Hagel: The world is exploding
On Tuesday, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel was addressing a group of Marines in San Diego after he returned from a trip around Asia. He was asked a question by a Marine;
Q: Good afternoon, sir. My question is that, given that the administration’s primary focus is on the Pacific theater, how has all of the issues popping up in the world today, Russia, Iraq, Africa, the rest of the theaters pretty much affected that current mission? And how do you foresee that affecting the mission in the future?
SEC. HAGEL: Thank you. That’s a — go ahead, sit down — that’s a question I got often when I was in India and Australia. And the trip I just came from was my sixth trip to the Asia Pacific area in the last year-and-a-half. I’ve got four planned this calendar year. And so I get that question all the time. It’s a legitimate question for the very reasons you asked.
The world is exploding all over. And so is the United States going to continue to have the resources, the capabilities, the leadership, the bandwidth to continue with the rebalance toward the Asia Pacific? And the answer is yes.
[…]
And I think, as what I did in taking questions yesterday on this, it is pretty clear on where we are today and what we have committed to do, we are continuing to do. Start with the fact that both Secretary Kerry and I, the secretary of state, secretary of defense, were just in that area for a few days. I’ve been there six times in the last year-and-a-half. Look at the new things we have done in the Asia Pacific, the new initiatives.
[…]
Now, that said, as I’ve said, with that rebalance, which will continue, and we are committed to do that, we’re not retreating from any other part of the world. Great powers can’t pick and choose which challenges and threats they’re going to deal with. There is no power on Earth like the United States of America.
I guess what all of that means is “When you wish upon a star Makes no difference who you are Anything your heart desires Will come to you. If your heart is in your dream No request is too extreme, When you wish upon a star As dreamers do. Fate is kind She brings to those who love
The sweet fulfillment of Their secret longing”.
But that “the world is exploding” line should show up in some campaign literature this season, wouldn’t you think? The world is exploding everywhere but in the Pacific, but guess where this administration’s focus is. But, if we wish real hard, all of the world’s problems will just disappear and maybe the Chinese will do us a solid and start some shit in the Pacific for us.
Category: Barack Obama/Joe Biden, Big Army, Military issues
‘There is no power on Earth like the United States of America.’
Correction: that should read as follows:
There WAS no power on Earth like the United States of America until it was neutered and hamstrung by an incompetent boob.
Gotta hand it to Obumbles. Clinton only made a mockery of the office of the presidency. Obama is turning the whole country into a joke.
Apparently the SECDEF finally read his daily Intsum briefing book. Or someone else read it and told him what it said.
Exactly. Rip Van Hagel just woke up. To Hagel: No shit Sherlock.
That was the best example of Orwellian newspeak I have seen in a long time.
…and we are committed to do that, we’re not retreating from any other part of the world. Great powers can’t pick and choose which challenges and threats they’re going to deal with. There is no power on Earth like the United States of America.
Meaningless word salad.
Didn’t Barry say recently that the world was now calm or words to that effect? Hagel didn’t get that memo?
Every time I see Hagel on TV he looks like he’s a POW that gets dragged out for a media appearance.
“He served in Vietnam, you know.”
Yeah, I know that’s a line about Kerry. But it fits Hagel, too.
TAH 13JUN2014 http://valorguardians.com/blog/?p=50852 Maybe JohnC will come back and comment here in this thread.
Steve McCroskey picked the wrong week to quit drinking & sniffing glue.
and quit smoking
↑↑↑↑↑ Upvotes for the Airplane reference, Devtun.
Roger, Oveur.
How in the hell did Hagel get off of the hand that is usually moving his mouth?? Was the puppeteer on break??
He usually just parrots whatever Dear Leader has recently said so him saying the world is exploding all over is a big departure from script. Not to worry though, I have no doubt he will soon get whipped back into his dog house.
Our National Security Team continues to amaze and astound…..
Master Guns, this is probably the biggest fustercluck on the planet, going on right now. Even the media marones are puzzled by it all.
http://news.msn.com/us/obama-weighs-strategy-against-islamic-state
‘Weighs his strategy’? Is that with or without a golf club in his hands?
I understand the need for caution, but if a little outburst like Holder’s (see the article) isn’t a symptom of a fracture of some kind, then what is it?
Ex-PH2, as someone stated on another thread here, and I truly believe, Obama is “weighing his strategy against ISIS” by hoping if he stalls and waits, the situation will resolve itself and he won’t have to make a hard decision. Can’t blame Bush (although he will try) so his options are limited. Could show some leadership or waffle and spin. I am thinking he will go for option 2.
Master Guns, I agree.
I think he simply has no idea what to do, and he desperately wants everyone to just love him to pieces. Seriously, that’s his biggest problem. I don’t think that fool has EVER run into people who think he’s a blockhead or genuinely disliked him because he’s just plain stupid, until now.
Frankly, at this point, I think Biden could do a better job. (I will bite my tongue for saying that.)
