<div><br></div>"Satan, I rebuke thee."<br><div class="gmail_quote"><div class="HOEnZb"><div class="h5"><div class="gmail_quote"><div class="gmail_quote"><div><br></div><a href="http://thinkprogress.org/security/2013/01/13/1440211/haass-abrams-hagel/" target="_blank">http://thinkprogress.org/security/2013/01/13/1440211/haass-abrams-hagel/</a> <br>
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<br></div><div><span style="line-height:15px;font-size:15px;font-family:Calibri,'Trebuchet MS','Lucida Sans',Arial,sans-serif"><h1 style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:10px;padding-left:0px;border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;border-style:initial;border-color:initial;outline-width:0px;outline-style:initial;outline-color:initial;vertical-align:baseline;background-image:initial;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-size:1.7em;line-height:1.15em;color:rgb(150,14,27);background-repeat:initial initial">
<a href="http://thinkprogress.org/security/2013/01/13/1440211/haass-abrams-hagel/" style="text-decoration:none;color:rgba(150,14,27,0.746094)" target="_blank">Think Tank President Rebukes Senior Fellow’s Claims That Chuck Hagel Is Anti-Semitic</a></h1>
</span></div><div><span style="line-height:22px;font-size:15px;font-family:Calibri,'Trebuchet MS','Lucida Sans',Arial,sans-serif">Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) president <a href="http://www.cfr.org/experts/afghanistan-iraq-us-strategy-and-politics/richard-n-haass/b3350" style="text-decoration:underline;color:rgb(51,51,51)" target="_blank">Richard Haass</a> said on ABC’s This Week on Sunday that ad hominem attacks on Chuck Hagel, President Obama’s choice as the next Defense Secretary, are “over the line.”<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;padding-top:5px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:5px;padding-left:0px;border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;border-style:initial;border-color:initial;outline-width:0px;outline-style:initial;outline-color:initial;vertical-align:baseline;background-image:initial;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;line-height:1.5em;background-repeat:initial initial">
</p><p style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;padding-top:5px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:5px;padding-left:0px;border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;border-style:initial;border-color:initial;outline-width:0px;outline-style:initial;outline-color:initial;vertical-align:baseline;background-image:initial;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;line-height:1.5em;background-repeat:initial initial">
In an effort to derail Hagel’s nomination, the Weekly Standard’s <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/security/2012/12/17/1345011/kristol-hagel-iran/" style="text-decoration:underline;color:rgb(51,51,51)" target="_blank">Bill Kristol</a> <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2012/12/chuck-hagel-and-the-neocon-smear-machine/266499/" style="text-decoration:underline;color:rgb(51,51,51)" target="_blank">and the neocons</a> have been trying to convince the public that Hagel is an “anti-Semite.” CFR Senior Fellow Elliott Abrams, a former Bush administration official who was convicted of charges related to the Iran-Contra scandal, claimed last week that Hagel “<a href="http://thinkprogress.org/security/2013/01/09/1420271/council-on-foreign-relations-abrams-hagel/" style="text-decoration:underline;color:rgb(51,51,51)" target="_blank">seems to have some kind of problem with Jews</a>.” But Haass, Abrams’ boss, rebuked those charges and the tactics Abrams and his neocon allies are using:</p>
<blockquote style="margin-top:10px;margin-right:50px;margin-bottom:10px;margin-left:50px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;border-style:initial;border-color:initial;outline-width:0px;outline-style:initial;outline-color:initial;vertical-align:baseline;background-image:initial;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;quotes:none;background-repeat:initial initial">
<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;padding-top:5px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:5px;padding-left:0px;border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;border-style:initial;border-color:initial;outline-width:0px;outline-style:initial;outline-color:initial;vertical-align:baseline;background-image:initial;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;line-height:1.5em;background-repeat:initial initial">
HAASS: The only thing that should be relevant George I would say are his ability to run the Pentagon and his views on policy … <strong style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;border-style:initial;border-color:initial;outline-width:0px;outline-style:initial;outline-color:initial;vertical-align:baseline;background-image:initial;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;background-repeat:initial initial">Where I think people are going over the line is with an hominem attacks, questioning for example whether he is an anti-Semite</strong>. I’ve known Chuck Hagel for more than 20 years for what it’s worth, I think that’s proposterous. I also don’t think that has a place in the public space. We often ask, why aren’t public debates better, why aren’t sometimes the best people going into public life, but this is one of the reasons. … I really don’t think there is a legitimate place in American political life for ad hominem attacks. These are loaded words that are being cast about and I think they’re simply beyond the pale.</p>
</blockquote><p style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;padding-top:5px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:5px;padding-left:0px;border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;border-style:initial;border-color:initial;outline-width:0px;outline-style:initial;outline-color:initial;vertical-align:baseline;background-image:initial;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;line-height:1.5em;background-repeat:initial initial">
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyzTXGphP4A&feature=youtu.be" style="text-decoration:underline;color:rgb(51,51,51)" target="_blank">Watch the clip</a>:</p><p style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;padding-top:5px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:5px;padding-left:0px;border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;border-style:initial;border-color:initial;outline-width:0px;outline-style:initial;outline-color:initial;vertical-align:baseline;background-image:initial;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;line-height:1.5em;background-repeat:initial initial">
<br></p></span><span style="line-height:22px;font-size:15px;font-family:Calibri,'Trebuchet MS','Lucida Sans',Arial,sans-serif"><p style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;padding-top:5px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:5px;padding-left:0px;border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;border-style:initial;border-color:initial;outline-width:0px;outline-style:initial;outline-color:initial;vertical-align:baseline;background-image:initial;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;line-height:1.5em;background-repeat:initial initial">
A Council spokesperson last week <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/security/2013/01/09/1420271/council-on-foreign-relations-abrams-hagel/" style="text-decoration:underline;color:rgb(51,51,51)" target="_blank">backed away</a> from Abrams’ baseless attacks on Hagel, saying they don’t represent the views of the Council on Foreign Relations. But Haass has now formally criticized Abrams’ attacks.</p>
<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;padding-top:5px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:5px;padding-left:0px;border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;border-style:initial;border-color:initial;outline-width:0px;outline-style:initial;outline-color:initial;vertical-align:baseline;background-image:initial;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;line-height:1.5em;background-repeat:initial initial">
Critics of Abrams for his anti-Hagel comments are now <a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/01/11/elliott-abrams-owes-hagel-an-apology.html" style="text-decoration:underline;color:rgb(51,51,51)" target="_blank">calling on him to apologize</a>. “I hope that Abrams rethinks his position and apologizes to Hagel and welcomes a genuine debate, Council on Foreign Relations-style, about their policy differences,” Atlantic editor-at-large and New America Foundation Senior Fellow Steve Clemons <a href="http://www.thewashingtonnote.com/archives/2013/01/blast_from_the/" style="text-decoration:underline;color:rgb(51,51,51)" target="_blank">said this week</a>.</p>
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<p></p></font></span></font></span></font></span></div><span><font color="#888888"><span><font color="#888888"><div>-- </div>Robert Naiman<br>Policy Director<br>Just Foreign Policy<br><a href="http://www.justforeignpolicy.org" target="_blank">www.justforeignpolicy.org</a><br>
<a href="mailto:naiman@justforeignpolicy.org" target="_blank">naiman@justforeignpolicy.org</a><br>
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