You're watching...

How certain is Hagel's confirmation as Defense Secretary?

Details

  • Description

    KT McFarland on the tough questions awaiting Sen. Chuck Hagel during his confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill.

  • Duration 8:34
  • Date

Clips

Also in this playlist...

Editor's Picks

Auto-advance: ON

Auto-advance

Transcript

This transcript is automatically generated

Will stop first -- -- -- goals.

Confirmation hearing in front of the Senate Armed Services Committee I hear awesome pops of mr.

-- -- opening statement.

My overall world -- has never changed.

That America has and must maintain the strongest military in the world.

That we must lead in the international community.

To confront threats and challenges together.

While we will not hesitate to act unilaterally.

When necessary.

It is essential that we work closely -- our allies and partners to enhance America's interest.

And security.

As well as global secure prime fully committed to the president's goal of preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

And as I've been on record on that issue.

As I said in the past many times all options must be on the table to achieve that goal.

All right so.

-- hole at certain all on -- sudden.

Is -- -- -- confirmation as defense sector let's bring in -- -- national security analyst and host of course right here at foxnews.com live.

Of -- com three KT McFarland great to see -- -- and I'm.

You know a lot of the players in this -- very well you know Chuck Hagel very well let me ask you a straightforward question yet I know you're not.

On this armed services committee -- -- -- Restaurant the first women except members -- there really insist that you -- -- and better informed than most of those senators sitting this and tell me your view should chuck Hague will be confirmed.

I think Indiana today he should be confirmed -- our elections have consequences -- get to -- Who they want for those positions and I think hagel reinforces.

What Obama's position has not a lot of key issues so I think he well but I think there will be.

A lot of it'll be contentious and it's hurting quite contentious this morning and I think it will be and I don't think you're gonna get an -- uniform unanimous.

Vote in favor of.

No -- did the one of the key votes all this is senator -- McCain.

-- and you would talking early with me about dead the fact that McCain is a key vote.

And it has to be he went off there Chuck Hagel quite well they only Iraq surge in particular else -- He got it narrowed to want to progression you should be asking hey golf are things like the defense budget how -- gonna be able to -- -- gonna prevent a warrant -- -- gonna start around six.

But McCain and he may -- -- I seem quite as angry in a public forum where I almost called -- alive.

Right but it didn't seem to me that this exchange for those of you who missed it was.

Essentially senator McCain's saying you oppose the Iraq surge will you admit you were wrong essentially saying that.

Eight it struck me KT is a little bit of like I just -- -- the -- -- that I was right.

Yeah yeah yeah it happens.

I took a little shall we say that that's.

But -- is -- because I think what will happen is how he votes and nobody knows how it's going to bother.

Will he vote in favor to get it out of committee and I think -- -- film does get confirmed.

A number of other key members of that committee and of the senator said no matter what happens.

They're going to vote against that I had center in half on Defcon three last week and for the first time on the record he -- I'm not voting for McCain I don't mean for.

Hey I don't care what says I don't care of the term -- -- -- he's gonna say that's gonna change.

Did you and we just on the Fox News Channel just back 45 minutes ago we -- senator Marco Rubio.

Who said he cannot support the nomination at this stage -- sounds like he's an he's going to be -- -- as well so.

-- -- -- Big nose I guess I think in the end.

You can't get -- because now the president gets to choose you may not agree with this schori she may think their mistakes but unless there's some really major disqualifying factors.

Then I think he probably gets through what I did find interesting there was a -- was a really strong supporter.

Military have -- -- veterans' benefits of taking care of our wounded warriors.

As -- river his Syrian experiences Vietnam and what we did to our veterans after Vietnam.

Which was shameful we cut their -- we didn't -- an adequate medical or mental health benefits the other thing I thought was really fascinating was hey that's really been well prepared for this.

He quoted again and air and I think again Rick I a lot of speeches -- Reagan firm policy -- and I'm hear him quote Reagan and the some of the things I'd like he's doing it.

Well it's not hard to have Republicans get angry at you if you are putting in a translator Republicans right.

Right OK let me move -- to the other big story of the day and I really -- -- and all of these things are related of course are that Israeli.

Action that in Syria it appears the -- -- -- it's always difficult in these situations because -- dealing with one government.

The Israelis who never admit they do anything like this are we dealing with -- -- -- government the Syrians who habitually lied to us so we don't know how true that.

But after it appears that we go off an Israeli attack on a convoy that was allegedly carrying weapons.

From Syrian territory into Lebanese territory.

And obviously into the hands of Hezbollah we would assume.

From -- where does that leave us if this strike actually happened which -- We believe it did and where does that leave us now.

I think Israel and Iran are preparing for war they're taking all that Israel -- And Iran so don't think Syrian don't think and I think Israel Enron.

Because Iran is trying to pre position.

A lot of military equipment around Israel so their pre positioning.

This stuff that's going from Syria to southern -- -- on Iran's border.

We think what was probably -- with anti aircraft batteries but it may be chemical weapons and chemical weapons moved -- -- us to remember in the fall and October.

Gaza Strip to Israel's west was where is stockpiling.

Scud missiles that could reach Israel.

Israel bombed us if you remember a week before the Gaza bombing there was a bombing in Africa and Sudan munitions factory in Sudan.

Where the Iranians were making that rap -- that we're gonna go all the way up to through Africa.

Into the Gaza Strip so I'm not trying to pre positioned itself to attack Israel and what Israel's try to do was preempt -- run from doing.

All right yet but it did.

Think.

Do they have the ability -- -- that Abdul also a dead and actually maybe maybe about a question here is you say they're preparing for war but -- -- -- preparing for war.

In which it would strike at Israel or is it Ron preparing for war in -- she would use its proxies Hezbollah to attack.

Well I think in art and can hit the problem with any of this is is when everybody's prepared to nobody wants to swarm around -- -- -- us -- we sure want to.

But you might stumble into it and this -- may conclude and I think that's why they hate the hearings are so important.

Israel if it is -- concludes.

Nobody's gonna stop -- run the only person who's gonna stop Iran from being a nuclear weapons state and the resulting.

Nuclear proliferation in the region the only place -- stopped is for the Israeli aircraft and missiles attacking Iran.

Dan Harrison I think an increase likelihood of that is recruits alone so why are these hearings important why it's important to us because if local.

Carried out Obama's policy isolates Israel.

So I don't want that isolates Israel and pushes Israel way Israel -- is more likely to decide to do some kind of preemptive attack and now -- -- one so don't start fine.

You don't know what.

-- all right very interesting and beautifully wrapped from one subject to the other bunch of our viewers weighing in on now on this by the way -- he should.

Our question of the -- should Chuck Hagel be confirmed.

I was on executive -- studios phones because there's absolutely no -- caps I think we know how you feel duty -- weekly also point if asked says no out.

West should.

Calvin -- for our safety no carry -- Showalter says absolutely not he is not be friends.

To Israel so only one sided that -- says he probably will be whether you like -- and off and the president's pick and that's probably gonna go through.

Yeah and -- employer -- member.

Is this is an administration that runs foreign policy out of the White House.

It doesn't really matter what the secretary of state and defense say it's what the national security advisor just -- All right KT McFarland -- -- -- national security analyst Fox News contributor.

I am whatever else you you are posted Defcon three mullah brilliant and everything she does -- -- he was -- I think he gets.