Opinion

Schumer’s shameful shift: selling Israel short

The Issue: Sen. Schumer’s claim that Chuck Hagel clarified his views and deserves to be defense secretary.

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Sen. Chuck Schumer has shown that he is the ultimate politician — astute, pragmatic, practical and two-faced in his endorsement of Chuck Hagel to be secretary of defense (“Why Chuck Blesses Chuck,” Editorial, Feb. 6).

While Schumer has stated many times that the security of Israel is of prime importance to him, he has now acted to ensure the confirmation of probably the most anti-Israel secretary of defense in recent times.

Score one for political gimmickry.

Nelson Marans

Silver Spring, Md.

The Hagel-Schumer love affair is Schumer’s farce du jour.

New York’s shameless senator will put America at risk by supporting the clueless and unqualified Hagel for secretary of defense as long as Schumer agrees with President Obama and eventually gets his support for the position of Senate majority leader, which he so desperately craves.Elio Valenti

Brooklyn

In 90 minutes, Hagel disavowed comments that he had made over the last 12 years.

It took that long to convince Schumer that Hagel’s history of support for Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah, along with his demands to hollow out the Pentagon’s budget, were all just a huge misunderstanding.

In 90 minutes, Hagel changed course on the Israeli lobby, intimidating the Senate into supporting the Jewish state.

Something tells me that it wasn’t Hagel who persuaded Schumer to play the fool, but rather the man who nominated Hagel to be secretary of defense.Steve Heitner

Port Jefferson Station

Given his halting and poorly informed appearance before the Senate Armed Services Committee, the question is no longer whether Hagel merits consideration as defense secretary and should be confirmed.

He doesn’t and shouldn’t.

Hagel had to be corrected by the chairman of the committee after muffing a question about the Obama administration’s policy toward Iran’s quest for nuclear-weapons capability.

Schumer may not be dismayed by such incompetence, but most of us are.

When Obama’s policy toward Iran and nuclear-weapons changes from one of threatened military action to containment, as it probably will, Hagel may come to be regarded as prescient.

Paul Bloustein

Cincinnati