

[karynnj]

9. Kerry as well on MTP

I assume that other Democrats in addition to Clark and Kerry have, I wonder why this site lists only Murtha - and non-elected people. Do they want to position Hagel.

[montanacowboy]

2. pffft

"who cares what he thinks?" sarcasm

[nadinbrzezinski]

3. Will george listen? NOPE

[0007]

7. junior better listen, or he'll be whistled in a criminal court

faster than he can say, "Yank-a-my noodle, take you're hands off the CIC!"

[Neil Lisst]

4. Hagel has been critical of Bush on Iraq, too.

he's right, but Bush isn't listening

[LittleClarkie]

18. Oh well, Hagel's only saying this stuff because he's running for president

It must be true. I heard it on Rush Limbaugh. :sarcasm:

[Eurobabe]

5. This cabal doesn't give a flying fuck what ANYONE

anywhere in the world thinks. They will do what they want.

[JohnnyRingo]

6. too bad the administration never thought to appoint any diplomats

Nothin' there but warhawks and CEOs.
They can cut a money deal and back it up with big guns, but they don't have an interest in diplomatic foreign policy.

John Bolton is the only hope they have....And Buxh supporters hold pride in his unwillingness to negotiate.

[wordpix2]

20. Kerry was railing on dimwitson's lack of diplomacy on Iraq on MTP last Sun

Said Kingnit has not had any serious diplomatic effort on Iraq all along.

[dennis00]

8. Bush's Legacy

I think he is jealous of Hitler as the most reviled man in history. If he nukes Iran he will will be "The Most Hated." Move over Judas. Move over Hitler. Here come George Bush.

[Jai4WKC08]

10. Maybe it's time to write Hagel

And suggest he change parties.

Probably wouldn't happen, butcha never know. A lot of Dems switched to GOP when the power started to shift. He probably sees the handwriting on the wall. And while Nebraska is a fairly red state, they are willing to elect moderate to conservative Democrats.

Part of me would not much like to see Hagel become a Democrat. But it is overruled by the part of me that would LOVE to see BushCo and the rest of the Repugs shit a brick. :) And we'd be one more seat closer to controlling the Senate.

[saltpoint]

17. Jai4WKC08, I love the boldness in your proposal for Hagel.

It really would be a surprise, but as you say, just to watch KKKarl Rove's tongue drop out would be kinda fun.

I'll say this for Hagel. He's not taking a lot of hooey from Bush/Rice/Rumsfeld/Uncle Dick on Iran. He's no sure vote for them on anything at this point, and that is a sturdier example for Nebraskan Republicans to get them to re-consider their allegiance to a bad president waging a horrible war for no good reason.

Liked your post.

[KansDem]

11. But Bush doesn't do "political"

That would mean thought, logic, and compromise, and Bush doesn't do these.

Perhaps he could win Iran over with his famous "charm offensive?"

[quaoar]

12. Yes, but...

If it came down to a vote in Congress to authorize military action, would Hagel stand on principle or cave to Bush? I'd bet on the latter.

[FrenchieCat]

13. Very good question......

and unfortunately, your answer is most likely correct.

That's part of the problem with half ass leadership.....

Some folks talk a good game till it's time to make it official!

[xxqqqzme]

14. problem is....

'who cares what you think!'

[oblivious]

15. "If I stopped doing business with assholes I wouldn't have any customers."

The words of the best salesman I ever met.

The US is just going to have to get along with Iran - sit down regularly and talk, trade, build nuclear reactors for them again, along with refineries and pipelines, sell them planes, boats and trains, arrange cultural exchanges, invite them to the ranch.

Maybe Iran will eventually forgive the US for helping Iraq kell hundreds of thousands of Iranians in the 80s, and maybe the US will forget about the 1979 hostage crisis.

[saltpoint]

16. A thanks to Senator Hagel, for this reason:

Their U.S. Senator now has publicly opposed the hysterical, paranoid, ill-considered idiocy that pervades the Bush White House, and Nebraskans all must confront that fact that a smart and capable guy like Hagel wouldn't say so if he didn't think so.

And so the next step is: maybe THEY should think so, too.

Not enough to propel Hagel into the White House, I don't believe, but very possibly enough to stop Bush from any widespread propaganda assault on U.S. voters.

Hagel is a veteran, too. His word versus the president's and Rumsfeld's, both non-veterans. I say the sensible folks of Nebraska will listen to Hagel on Iran unlike the way they listened to Bush on Iraq.

[Greeby]

19. Only reason Hagel feel free enough to speak up, IMO

Is because he was once CEO of ES&S, and was elected and re-elected to the Senate in *ahem* "suprise" victories (83% of the vote anyone?).

If he didn't have that, he'd get in line like a good little Repub. :eyes:

[saltpoint]

21. The Republicans I know don't like Hagel because he's "too

independent," by which I think they mean "He's not on board this Iran thing."

Well, I'm not exactly a slobbering sycophant on Chuck Hagel. I'd prefer a Dem Senator from that state, despite the long odds.

But I will give him credit on his remarks against BushCo's insane idea to launch an assault on Iran.

And it does have some resonance, given that Hagel is a vet and Bush isn't.