Chuck Hagel’s ambiguous stance on dealing with Iran

[xchrom]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2012/12/13/chuck-hagels-ambiguous-stance-on-dealing-with-iran/


Former senator Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.). (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Former U.S. senator Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) is at the top of President Obama’s list for the next secretary of defense, according to a report by Bloomberg News. Rumors of a Hagel appointment have circulated for some time; Foreign Policy’s Josh Rogin reported two weeks ago that Hagel was being vetted for State or Defense. And now comes news that U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice has withdrawn her name from consideration for secretary of state, making both the State and Defense jobs a little less competitive. Any candidate for either job is likely to face scrutiny for their position on Iran, so it’s worth evaluating what Hagel’s said so far. And the picture is not totally clear.

Hagel, like Obama, has consistently emphasized diplomacy first in dealing with Iran’s nuclear program. But, while Obama has long been clear that he considers military strikes a viable last resort, Hagel’s statements on the matter have been far more ambiguous. The now-retired GOP senator publicly opposed a strike on Iran during the Bush administration, but Hagel appears to have possibly changed his position since Obama came into office in 2009. Earlier this year, Hagel signed his name to a five-author Washington Post op-ed that called strikes an acceptable option. That said, I’ve been unable to find any clear statements supporting or opposing strikes since Bush left office.

It’s worth noting – as many Republicans are sure to do if Obama nominates Hagel – that he declared his opposition to a U.S. strike on Iran several times during Bush’s presidency. It’s possible that Hagel has since changed his position, perhaps due to changing facts on the ground as Iran’s nuclear development has grown and diplomatic efforts have seen setbacks. In a March interview with Al-Monitor, Hagel conspicuously avoided answering a direct question on whether he thinks the United States should bomb Iran as a last resort.