Defense Secretary - Hagel Grilled At Confirmation Hearing - Defends Record - Cbs News

Hagel defends his record

Updated: 4:22 p.m. ET

Amid determined challenge out of Senate Republicans, previous Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., launched a new good defense associated with both his values in addition to their record for the duration of his safety assistant proof hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee today, quarrelling which regardless of several controversial previous positions on Israel, Iran, and gay rights, "no one individual vote, nobody individual quote, not a soul man or women assertion defines me, my beliefs, or even my record."

Hagel, exactly who must attain the help support of the majority from the 26 associates belonging to the committee so as to encounter the full Senate proof vote, pledged their determination President Obama's roles about "all issues involving nationwide security, mainly decisions which the Department of Defense is within the procedure of employing now."

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"Our nation's safety is a highest priority of your commanders in addition to our government," Hagel said with their cracking open remarks. "We cannot allow the actual work regarding confronting the greater dangers most of us deal with right now being kept hostage to partisanship on either facet with the aisle."

Hagel's nomination has been controversial through this get-go: Of distinct problem that will Republicans many Democrats can be his recent opposition associated with quite a few sanctions with regard to Iran; intended for his or her getting consumed stances on Hezbollah and Hamas that authorities include decried while very lenient; plus with regard to critique regarding what he or she identified as "the Jewish lobby," that invoked this ire regarding pro-Israel advocates. Additionally, Hagel came up available as a music critic of an old President George W. Bush's insurance policies throughout Iraq.

Democrats, meanwhile, have experienced their own, added in gripes by using the particular pick: In improvement to be able to posting Republican, Hagel seemed to be targeted for making anti-gay feedback about a great ambassadorial nominee in 1998, whose nomination your dog contrary to be "openly, aggressively gay." He in addition voted on multiple functions in order to control abortion access for American servicewomen abroad.

Despite the constant controversy adjoining his record, Hagel nowadays stated delight with them certainly not because, this individual said, "of virtually any achievements I sometimes have achieved, or perhaps certainly owing to a great deficiency with mistakes, although rather due to the fact I've attempted to generate in which record depending on living my own life and fulfilling my personal responsibilities as merely as I believed just how in addition to together with challenging work."

"My all round worldview offers for no reason changed: That America provides and also must maintain the particular most powerful army while in the world; which we should lead your international community to confront dangers and also conflicts together; which we have to make use of almost all applications of American strength to safeguard some of our seniors as well as each of our interests," they said.

Republicans were less altruistic around their characterization with Hagel's record.

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Lucy Madison may be a political reporter to get CBSNews.com.