Hagel: US 'can't dictate' to the world

[yota691]

First Published: 2013-02-28

 

 

 

Hagel: US 'can't dictate' to the world

 

Pentagon's new chief comments echo Obama's emphasis on extricating US from decade of ground wars in Iraq, Afghanistan.

 

Middle East Online

 

By Dan De Luce - WASHINGTON

 

Time to turn the page on a decade of war

America cannot "dictate to the world" and must work with allies and build relationships with other nations, US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said shortly after being sworn in Wednesday as the new Pentagon chief.

On his first day at the job, Hagel reinforced his reputation as a reluctant warrior as he told an auditorium of civilian officials and military officers that America was a powerful country but could not accomplish its goals without forging strong alliances.

"I've always believed that America's role in the world ... has been one that should engage the world. We can't dictate to the world. But we must engage in the world," Hagel said.

"No nation, as great as America is, can do this on their own. We need to continue to build on the strong relationships that we have built."

Defense secretaries often adopt a tough tone to signal resolve to America's adversaries, but Hagel's comments echoed President Barack Obama's emphasis on extricating the country from a decade of ground wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

US troops have pulled out of Iraq in 2011 and roughly 66,000 American forces are due to withdraw from Afghanistan by the end of 2014, a drawdown that Hagel will be charged with overseeing.

Hagel told the Pentagon audience that the United States was ultimately a force "for good" but had a duty to exercise its power with care.

"We make mistakes. We've made mistakes. We'll continue to make mistakes. But we are a force for good," he said.

Hagel, an outspoken opponent of the Iraq war during George W. Bush's presidency, added that "we have great power, and how we apply our power is particularly important.

"That engagement in the world should be done wisely."

Hagel, 66, took his oath of office at about 8:30 am (1330 GMT) at the Pentagon as his wife looked on, becoming the first combat veteran from the Vietnam conflict to take up the post.

In his remarks to Pentagon employees, Hagel spoke without notes and struck an upbeat tone despite a nasty debate in the Senate over his nomination that saw him struggle to win enough votes for confirmation.

Despite the bitter atmosphere that prevailed at his confirmation hearing, in which he was pummeled by his former Republican colleagues over his statements on Iran and Israel, officials said Hagel would seek to cooperate with Congress.

"Senator Hagel has signaled his very strong commitment right away to get down to business, to get deeply invested in the work of the Pentagon and its military and civilian workers," Pentagon spokesman George Little told reporters Tuesday.

"His goal is to look to the future."

Although Hagel's opponents failed in the end to derail his nomination, their hostile stance signaled that the former infantryman would have little breathing room when it comes to working with Congress, without the kind of bipartisan support some of his predecessors enjoyed.

After a bruising Senate confirmation hearing and a 10-day delay engineered by Republicans, senators voted 58-41 to approve Hagel on Tuesday. But in 2011, senators approved his predecessor, Leon Panetta, for the job by a unanimous vote.

Within 48 hours after being sworn in, Hagel will confront steep automatic cuts to the Pentagon's budget of roughly $46 billion which are due to kick in Friday amid political deadlock in Congress.

He also will have to grapple with a major troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, renewed threats posed by a defiant North Korea and turmoil in the Middle East.

Hagel's searing experience in the jungles of Vietnam has shaped his cautious view of military power, and he has often said war should be a last resort only after diplomacy has been exhausted.

In Vietnam, Hagel served with his brother as an infantry squad leader and saw combat first-hand in the Mekong Delta, earning two Purple Hearts after suffering shrapnel wounds to his chest and burns to his face.

He still has some shrapnel fragments lodged in his chest.

[SgtFuryUSCZ]

***///

This 'doosh' is so ignorant....

unless he states emphatically that his tool handler will stop throwing money at other countries in

an attemp to to 'buy their love'..... he can suck it.

 

It's a policy that has never worked in Our history and it's time it all stopped.

 

Anybody noticed in the administration that Our people here are in great need of OUR tax dollars?

 

Bring Our Troops home, let evil abroad sort itself out. 

If they come here, we'll unleash a fury of Hell Cats upon them.

But we aren't fighting for TPTB anymore, that's what they have their bogus U.N. "army" for......

 

But this removing Our Troops but replacing them with the last dollar we have

whilst WE HERE AT HOME STARVE is pure lunacy.

