John Cornyn: “the nomination of Chuck Hagel to be the next Secretary of Defense has already done damage to the credibility of the…”

“the nomination of Chuck Hagel to be the next Secretary of Defense has already done damage to the credibility of the United States in its attempt to deny Iran a nuclear weapon, thus emboldening one of the most dangerous regimes in the Middle East. To limit that damage, President Obama should choose someone else to lead the Pentagon. After all, the Nebraska Senator is the same person who has consistently opposed sanctions against Iran. He is the same person who wanted Washington to support Iranian membership in the World Trade Organization. He is the same person who voted against designating the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist group at a time when it was orchestrating the murder of U.S. troops in Iraq. He is the same person who refused to sign a letter asking the European Union to label Hezbollah--an Iranian proxy--as a terror group, even though it is so designated by the U.S. State Department. He is the same person who urged President Bush to offer Iran ``direct, unconditional, and comprehensive talks.'' He is the same person who called for establishing a U.S. diplomatic mission in Tehran. He is the same person who dismissed ``a military strike against Iran'' as ``not a viable, feasible, responsible option.'' And he is the same person who suggested that the United States might be able to live with a nuclear Iran. During his years in this Chamber, Senator Hagel's opposition to Iran sanctions placed him in a very small minority.…”