Senator Chuck Schumer Speaks Out and Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel is Forced Out: The Meaning

Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel was forced to resign on Monday after less than two years in the Pentagon. President Obama said “It was an appropriate time for him to complete his service.” Senator Hagel was a kindred soul with Senator Obama in the Senate. They both opposed the War in Iraq and the frequent use of the United States military in foreign affairs. Secretary Hagel’s job was o be the Republican frontman in the shrinking of the United States military. He was in essence to be a potted plant in the Pentagon. The actual decisions would be made by the President in consultation with a few close assistants. That is not unusual, but these aides are political hacks with no military experience. The chief aide is Susan Rice, the President’s National Security Advisor, and a proven shill in the Benghazi Embassy tragedy. Also among the advisors is General Martin Dempsey, the Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and a “politician” general. He is of the ilk who watches which way the wind is blowing. Valeria Jarrett and Michelle Obama are in the loop, and apparently to a lesser extent is Denis McDonough, the President’s Chief of Staff. The President relies upon a select group of toadies for advice. Secretary Hagel may have reservations about U.S. military action, but he is not a peacenik. He warned about the need to take action against Vladimir Putin and the carving up of the Ukraine. He warned President Obama of the dangers of not carrying through on his “line in the sand” with Syria and weapons of mass destruction. His entreaties were rejected or met with indecision. Sources in the Obama Administration claimed the Secretary had difficulty communicating the Administration’s positions. He could not communicate that which he, and the American people, cannot understand: what the New York Times referred to as the often “incoherent the foreign policy of the President. He could not explain how the Obama Administration would send MRE’s to the Ukrainian Government, but no arms. Secretary Hagel could not work around the indecisiveness and micromanaging of he White House. Nor could his predecessors Robert Gates and Leon Panetta. He learnt that this Administration is going to do what it wants based on the President’s naïve views of the world. Senator Chuck Schumer, an extremely liberal Democrat from New York, spoke at the National Press Club on Tuesday. The experienced politician took note of the 2010 and 2014 Republican landslides. He recognized that when the Democrats had full control of the White House and Congress they missed the opportunity to help the middle class. Instead they focused they efforts on passing ObamaCare. He knows that 28, and soon to be 29, Democratic Senators who voted for ObamaCare will be out of the Senate by the end of the year – quite a turnover in four years. He knows the Democrats lost governorships in the heavily blue states of Illinois, Maryland, and Massachusetts while barely holding onto Colorado and Connecticut. He also knows that they almost lost the Senate seats in New Hampshire and Virginia. Senator Schumer knows the Democrats are in great danger in 2016. He said the Democrats should have focused on helping the middle class rather than “a small percentage of the electorate.” Only 1/3 of the uninsured are registered to vote and only 5% of the electorate will benefit from the act. He forgets to mention that national health care has been the Holy Grail to progressives for half a century. He also failed to note that ObamaCare is one of the largest redistributions of income ever passed by Congress. ObamaCare was a no-brainer for the Democrats. They marched lock step in line to vote for it, all 60 Democratic Senators, without even knowing what was in the bill. Americans are paying the price and so are elected Democrats nationally. They should have listened to Joe the Plumber. Democrats in Congress are starting to rethink their blind fealty to the President. David Krone, Chief of Staff to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, has spoken on the record about the Administration’s failings. He disclosed how his boss pleaded with the President to do more to help endangered Democrats. Senate Majority Leader supports David Krone in his statements even after complaints have been received from the White House. The Democrats are splitting from the President. Self-preservation is the first law of nature and certainly of politicians. They need to separate themselves from the quixotic, incoherent Presidency. Thus, they will increasingly vote against him, and vote to override his vetoes. The dam will break with the first veto override. Yet, the President is neither weak nor irrelevant. The Presidency possesses tremendous powers The President understands what he will do. He has a free hand since he will not stand for election again. He will act unilaterally and will veto popular bills. His petulance will show itself in public. He will dare the Republicans to stop him. America will pay a stiff price over the next two years. (This blog is catching up after being on hiatus for a week without access to the blog overseas)