Hagel Could Change the Strategic Calculus For Israel and Iran

Excerpted from Commentary Magazine:

[I]n the third presidential debate last fall, Obama said: “As long as I’m president of the United States Iran will not get a nuclear weapon.”

But, whatever Obama’s publicly stated views, Hagel has made clear that he views bombing Iran as a bigger threat than Iran getting the bomb. If he takes office, that will send a very dangerous signal that the U.S. is not serious about doing whatever it takes to stop the Iranian nuclear program. At that point the balance of opinion within the Israeli security establishment could very well shift in favor of a unilateral strike. And if a strike were to occur, Iran could very well retaliate not only against Israel but also against U.S. forces in the region and our Arab allies. In other words, if the Senate confirms Hagel, absent a convincing transformation in his views, it would be making more likely precisely the war that he (and everyone else) would like to avoid.

Actually, this nomination makes it clear that this is Obama's view. It nomination signals a lot of things, none of them good for the US or Israel.

This is all about Obama's leftist vision of a less influential America.