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by
Bryan Preston

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November 24, 2014 - 8:30 am

Departing Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel may have sealed his exit in this interview with Charlie Rose last week. Rose conducted the interview at the Pentagon.

In the interview, Hagel made two key points that serve as accusations that President Barack Obama is mismanaging the United States military and the ISIS threat.

Rose asked Hagel to elaborate on comments that he made in a speech at the Reagan Library last weekend. In that speech, Hagel said that America’s military capability, while still the best in the world, is being threatened.

Hagel re-iterated that to Rose, but also left viewers to wonder about the direction that President Obama is taking the military.

“I am worried about it, I am concerned about it, Chairman Dempsey is, the chiefs are, every leader of this institution,” Hagel said, including Pentagon leadership but leaving both President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden’s names out of his list of officials who are worried about the U.S. military’s declining capability. Hagel said that the Congress and the American people need to know what while the U.S. military remains the strongest, best trained and most motivated in the world, its lead is being threatened because of policies being implemented now.

Hagel went on to note that a good leader prepares their institution for future success, saying that “the main responsibility of any leader is to prepare your institution for the future. If you don’t do that, you’ve failed. I don’t care how good you are, how smart you are, any part of your job. If you don’t prepare your institution, you’ve failed.”

In the past couple of years, Hagel has warned that defense budget cuts implemented under President Obama were hurting readiness and capability. The “how smart you are” line may be a veiled shot at President Obama, who basks in a media image that he is a cerebral, professorial president.

In the same interview, Hagel also commented on the rise of ISIS and how it must be fought. Hagel charged that Obama’s handling of the ISIS threat is now indirectly assisting Syrian dictator Bashar Assad.

While President Obama has downplayed the ISIS threat, even calling the group “jayvee” as it rose to power, Hagel warned last week that it is a threat unlike any other we have ever faced.

“We’ve never seen an organization like ISIL that is so well-organized, so well-trained, so well-funded, so strategic, so brutal, so completely ruthless,” Hagel said. “We have never seen anything quite like that in one institution.

“And then they blend in ideology — which will eventually lose, we get that — and social media. The sophistication of their social media program is something that we’ve never seen before. You blend all of that together, that is an incredibly powerful new threat.”

Related: 

Flournoy Unchained: SecDef Shortlister Defended Obama’s Iraq Withdrawal

 

Bryan Preston has been a leading conservative blogger and opinionator since founding his first blog in 2001. Bryan is a military veteran, worked for NASA, was a founding blogger and producer at Hot Air, was producer of the Laura Ingraham Show and, most recently before joining PJM, was Communications Director of the Republican Party of Texas.
Top Rated Comments   
Obamas first choice to replace Secretary Hagel had to turn him down as he is tied up being President of Russia.
5 weeks ago
5 weeks ago Link To Comment
Hagel was a token but he's right, Obama is destroying the military, by design.
5 weeks ago
5 weeks ago Link To Comment
I have not cared for Hagel.. Having said that he is right on target regarding our military and the causes (Obama and his policies) of it's loss of capability.

One of many goals of Obama was/is to weaken our military and he is doing very well. This does not bode well for America.
5 weeks ago
5 weeks ago Link To Comment
All Comments   (47)
All Comments   (47)
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Unchained?
As opposed to unhinged?
5 weeks ago
5 weeks ago Link To Comment
I'm no fan of Hagel, but even he knew that Obama was w over his head as Commander in chief.
5 weeks ago
5 weeks ago Link To Comment
Purging the military is a modus operandi of one of Obama's best friends, ErDOGan of Turkey. ErDOGan serves as a role model for Obama, with military purges and state controlled media
5 weeks ago
5 weeks ago Link To Comment
if this man is concerned, then we best all be concerned.
5 weeks ago
5 weeks ago Link To Comment
"Obamas first choice to replace Secretary Hagel had to turn him down as he is tied up being President of Russia."

Well, at least Putin got his first choice for President of the US.

If Hagel keeps on thinking like this, he mibht become a Republican.
5 weeks ago
5 weeks ago Link To Comment
Preezy Obola's failure to prepare the US military for the future IS HIS SUCCESS......Don't you get it?
5 weeks ago
5 weeks ago Link To Comment
duplicate
5 weeks ago
5 weeks ago Link To Comment
Proves what a thin skin Barry has...

And btw Chuck, how dare you criticize Barry.... you racist!
5 weeks ago
5 weeks ago Link To Comment
Barack Obama's plan for America: 1) disinformation, 2) distraction, 3) demoralization, 4) destabilization, 5) created crisis, 6) government "solution" to the crisis, 7) normalization to the new tyranny, 8) trash the Constitution, 9) repeat.

Destroying the military is just one of his many actions to destroy the country.
5 weeks ago
5 weeks ago Link To Comment
Barack Obama's plan for America: 1) disinformation, 2) distraction, 3) demoralization, 4) destabilization, 5) created crisis, 6) government "solution" to the crisis, 7) normalization to the new tyranny, 8) trash the Constitution, 9) repeat.

Destroying the military is just one of his actions.
f
5 weeks ago
5 weeks ago Link To Comment
seems like you have it spot on, and you forget threaten the media, and reporters if they don't carry the water for him.
5 weeks ago
5 weeks ago Link To Comment
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