Biden?? Oh God Forbid…..
President Shotgun Joe???!! Christ save us.
Durnburnit!
Since when do I have to add the ‘sarc’ tag for you guys?
OK, let me ‘splain this to you.
Bodaprez is a Leo guy, but he’s the worst side of the Leo guy: immature, showoffy, whiny, frequently stubborn, insecure, and a drama queen. Nothing is EVER his fault. He does NOT like criticism.
Biden is a drunk and doesn’t really give a shit about anything but his paycheck. Anyone heard from him lately?
Not much difference between the two, I know, but at least Biden would be less likely to gut the military and tell every enemy of freedom on the planet about it.
(Shakes head, goes back to wrapping chicken for the freezer.)
Ex-PH2…Thank you for the article. Two days ago I was adjusting the sprinkler heads next to my fence. I found a rattle snake crawling along there. I did not try to reason with it. I did not cut of its rattles and hope it would get the message to stay away. Nope. I got the shovel and cut its head off. I tossed it into the canal a few yards away and then, threw the remains as far as I could. (Coyotes gotta eat to ya know.) I could have formed a panel or committee with the neighbors to get their input on what to do. We could have captured it and tried to talked reason with it. But when all was said and done and hand shakes were to go around, the rattle snake would have bitten everyone it could. Because that is what unreasonable animals driven by instinct not intellect do. The same is true of IS. Obama and Kerry and Hagel can say and do and reason all they want. But until they cut off the head of IS and then work their way down to the last animal left, it is a lost cause and waste of effort and possibly American lives.
Sparks, by far the best analogy to date…spot on
This is everybody in the administration.
Governor William J. Lepetomane!!! It just came to me who Hagel reminds me of! AKA Hedley Lamarr in Blazing Saddles.
Damn! That’s it! I’ve been trying to think of who this guy is for 2 months. You nailed it.
Hagel – just an actor named Hedley.
He needs to act quickly to protect his phoney baloney job.
Harumph, harumph!
I have a lawn he could mow.
68W58…Mel Brooks would love that! “We have to protect our phoney baloney jobs here, gentlemen! We must do something about this immediately! Immediately! Immediately!”
I didn’t get a “harrumph” out of that guy.
You watch your ass.
HARRUMPH!!
Um, guys . . . you do know that Mel Brooks was the actor portraying Governor Lepetomane, right? Harvey Korman played the Hedley Lamarr character.
Still – yeah, now that you mention it Hagel does kinda resemble Brooks in that role. Same preoccupied/vacant look, too.
Harrumph! Harrumph!
I didn’t get a harrumph outta that guy!
I don’t “harrumph”. I just . . . think of secretaries instead. (smile)
Both were political hacks who were completely self serving, so the spirit of the thing is correct.
I wonder how many times in one “answer” he can tell us he has been over to the pacific AO?
“And the trip I just came from was my sixth trip to the Asia Pacific area in the last year-and-a-half. I’ve got four planned this calendar year.” “I’ve been there six times in the last year-and-a-half.”
Just in case you didn’t know, he’s been there several times….hope that answers the question to how world issues affect PACOM and the rest…..
Did he serve in Vietnam, too? He should include that in his reference statemehnts. 🙂
Yes, service in Vietnam as a Sergeant has more than prepared him for the geo political realities that face him as Sec-Def…..
BLUF:
If the world is splodin’ then someone has some splanin’ to do!
We were told that the world is far more safer!
Just sayin’!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bp6dsKleGpU
They’re rioting in Africa. They’re starving in Spain. There’s hurricanes in Florida and Texas needs rain.
The whole world is festering with unhappy souls. The French hate the Germans. The Germans hate the Poles. Italians hate Yugoslavs. South Africans hate the Dutch and I don’t like anybody very much!
But we can be tranquil and thankful and proud for man’s been endowed with a mushroom shaped cloud.
And we know for certain that some lovely day someone will set the spark off and we will all be blown away.
They’re rioting in Africa. There’s strife in Iran. What nature doesn’t do to us will be done by our fellow man.
. . . and thus has it been, since man first began.
It wasn’t that long ago that al Quaida was on the ropes and peace was evolving in the middle east. No the world’s exploding and the dumbass in chief is raping the military. But no worries. Chucky Hagel says the military can cover everything, even after being stripped to the bone. Do those people know how absolutely idiotic they look to the rest of the world? Do they not understand that no one, outside their little leftist circle jerk, is buying the gladhanding bullshit they’re selling?
They know full well what they’re saying is BS, ArmyATC. They’re just using the well-known “Big Lie” propaganda tactic.
…….and that Marine was never seen again.
Left hand doesn’t seem to know what right hand is doing.
I think Hagel isn’t taking his cool-aid as much as he ought to…
So instead of answering the Marine Hagel said, “That’s a good question,.. AMERICA, Hell Ya!”