# Defense Secy. Hagel being forced to resign **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 24, 2014, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/defense-secy-hagel-being-forced-to-resign/705481 "2014-11-24T14:30:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2014, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/defense-secy-hagel-being-forced-to-resign/705481/1 "2014-11-24T14:30:46Z")
This is breaking news. It appears he has lost the confidence of the administration. I’m watching the story on the news, but can’t find anything online yet. ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2014, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/defense-secy-hagel-being-forced-to-resign/705481/2 "2014-11-24T14:40:00Z")
> **['Greatest Privilege of My Life': Chuck Hagel Resigns as Defense Secretary](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/first-read/defense-secretary-chuck-hagel-step-down-n254846)** > > According to one senior official, “He wasn’t up to the job.” Here’s the first story I’ve been able to find online. Oh, I think I put this in the wrong forum. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2014, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/defense-secy-hagel-being-forced-to-resign/705481/3 "2014-11-24T14:44:32Z")
> [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](#): > > Oh, I think I put this in the wrong forum. I reported it for you, hopefully a mod will move it. For future information, you can report your own thread if needed by clicking on the little red report post triangle. ---
**Author:** ![Grey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b782af/32.png) [@Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grey)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2014, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/defense-secy-hagel-being-forced-to-resign/705481/4 "2014-11-24T14:53:32Z")
Awesome. Now you can have confirmation hearing and not select a new Secretary of Defence. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2014, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/defense-secy-hagel-being-forced-to-resign/705481/5 "2014-11-24T14:55:10Z")
He is the first enlisted man to hold that position. Damn. ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2014, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/defense-secy-hagel-being-forced-to-resign/705481/6 "2014-11-24T15:19:24Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > I reported it for you, hopefully a mod will move it. For future information, you can report your own thread if needed by clicking on the little red report post triangle. Thanks Der Trihs. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2014, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/defense-secy-hagel-being-forced-to-resign/705481/7 "2014-11-24T15:27:32Z")
Why are they pinning this on Chuck Hagel? This administration has fucked up foreign policy on many occasions, but I don’t recall hearing anyone blame the Sec. of Defense for any of it. This stinks of scapegoating. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2014, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/defense-secy-hagel-being-forced-to-resign/705481/8 "2014-11-24T15:35:52Z")
Or, they know something, they are not saying. Something may have occurred that the public is not aware of. Always a possibility! ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2014, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/defense-secy-hagel-being-forced-to-resign/705481/9 "2014-11-24T15:38:42Z")
I think the extent of the ISIS threat to Iraq and Syria was seriously underestimated and the effectiveness of the military response seems to be limited at best. Perhaps Hagel is just not up to managing this phase of the conflict. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2014, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/defense-secy-hagel-being-forced-to-resign/705481/10 "2014-11-24T16:14:25Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > He is the first enlisted man to hold that position. > Damn. But does not have the support of the current enlisted soldiers. His experience as a buck sergeant in Viet Nam did not translate to running the entire military. > [@Diceman](#): > > Why are they pinning this on Chuck Hagel? This administration has fucked up foreign policy on many occasions, but I don’t recall hearing anyone blame the Sec. of Defense for any of it. > > This stinks of scapegoating. He was brought in to oversee the drawdown in Afghanistan and to shrink the military. He is a hatchet man. He proved to be ineffective to deal with new threats. He is the main adviser to the president on all things military. If the president is not happy with the advice and policy he is getting there is going to be a change. Add to that the fact that the entire cabinet will change before the end of the lame duck term. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2014, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/defense-secy-hagel-being-forced-to-resign/705481/11 "2014-11-24T18:17:21Z")
Bunch of idiots run the White House. So, business as usual. I think that the “inside source” from the administration reported by MSNBC attributed it Hagel being “off-message”, which he was, but it was certainly refreshing to hear from an appointee who told what he thought was the truth all the time when in public. I disagree with Hagel on a number of things, but at least the man didn’t sound like the usual bunch of politicians trying to stay on their talking points message and wind up sounding like incompetent mafia members trying to keep their stories straight. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2014, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/defense-secy-hagel-being-forced-to-resign/705481/12 "2014-11-24T20:52:23Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > Or, they know something, they are not saying. Something may have occurred that the public is not aware of. Always a possibility! If it turns out that they blew some chances to rescue hostages from ISIS, then I can see where heads have to roll (figuratively speaking). Otherwise, it looks more like Obama needed to throw someone under the bus. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2014, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/defense-secy-hagel-being-forced-to-resign/705481/13 "2014-11-25T07:09:53Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > I think the extent of the ISIS threat to Iraq and Syria was seriously underestimated and the effectiveness of the military response seems to be limited at best. Perhaps Hagel is just not up to managing this phase of the conflict. Guess again. [http://www.politico.com/story/2014/11/chuck-hagel-to-resign-113131.html](http://www.politico.com/story/2014/11/chuck-hagel-to-resign-113131.html) > [@](#): > > More recently he has battled behind the scenes with Rice, even sending her a memo sharply critical of the administration’s strategy for Syria. Senior defense officials have complained in reports by several news organizations, including POLITICO Magazine, about the National Security Council’s micromanagement of national security and the growing centralization of decision making by the White House. > > Both of Hagel’s predecessors in the Obama administration, Robert Gates and Leon Panetta, have written books complaining about the president’s national security policy process, and other critics seized on Hagel’s departure on Monday. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2014, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/defense-secy-hagel-being-forced-to-resign/705481/14 "2014-11-25T14:14:56Z")
> [@rowrrbazzle](#): > > Guess again. [http://www.politico.com/story/2014/11/chuck-hagel-to-resign-113131.html](http://www.politico.com/story/2014/11/chuck-hagel-to-resign-113131.html) > > > [@](#): > > > > More recently he has battled behind the scenes with Rice, even sending her a memo sharply critical of the administration’s strategy for Syria. Senior defense officials have complained in reports by several news organizations, including POLITICO Magazine, about the National Security Council’s micromanagement of national security and the growing centralization of decision making by the White House. > > > > Both of Hagel’s predecessors in the Obama administration, Robert Gates and Leon Panetta, have written books complaining about the president’s national security policy process, and other critics seized on Hagel’s departure on Monday. I read similar stories last night. Seems like Hagel was unhappy with Obama’s policy on Syria. Which is not unreasonable, since Obama’s policy on Syria is pretty stupid. Seriously: Stop trying to undermine Assad, and accept him as the lesser of two evils. Give up on the fantasy of “moderate Syrian opposition.” Besides Assad & ISIS, the only major player is al Qaida. Anyone else is inconsequential.