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I understand that Mark Kirk has now recovered from his stroke<br>
but not from his pre-existing brain problem.<br>
<br>
On 01/10/13 6:26, Robert Naiman wrote:
<blockquote
cite="mid:CALMNhNQGq4dDxrGfD++wBQQVL7=bcGh8io6X_b5jRKEBdoZfnQ@mail.gmail.com"
type="cite">Our Senator at work - even when he's not at work.<br>
<div class="gmail_quote"><br>
<span
style="color: rgb(35, 31, 32); font-family: Arial; font-size: 26px; line-height: 27px;">Kirk's
Office Been Running a Secret Anti-Hagel Campaign?</span><span
style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">
<ul
style="border-width: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px; outline-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent; list-style-type: none; list-style-position: outside; color: rgb(85, 85, 85); line-height: 18px;">
<li
style="border-width: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; outline-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent; color: rgb(85, 85, 85);">
By <a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://www.rollcall.com/reporters/67.html"
style="border-width: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; outline-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent; color: rgb(37, 112, 149); text-decoration: none; font-weight: bold;"
target="_blank">Meredith Shiner</a></li>
<li
style="border-width: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; outline-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent; color: rgb(85, 85, 85);">
Roll Call Staff</li>
<li
style="border-width: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; outline-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent; color: rgb(85, 85, 85);">Jan.
9, 2013, 5:05 p.m.</li>
</ul>
</span><span
style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">
<p
style="border-width: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 9px 0px; outline-width: 0px; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent;">A
top aide to Sen. <a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://www.rollcall.com/members/7051.html"
style="border-width: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; outline-width: 0px; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent; color: rgb(37, 112, 149); text-decoration: none;"
target="_blank">Mark S. Kirk</a>, R-Ill., has been distributing
anti-Chuck Hagel emails to a large, undisclosed listserv of staffers —
including Democrats — beginning as early as Dec. 20, according to the
more than a dozen emails obtained by CQ Roll Call.</p>
<p
style="border-width: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 9px 0px; outline-width: 0px; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent;">
Richard Goldberg, a deputy chief of staff in Kirk’s office who also
focuses on foreign policy issues, has been sending as many as three
emails a day to the list, which CQ Roll Call confirmed includes
reporters, Republican policy staffers and some Democrats. The emails
typically include links or text of articles that cast Hagel — a former
Republican senator from Nebraska and President Barack Obama’s secretary
of Defense nominee — in a negative light.</p>
<p
style="border-width: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 9px 0px; outline-width: 0px; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent;">
Many Republicans have <a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://www.rollcall.com/news/hagel_to_face_concerted_opposition_for_top_pentagon_post-220610-1.html"
style="border-width: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; outline-width: 0px; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent; color: rgb(37, 112, 149); text-decoration: none;"
target="_blank">expressed reservations about Hagel’s appointment,</a> questioning
the Vietnam War veteran’s positions on Israel and Iran sanctions, two
issues upon which Kirk has concentrated throughout his congressional
career. But Kirk himself has not publicly opposed Hagel’s nomination,
especially not to the extent that the emails from his staffer
collectively suggest.</p>
<p
style="border-width: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 9px 0px; outline-width: 0px; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent;">
“I appreciate and respect Senator Hagel’s record of service to our
country, especially as a decorated combat veteran,” Kirk said in a Jan.
5 statement. “I am concerned about his past record and statements,
particularly with regard to Iran and the U.S.-Israel relationship.
Should he be nominated to serve as Secretary of Defense, I will join my
colleagues on both sides of the aisle in a rigorous examination of
these and other issues of concern.”</p>
<p
style="border-width: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 9px 0px; outline-width: 0px; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent;">
When asked about Goldberg’s emails, Kirk’s office reiterated the
senator’s concerns, but did not address whether Goldberg was authorized
or asked to mount the anti-Hagel campaign.</p>
<p
style="border-width: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 9px 0px; outline-width: 0px; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent;">“The
Senator has made it very clear that he has concerns about Senator
Hagel’s past record and statements on a number of issues and will be
asking serious questions as this process moves forward,” the statement
provided to CQ Roll Call said.</p>
<p
style="border-width: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 9px 0px; outline-width: 0px; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent;">
The chatter within Republican circles, however, is that Kirk’s office
has been taking a lead role in the campaign against Hagel’s
confirmation. Two sources said they expect Kirk will be more vocal
about his concerns in the coming days.</p>
<p
style="border-width: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 9px 0px; outline-width: 0px; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent;">
The Illinois Republican has long been an outspoken supporter of Israel
and an ally of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. AIPAC has
remained relatively quite since Obama announced Hagel as his pick for
the Pentagon’s top seat, but it remains unclear how the powerful lobby
— at the center of one of Hagel’s most controversial remarks — will
advise its friends in Congress.</p>
<p
style="border-width: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 9px 0px; outline-width: 0px; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent;">
Kirk also was one of the lead co-sponsors of an Iranian sanctions
measure included in last month’s National Defense Authorization Act.</p>
<p
style="border-width: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 9px 0px; outline-width: 0px; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent;">It’s
notable that Goldberg’s first email was sent in December, weeks before
Kirk, who missed nearly an entire year in Washington after suffering a
stroke, <a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://www.rollcall.com/news/kirk_makes_inspiring_return_to_senate-220514-1.html"
style="border-width: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; outline-width: 0px; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent; color: rgb(37, 112, 149); text-decoration: none;"
target="_blank">returned to the Capitol</a> and well before Hagel was
officially tapped by Obama.</p>
<p
style="border-width: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 9px 0px; outline-width: 0px; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent;">
A selection of the subject lines include: “Breaking: Chuck Hagel Once
Opposed Nominee Because He Was ‘Openly Aggressively Gay” (12/20/2012);
“ICYMI: Chuck Hagel’s History of Homophobia” (01/01/2013); “Iran State
TV Praises Obama’s ‘anti-Israel’ Hagel Selection” (01/06/2013); “Must
Watch: Maddow Slams Hagel’s ‘Akin-esque’ Views on Rape, Abortion, LGBT
in the Military” (01/08/2013); “ICYMI: Hagel’s group sees Iran as a
future ally” (01/09/2013).</p>
<p
style="border-width: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 9px 0px; outline-width: 0px; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent;">
According to one source, at least four Democratic foreign policy
staffers have been receiving the notes and multiple GOP sources
confirmed that their foreign policy aides have been receiving them as
well. Another source indicated that the anti-Hagel emails actually
began earlier in the month, but those missives were not among those
reviewed by CQ Roll Call</p>
<p
style="border-width: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 9px 0px; outline-width: 0px; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent;">
<a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://www.rollcall.com/news/has_kirks_office_been_running_a_secret_anti_hagel_campaign-220664-1.html?zkPrintable=true"
target="_blank">http://www.rollcall.com/news/has_kirks_office_been_running_a_secret_anti_hagel_campaign-220664-1.html?zkPrintable=true</a></p>
</span></div>
<div><br>
</div>
-- <br>
Robert Naiman<br>
Policy Director<br>
Just Foreign Policy<br>
<a moz-do-not-send="true" href="http://www.justforeignpolicy.org"
target="_blank">www.justforeignpolicy.org</a><br>
<a moz-do-not-send="true" href="mailto:naiman@justforeignpolicy.org"
target="_blank">naiman@justforeignpolicy.org</a><br>
<div><br>
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