The rioting in Ferguson, Mo. last night is pushing other stories out of the spotlight today, but these stories on Chuck Hagel and ouster as the Sec. of Defense merit attention:
@joshgerstein scoop: Hagel clashed with WH, Rice over Gitmo releases. http://t.co/Dly3CWpAB3
— Glenn Thrush (@GlennThrush) November 25, 2014
An excerpt:
When Obama began pushing last year to reinvigorate the process of closing Guantanamo, White House aides repeatedly urged Hagel to sign off on transfers of detainees who’d long been cleared for release. Yet for months the defense secretary refused to sign certifications that the future threat posed by the prisoners could be adequately mitigated, according to a U.S. official.
“This was not an insignificant source of friction,” said the official, who asked not to be named. “I can say definitively on this one it has been utterly public and unmistakable in terms of the disconnect.”
White House irritation with Hagel grew so intense that last May, National Security Adviser Susan Rice sent Hagel an extraordinary memo directing him to report every two weeks on progress towards transferring or releasing Guantanamo prisoners, the source said, discussing a directive first reported earlier this year by The New York Times. It’s unclear when or if those reports were submitted.
Whoa. The New York Times has a similar report out today, too:
Blimey. White House angry with Chuck Hagel for not emptying Guantanamo Bay. http://t.co/c8GovyN2by pic.twitter.com/MrWpEjACtl
— Toby Harnden (@tobyharnden) November 25, 2014
Or how about this characterization from an anonymous “administration official”:
Obama administration official describes Chuck Hagel as "the low-hanging fruit" http://t.co/c8GovyN2by
— Toby Harnden (@tobyharnden) November 25, 2014
And Hagel’s firing/resignation has allegedly angered Vice President Joe Biden:
Biden 'Ticked Off' by Obama's Harsh Hagel Firing: Vice President Joe Biden is less-than-pleased with the way P… http://t.co/kSVgVVr4Da
— Patriot Corner (@PatriotCorner) November 25, 2014
But will Hagel’s departure fix the president’s foreign-policy mess?
The editors of the New York Times don’t think so:
https://twitter.com/ExumAM/status/537209219720572930
We’ll obviously hear more about this in the coming days.
Related:
‘That’s genius!’ Replacing Hagel will be tough, but this guy’s up to the task [photo]
Whose parting hug with Obama was more awkward, Jay Carney or Chuck Hagel? [photos, video]
Truth-boom! RESOLVED: GOP bests Obama on Hagel ouster with just 4 words, flashbacks
ISIS claims Chuck Hagel resignation as a victory and ‘celebrates with a hashtag’
Semantics spin denied! Greta Van Susteren has a key question for WH on Hagel ouster
David Limbaugh spots ‘inevitable’ downside to Chuck Hagel’s ouster
These predictions for Obama’s ‘personnel announcement’ after Hagel ouster are zing-tastic
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