You Won Chuck! So What's With the Face?

Why so Serious?

The drawn-out, partisan battle and controversy over Chuck Hagel's nomination for Defense Secretary has finally come to a close on Tuesday. While Hagel is a Republican, he has been accused of not being tough enough to handle issues on Iran and being anti-Israel by members of his own party. Even India has its complaints. Though the Republicans tried to block Hagel's nomination, he managed to barely move through an up-or-down vote with an end result of 58-41. Four Republicans chose to back President Obama's nomination in the end, clearing the way for Leon Panetta's replacement. Personally, I am relieved that this contentious nomination spectacle has finally come to a close and President Obama can focus more on dealing with the country's economic woes rather than getting a nominee through Congress. However, Rand Paul's decision to support Hagel might have more to do with backlash from libertarians than from genuine support.

So what's next? Well, the former Nebraska senator has quite a bit on his plate. The military budget has to be cleared up. As President Obama recently stated in his State of the Union Address, cyber-crime and terrorism are still prominent in the world and the government must move to increase security in order to handle those threats. Hopefully, Chuck Hagel might be able to bring in fresh new viewpoints and ideas to the Defense Secretary position.  But even though Hagel has survived the nomination process, that does not mean the Republicans will suddenly jump to support him. Senator John Cornyn of Texas noted that: "[Hagel] will take office with the weakest support of any defense secretary in modern history, which will make him less effective on his job." Hagel's going to need all the support he can get in the coming months. Issues from North Korea's nuclear program to the returning American soldiers from Afghanistan will serve to test Chuck Hagel's ability to handle this new responsibility. 


So  what do you think? Do you feel glad that the nomination process is finally over and that Chuck Hagel is now the United States's official Defense Secretary? Do you believe he will be able to handle the new threats President Obama mentioned? And, if you know, please tell us what the opportunity cost of Chuck Hagel becoming Defense Secretary is.

For a general overview of whether Hagel is "the man for the job," check this video.