The hageling is about to begin

Yes!

From the Cable:

President Barack Obama is expected to name Chuck Hagel as his choice for defense secretary as early as Monday, as critics of the former Nebraska senator prepare to go to war to fight his expected nomination.

There's something about this presidential thumb in the neocons' eye that is indescribably rewarding. Forget its belatedness, all is forgiven--those of us who've clamored for a second-term sign of executive steadfastness finally have our wish materialized. The future may yet disappoint, but for now, we can glory. 

Hagel's opposition is nothing short of insipid. "Even if one left aside Chuck Hagel's dangerous views on Iran and his unpleasant distaste for Israel and Jews," wrote Bill Kristol last week, "a dispassionate analyst would have to conclude that the case for Hagel is extraordinarily weak." Yes indeed. We wouldn't want to imbalance our dispassionate objectivity by reminding ourselves of Hagel's incontrovertibly dangerous pacifism and despicable anti-Semitism--oh, and did we mention he's a Jew-hating danger?; a really dangerous one?; aside from his Iran-loving dangers and his enormously dangerous hating of Israel?

Like I said. Insipid. True, the above comes from Kristol, a particularly juvenile breed of neoconservative insipidness. But its essence is sure to endure in many others.

That's the indisputable downside. The upside: the White House is at last willing to spit in their eye.

Comments

[Robert Lipscomb]

This is the best of all possible worlds for me. I don't know enough about Hagel to judge whether he would be a good secretary or not. I do know he is a Republican. I am tired of Democratic presidents feeling compelled to nominate Republicans to DOD.

So, I will love watching the GOP and some Dems chew a Republican to pieces in hopes that they will succeed while further demeaning the GOP.

Then nominate a damned Democrat.

[Peter G]

Whether or not Hagel is the best candidate certainly remains to be seen. But I am going to enjoy the posturing of both McConnell who said such nice things about Hagel and his fellow senator John McCain who is on record as saying that Hagel was qualified to serve in his own cabinet should he be elected president. This ought to be good.