Bracing for a potentially bruising confirmation hearing Thursday, secretary of defense nominee Chuck Hagel is prepared to defend his record and testify that if confirmed, he would ensure U.S. policy is “worthy of our troops and their families and the sacrifices we ask them to make.”
In a prepared statement submitted to the Senate Armed Services Committee in advance of the hearing, Hagel provided a detailed rebuttal to criticism that he has faced in recent weeks, including allegations that he is too dovish on Iran, foolhardy on nuclear containment and eager to slash defense spending.
“Like each of you, I have a record,” Hagel, the former Nebraska senator, wrote in the prepared remarks. “A record I am proud of, not because of any accomplishments I may have achieved, or an absence of mistakes, but rather because I’ve tried to build that record by living my life and fulfilling my responsibilities as honestly as I knew how and with hard work.”
Hagel’s is likely to be among toughest confirmation hearings for the job in recent years. His predecessor, Leon E. Panetta, sailed to confirmation in the summer of 2011, as he transitioned from the helm of the CIA. Panetta’s predecessor, Robert Gates, another former CIA chief, was unanimously confirmed by the Armed Services Committee in December 2006, replacing Donald Rumsfeld, who left the post as an unpopular secretary.
Hagel, 66, said in his prepared remarks that “it’s time we forge a new partnership with Afghanistan,” as officials continue to “transition out of Afghanistan, continue to bring our troops home, and end the war there.”
He said that as defense secretary he would “keep pressure” on terrorist groups in Yemen, Somalia and North Africa.
In the face of strong criticism of remarks and positions he has defended in the past, Hagel has sought to win over senators from both parties in recent weeks during dozens of meetings on Capitol Hill. His aides says the former senator is hopeful that effort and his response to questions on Thursday will get him confirmed for the job. A committee and full senate vote could come next week.
The effort to vilify Hagel and his record, which began when his name was first floated for the job in December, has remained at a buzz but has not reached the type of crescendo that has doomed high-profile political nominations in the past.
“We’ve had a very aggressive strategy for tackling some of the issues that have been raised,” the Hagel aide said Wednesday, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the nominee’s outlook. “I think we’re in a good place.”
Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.), the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said Hagel will face tough questions about his past statements. Democrats outnumber Republicans on the panel 14 to 12, but committee insiders say they are not assuming that Hagel will get the vote of every Democrat.
“The confirmation will not be an easy one,” Levin said in a recent interview. “On the other hand, a lot of people who have worked with Hagel remember him as someone who was effective here, involved in foreign affairs, well-qualified.”
Hagel, 66, a Vietnam veteran, is counting on those bonds, the aide said.
“If you read the tea leaves, I think he might get more Republican votes than people might think,” the official said. “Those relationships are important.”
After Thursday’s hearing, senators can submit additional written questions to Hagel. The committee and the full Senate could vote next week.
In a prepared statement submitted to the Senate Armed Services Committee in advance of the hearing, Hagel provided a detailed rebuttal to criticism that he has faced in recent weeks, including allegations that he is too dovish on Iran, foolhardy on nuclear containment and eager to slash defense spending.
“Like each of you, I have a record,” Hagel, the former Nebraska senator, wrote in the prepared remarks. “A record I am proud of, not because of any accomplishments I may have achieved, or an absence of mistakes, but rather because I’ve tried to build that record by living my life and fulfilling my responsibilities as honestly as I knew how and with hard work.”
Hagel’s is likely to be among toughest confirmation hearings for the job in recent years. His predecessor, Leon E. Panetta, sailed to confirmation in the summer of 2011, as he transitioned from the helm of the CIA. Panetta’s predecessor, Robert Gates, another former CIA chief, was unanimously confirmed by the Armed Services Committee in December 2006, replacing Donald Rumsfeld, who left the post as an unpopular secretary.
Hagel, 66, said in his prepared remarks that “it’s time we forge a new partnership with Afghanistan,” as officials continue to “transition out of Afghanistan, continue to bring our troops home, and end the war there.”
He said that as defense secretary he would “keep pressure” on terrorist groups in Yemen, Somalia and North Africa.
In the face of strong criticism of remarks and positions he has defended in the past, Hagel has sought to win over senators from both parties in recent weeks during dozens of meetings on Capitol Hill. His aides says the former senator is hopeful that effort and his response to questions on Thursday will get him confirmed for the job. A committee and full senate vote could come next week.
The effort to vilify Hagel and his record, which began when his name was first floated for the job in December, has remained at a buzz but has not reached the type of crescendo that has doomed high-profile political nominations in the past.
“We’ve had a very aggressive strategy for tackling some of the issues that have been raised,” the Hagel aide said Wednesday, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the nominee’s outlook. “I think we’re in a good place.”
Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.), the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said Hagel will face tough questions about his past statements. Democrats outnumber Republicans on the panel 14 to 12, but committee insiders say they are not assuming that Hagel will get the vote of every Democrat.
“The confirmation will not be an easy one,” Levin said in a recent interview. “On the other hand, a lot of people who have worked with Hagel remember him as someone who was effective here, involved in foreign affairs, well-qualified.”
Hagel, 66, a Vietnam veteran, is counting on those bonds, the aide said.
“If you read the tea leaves, I think he might get more Republican votes than people might think,” the official said. “Those relationships are important.”
After Thursday’s hearing, senators can submit additional written questions to Hagel. The committee and the full Senate could vote next week.