 

Keep Our money AND troops here at home! 

Edited March 3, 2013 by SgtFuryUSCZ

[TPSprayduster]

I have to agree with Chuck we are fighting wars we should not have been fought.  Iraq was a mistake, afghanistan we stayed too long.  They came here on 9-11 and that was a wake up call.  Some folks tend to forget that in some cases it is best to project force.  I know because i have been on serveral force projection projects.  Again they came here left the towers in ruin and we were looking for payback which we got.  Better to be on guard.  It cost more to deploy and support troops then folks realize.  Some folks never will just continue to rant and rave hoping for someone to listen.

[parmenio]

I have to agree with Chuck we are fighting wars we should not have been fought.  Iraq was a mistake, afghanistan we stayed too long.  They came here on 9-11 and that was a wake up call.  Some folks tend to forget that in some cases it is best to project force.  I know because i have been on serveral force projection projects.  Again they came here left the towers in ruin and we were looking for payback which we got.  Better to be on guard.  It cost more to deploy and support troops then folks realize.  Some folks never will just continue to rant and rave hoping for someone to listen.

So, what wars would you have fought?

[TPSprayduster]

Not Iraq

[parmenio]

 

Not Iraq

 

Still didn't answer my question!

[TPSprayduster]

  

Still didn't answer my question!

Afghanistan only, not concerned about wars before my time nor am i concerned about afghanistan can't change the past only mold the future.  Hopefully i answered your question if not then i am sorry.  No time for responding to questions when i have not influence over changing the outcome of a war.  After we clear out of afghanistan we should keep our defenses up and let the other countries fight their own wars if they should desire to start them.

[parmenio]

 

Afghanistan only, not concerned about wars before my time nor am i concerned about afghanistan can't change the past only mold the future.  Hopefully i answered your question if not then i am sorry.  No time for responding to questions when i have not influence over changing the outcome of a war.  After we clear out of afghanistan we should keep our defenses up and let the other countries fight their own wars if they should desire to start them.

 

Well..., let me help you connect some dots using YOUR logic from your own words. If our past generations thought like you and your ilk..., you wouldn't have the luxury of speaking your mind today!

[TPSprayduster]

  

Well..., let me help you connect some dots using YOUR logic from your own words. If our past generations thought like you and your ilk..., you wouldn't have the luxury of speaking your mind today!

Well let me connect a few dots for you, alot of folks think that we should bring all of troops home and not project power(Ron Paul).  9-11 was prime example, i stated we should project power and not become involved in conflicts that do not concern us.  However since you want to open that can of worms, my logic never said not to fight a war but only when it involves us directly.  WW2 we were brought into the war on December 7th, WW1 we help out Europe because they were about to be overrun by the Germans.  Those war's were needed to be fought.  Korea we again helped out the UN and keep China out of South Korea.  Vietnam another war that did not concern us.  50K dead later we left the country anyway no gains.  When we involve ourselves in wars that do not have our best interest in hand is almost ways a bad war.  I am not going to continue to joust with you because apparently you believe i am crazy because i do not embrace your ideas or your groups ideas.  Sorry but i call like it is, after being in a few of those wars or conflicts some we should just stayed out of.  Have a nice day.

[MyLadiesDaddy]

unbelievable          

[parmenio]

 

Well let me connect a few dots for you...,

Go ahead IF you can find the board! Fella, you're off the chart!

 

[jonjon]

Had we followed TP's ideas through out history we would all be speaking German, well all the blond haired blue eyed of us would. The rest of us would be buried in mass graves.

[dontlop]

so i guess hagel wants to  hold hands .. hagel and kerry .. im sure they will leave a national security disaster like like clinton administration did .. by the time the obama administration is over we will see the worst of the worst . they dont know how to keep their eye on the ball.. look at obama during bengazzi.. no one knew where he was .. our military was told to stand down while our ambasador was murdered ....now obama turns loose violent criminals on our streets.. saying no moey because of sequestor ,, then he turns around and gives money to al kieda and muslim brotherhood in syria ...

 

 

 wheres the left wing press ..why do they not care that obama freedthousands of violent troops on our streets and is funding the muslim brotherhood ..sending f16s to muslim brotherhod in egypt ..whats wrong with him and why arent they moving to impeach over his actions especially in libya ..

