Does a Hagel Nomination Mean a Giant Leap Forward for Iran’s Nuclear Program?
Since 1948, the hostile governments of the Middle East have done everything in their military power to completely destroy the state of Israel. Immediately after Israel’s declaration of independence, Arab armies united to invade the new nation. In 1967, Israel found itself surrounded by hundreds of thousands of troops and thousands of tanks. In 1973, Egypt and Syria breached the peace and sanctity of Yom Kippur and launched a surprise attack that brought Israel to the brink of extinction.
Each time, Israel was saved by the providence of God and the indescribable courage of its armed forces. Each time, the American people rallied in support of our most faithful ally.
But not even courage can prevail against a nuclear detonation. For the first time since its declaration of independence, Israel is on the verge of facing a nuclear-armed enemy – a nation that has vowed to destroy the Jewish state.
In the face of this threat, President Obama has nominated a former Senator, Chuck Hagel, who has a record of appeasing Iran that is perhaps unmatched by any Senator, current or past. Over at the Weekly Standard, Bill Kristol has done invaluable work compiling the sad details of Senator Hagel’s record. Consider the following:
-He has voted against labeling Iran’s Revolutionary Guard a terrorist organization, even though the Revolutionary Guard has been fighting a low-intensity war against America, Israel, and other allies for years;
-He voted against labeling Hezbollah – Iran’s army in Lebanon – a terrorist organization in spite of its long record of attacks on Israeli civilians and perhaps even American Marines;
-He voted against the Iran-Libya Sanctions Act at a time when both countries had recently engaged in direct attacks against Americans;
-He opposed the Iran Counter-Proliferation Act; and
-He said – while still a senator – that “[A] military strike against Iran, a military option, is not a viable, feasible, responsible option.”
While no one wants war with Iran, a military strike is preferable to a nuclear Holocaust. Yet Chuck Hagel has taken such an option off the table.
Perhaps most disturbing of all, this nomination – in the face of Democratic and Republican opposition – signals that President Obama values Israel’s security less than any other modern American president. Fortunately, however, he will soon discover that he faces a united American people – from across party lines – that understand a simple moral imperative: Terrorist nations should not possess nuclear weapons. Americans deserve a Secretary of Defense who shares that core moral understanding.
The fact is that Senator Chuck Hagel is not the right person for the job.
Send a powerful message to the Senate: we must protect Israel and that means rejecting Senator Hagel’s nomination. Add your name here.