"Can
Americans with a straight face preach and moralize to others in the world when
we get this spectacle?
"There
were basically three categories of questions asked of Hagel:
•
"Is Israel a great country, or is
it the greatest? And if it's the former, can you explain your lack of support
for America's most important ally?"
•
"Why don't you think Iran is crazy, unbalanced and a
military competitor of the United States, as I do?"
•
"Let me tell you more about the vital national security rule played by the
weapons system or military base located in my home state."
I'm
not really exaggerating when I say these three themes accounted for practically
80% of the questions asked of Hagel, particularly by Republicans. In fact,
according to a tweet from Washington Post reporter Rajiv Chandrasekaran that
made the rounds yesterday evening, Israel was mentioned 136 times in the hearing
and Iran 135 times:"" (thanks Michael)