[aliciadogz]

obama is now America dictator,why? Not the World.

[TPSprayduster]

I can send Google map coordinates to get back into reality if you like

Had we followed TP's ideas through out history we would all be speaking German, well all the blond haired blue eyed of us would. The rest of us would be buried in mass graves.

Apparently Jon you have misread what i wrote ww1 and ww2 were wars we NEEDED to fight. 

[dog53]

Lets just wait for radical Islam is at our doorstep with

suicide vest in hand . Then after we lose several thousand innocent citizens.

Maybe then we can get a green light to defend our country.

Again I say.

All those that want to try to impose the notion that we have no real enemies.

When the crap hits the fan.

Please just try to stay out of the way.

[TPSprayduster]

that is why your project power and not wait for it to come to your door step some folks say bring them all home.  Oh well.

[Maggie123]

I Agree TP.

 

Seems some here have a "Fox" frame of mind and NO reading comprehension.

 

Really???

 

We needed to give thousands and thousands of our son's lives in Vietnam and Iraq? Plus the slaughter of so many innocent citizens in those countries.    

 

Why was that?

 

Oh how quickly some forget...

 

 

 

YES! We should fight... ANY DIRECT THREAT TO THE US.

 

NO! We should NOT condone or support the "WAR MACHINE" which is designed to enrich the elite.

 

 

 

 

PEACE IS OUR GOAL

 

JMHO Maggie

[SherryB]

If we can stop terrorists without all out war, that would be great, be proactive, not reactive.  All sounds good, but history speaks for itself, we can't take down our defense, and expect peace to happenly peacefully.  The best offense is a good defense.   

[dog53]

Maggie I lost more then a few good friends and family in that war.

In hind site I agree it was a useless war and we gained nothing other then a genocide of a whole generation of 19 year olds.

This is different. like pearl harbor the enemy has came to our shores and killed thousands on 911

They have declared Jihad . A religious war that does not allow them to give up, quit, or surrender.

The killing will continue.

[MyLadiesDaddy]

I Agree TP.

 

Seems some here have a "Fox" frame of mind and NO reading comprehension.

 

Really???

 

We needed to give thousands and thousands of our son's lives in Vietnam and Iraq? Plus the slaughter of so many innocent citizens in those countries.    

 

Why was that?

 

Oh how quickly some forget...

 

 

 

YES! We should fight... ANY DIRECT THREAT TO THE US.

 

NO! We should NOT condone or support the "WAR MACHINE" which is designed to enrich the elite.

 

 

 

 

PEACE IS OUR GOAL

 

JMHO Maggie

 

 

 

You will never have until you have Jesus Christ. 

 

Not JMHO, a FACT.   

[Maggie123]

You will never have until you have Jesus Christ. 

 

Not JMHO, a FACT.   

 

As a matter of fact... Jesus Christ is my brother and my teacher, in the here and now.

 

I Say AGAIN... PEACE IS OUR GOAL.

[dontlop]

its obvious most people dont have any clue why george bush went into iraq ..i guess they just like listening to the democrat lies ...

[TPSprayduster]

its obvious most people dont have any clue why george bush went into iraq ..i guess they just like listening to the democrat lies ...

Well lop they went into iraq on trumped up intel, no WND were found nor were any connection to 9-11 was every proven.  Unless you were over there then you would never know.

[dontlop]

didnt george bush say , he wasnt worried about iraq  attacking us here in the homeland ..

 

dsidnt bush say  he was worried about  the terrorists that  were getting safe haven in iraq  after they fled from afganistan war ,, ?

 

didnt george bush explain why that was a problem ?

 

didnt he say he was worried about one small canister .. one vial .. of a chemical  or biological  agent getting into the hands of one of those terrorists .. and it being smuggled into our country .. and being detonated in the form of a suit case bomb..?

 

didnt he say that we know they can penatrate our borders  because they have already demonstrated that on 911 .?

 

 wasnt the reason bush went into iraq  was because saddam  refused to cooperate in the  war on terro  and not give terrorists safe haven ..?

 

didnt bush warn every country to not give the terrorists safe haven when they ran away from the war in afganistan.. ?

 

yet you listen to and agree there was no reason  for the iraq war ..