Chuck Hagel’s Fall

Perhaps intimidated by the steady stream of security threats around the White House (two more in the past week), Obama on Nov. 24 unwisely dumped Defense Secretary Hagel without having a suitable replacement ready. Hagel had objected to the Syria policy demanded by the Kerry-Rice-Power humanitarian bomber group, who insist that the main enemy remains Assad, not the ISIS terrorist congeries. The rational US approach would be rather to work with Assad, Iran, and Russia against ISIS, while forcing Erdogan of Turkey to cooperate in opposing the terrorists – or else. Once Hagel had been ousted, a pre-Thanksgiving power play was launched to give warmonger Michele Flournoy the Pentagon post. Flournoy is deeply associated with the Center for a New American Security, the think tank in the orbit of Gen. David Petraeus, who continues to function as the focal point for a political comeback — possibly in authoritarian form — by the hated neocon faction. Push-back against Flournoy quickly emerged in a number of quarters, including this web site. Flournoy was forced to drop out of contention on Tuesday, Nov. 25, just after this broadcast was pre-recorded. It is not known how Flournoy was stopped, but her professed desire to spend more time with her family can safely be considered spurious. There is now grave and immediate danger that the Allen-Petraeus clique will initiate bombing and decapitation attacks against the Assad government. As for the Pentagon post, the controlled media are touting Hagel’s deputy Robert O. Work (also of CNAS), Defense Department veteran Ashton Carter, Homeland Security boss Jeh Johnson, and the Saudi-linked former Mississippi Governor and Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus.