MB Civic

McGovern ..

As a two-term senator, Chuck Hagel’s other real sin was that he was one of the few defectors among congressional Republicans regarding the Iraq War. Though Hagel voted for President George W. Bush’s war authorization, he eventually recognized his mistake and fessed up. Hagel said he believes the Iraq War was one of the biggest blunders in U.S. history. He sharply criticized the Bush/Cheney foreign policy as “reckless,” saying it was playing “ping pong with American lives.” … But Hagel’s ultimate offense, as far as Official Washington is concerned, is his unusual record of independent thinking that could, in Israel’s eyes, endanger or even derail business as usual with the U.S … Moreover, there can hardly be a more offensive remark to Israeli ears than the one made by Hagel [] reflecting the sad state of affairs in Congress: “The Jewish Lobby intimidates a lot of people up here” [on the Hill], but “I’m a United States Senator. I’m not an Israeli senator.”

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