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GOP senators call on Obama to withdraw Hagel nomination
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Lawmakers raise serious doubts about Defense pick's record
- Duration 6:54
- Date Feb 21, 2013
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Lawmakers raise serious doubts about Defense pick's record
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On the back to Hannity no trouble continues to -- in DC for president Obama's pick to be the next Defense Secretary and earlier today senator John -- along with fourteen other Republican senators.
They signed a letter requesting that the president withdraw -- -- nomination.
The letter read in part quote.
Senator -- Eagles performance at his confirmation hearing was deeply concerning leading to serious doubts about his basic competence.
To meet these substantial demands of the office while senator hagel is erratic record and myriad conversions on key national security issues a troubling enough.
His statements regarding Iran that war disconcerting.
Joining me now is reaction former speaker of the house former presidential candidate Newt Gingrich.
That was the worst and you've been around Washington a long time was that not -- single worst.
Confirmation hearing you've ever witnessed.
While -- but I was certainly on the short list and I think that what you're seeing happen is that the longer.
People look at chuck a goal.
As an administrator as an executive -- not talking now about one out of 100 US senators would come at the guy who's gonna run the Department of Defense.
And it very difficult period economically.
And -- -- very difficult period of constant change around the world.
And one of the things is becoming -- is he didn't do his homework.
He wasn't prepared to talk about the issues.
And you have to wonder how hard -- work at being secretary of defense and it may well be that he's you know he's very good as a candidate and he's very good being a senator.
But he may not have the right temperament and the right training to be the chief executive.
Of an enormous operation of the department defense and that we got to CIA or appointee that thinks.
She hot is a legitimate tenant of this law.
Help me out here or whether the -- but they're they're two different stories gone parallel here.
The -- -- story is a story of having revenues somewhere between radical and erratic positions.
Not doing his homework very well and probably not being really very capable of governing.
Running the Defense Department at a time when the budget pressures are gonna make it a very very big job.
The problem we have with the CIA is twofold one is of course as you point out -- you have a nominee who.
At best.
Has really strange ideas about radical Islam talk to one point for example about finding moderates in Hezbollah.
Which is like finding moderates in the Communist Party.
-- just made no sense at all but the other thing going on here is ironically.
The Obama White House is sounding like the bush White House.
This this senators and the congressmen.
Want to see the legal documents the justify killing people -- drones.
And the White House is now taking a bush like possession.
That then how can I share what the lawyers at justice wrote up for them.
And have got to keep it confidential even though clearly doesn't come under any kind of executive privilege now the reason that's I guess -- -- -- watches.
Everybody on the left to was mad at bush needed this now has this quandary.
About their president from the left who's now behaving exactly like everything they used to hate.
And let -- by the way he's not called out on it and -- I said this earlier democracy doesn't work until the media does its job now they'll think about this on inauguration day.
We have the Russians.
Flying over Guam where it.
With -- nuclear tipped missiles.
And what does the president done about it we have the Chinese hacking into just about any and everything they possibly can.
President hasn't said a word about what is -- what is he going to do about that.
We have we given F sixteens.
And tanks.
To the egyptians that are led by the Muslim Brotherhood.
And don't beat me up Scotty does that help me out.
I remember that after -- After the north Koreans had the most recent.
Nuclear test the president is steady and said they will pay real price for this there -- -- -- laughing all the way to the bank.
They they have paid no price at any point in these four years for anything they've done -- North Korea and I suspect they have virtually.
Total contempt for the American government whose current leadership so.
All this is very very dangerous and frankly.
I think what the senators did.
Is they serve notice -- president to diffuse insist on -- -- he probably can get in nominating fight getting through.
But he's now taking on himself President Obama.
The responsibility.
For the Defense Department.
And if anything goes wrong and NATO's watch is gonna come right back to the president for -- ignored all his warnings right so was so.
What are we to make -- the news media.
And you've dealt with the news media mean some -- your best lines actually during the the presidential debate season.
Had to do in the news media -- call.
But you have Russia circling Guam with missiles and nuclear missiles.
You you've got the Chinese hacking our computers.
And we've got a news media we have been -- we don't have questions about why security was denied why we didn't help them that night why they lied afterwards.
And the news media all they seem to care about is a picture.
Of Obama playing golf what -- the Tiger Woods.
Now what's wrong -- -- just.
But I was the very democracy work if the media won't do its job.
Well in -- democracy is gonna work because.
Between Fox News and conservative talk radio and all the different blogs and all the different email accounts.
And all the different Facebook's we're gonna keep talking ourselves -- news media's gonna keep shrinking in importance but I thought it was hysterical over the weekend.
There's somebody wrote this long column about the fact that they had discovered.
That the Obama team manipulates the news media -- -- know -- you read this column and -- -- little hysterical movie it is and these guys -- and then -- -- -- started the exact right it all started when they didn't get to meet tiger will ballots so solid answer annoying.
It's our priority is all right -- got.
Let's like daddy doesn't love us now as an amazing column.
But it's so the Republicans.
You don't hear the president pushes sequestration.
-- -- demonize as it is the -- the Mayan apocalypse.
And all -- trying to cut is 85 billion of three point eight trillion and we'll still have a trillion dollar deficit and spending more money than last year.
Your reaction -- that Republicans have one -- -- good.
The -- is only great opportunities of all time.
Which is to set up a web site for a Smart sequester.
And asked the American people to submit every Smart thing we ought to be cutting starting as you pointed out with the president's very expensive trip to Florida.
And let's see if we can't have -- people sequester.
There's a lot smarter than the obamas a question that's a great idea all right -- Gingrich it's always a pleasure thank you fabulous -- -- -- --