Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) wasn’t pulling punches today during the Secretary of Defense nomination hearing in front of the Senate Armed Services Committee. And nominee Chuck Hagel got hit hard.
McCain asked Hagel to say whether or not he believes the 2007 Iraq troop surge was a good idea, something Hagel opposed at the time. Hagel declined to give a simple yes or no answer, and that’s when things got tense.
As the nominee attempted to give a lengthier answer, McCain interrupted multiple times, demanding a “direct answer.” Hagel said his answer to the question was more complicated than a yes or no.
“Let the record show that you refused to answer the question,” McCain said.
Hagel responded that he would “defer that judgement to history” in regard to the troop surge.
“I think history has already made a judgment about the surge, sir, and you’re on the wrong side of it,” McCain snapped back later. “And your refusal to answer whether you were right or wrong about it is going to have an impact on my judgment as to whether to vote for your confirmation or not. I hope you will reconsider the fact that you refused to answer a fundamental question about an issue that took the lives of thousands of young Americans.”
Despite being a ‘moderate’ Republican, Hagel’s confirmation was expected to be more difficult to achieve than that of newly confirmed Secretary of State nominee John Kerry. Hagel has been criticized for his position on relations between Israel and Iran, but during his hearing, he argued that he should not be condemned for any single vote or statement, but that the members of the Senate Armed Services Committee should look at his overall record.
If confirmed, Hagel would replace outgoing Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta.
