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Stand With Ted Cruz In Opposing Chuck Hagel For Secretary of Defense

Ted Cruz has come under attack by the Left and and the Washington establishment for pointing out that President Obama’s nominee to be the next Defense Secretary – former Senator Chuck Hagel – was endorsed by Iran. The fact is that Senator Hagel was endorsed by Iran when the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said of the Hagel nomination, “We hope there will be practical changes in American foreign policy and that Washington becomes respectful of the rights of nations.” All you need to look at are the past actions by Senator Hagel to see why the Iranian backs this terrible nomination:

• In 2009, Senator Hagel said this about the current regime in Syria, “I believe there is a real possibility of a shift in Syria’s strategic thinking and policies…Syria wants to talk — at the highest levels — and everything is on the table.” The United Nations has said that 60,000 plus Syrians have been killed since violence broke out nearly two years ago. The Assad regime has been brutal towards its own people and looks like they will fight till the last murderer is standing. Senator Hagel was dead wrong about Assad and Syria.

• In January of 2007, as the Iraqi surge was being debated in Washington, Senator Hagel said it would be “…the most dangerous foreign policy blunder in this country since Vietnam, if it’s carried out.” The surge was a resounding success that finally brought stability to Iraq. What would have been the alternative, pull out our forces and let Iraq go down a path of complete anarchy where Islamic extremists would rule? Senator Hagel was simply wrong when it came to the Iraqi surge as was then-Senator Barack Obama who was against it as well. Without the surge, God only knows what the state of this troubled region would be.

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• In September of 2007, Senator Hagel voted against designating the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization. The Revolutionary Guard comprises of 125,000 elite troops that are separate from the Iranian regular armed forces. Although the main purpose is to protect the Iranian regime through their multilayered forces, the Revolutionary Guard has also become a very powerful political and economic force within Iran. In Iraq and Afghanistan the Revolutionary Guards’ Quds Force has been linked to providing arms and explosives to Shiite militias and the Taliban in both countries. That is why it is so perplexing that as a United States Senator armed with classified information Chuck Hagel voted against the designation.

• In 2001, Senator Hagel was one of only two Senators who voted against the renewal of the Iran-Libya Sanctions Act. The legislation required the U.S. government to impose tough sanctions on foreign companies that invest $20 million a year on Iranian oil or gas development and $40 million on Libyan oil or gas development. The reason for the sanctions was to punish both the regimes in Iran and Libya from reaping large profits so they could fund weapons of mass destruction programs. Senator Hagel voted against these sanctions that were nearly unanimously passed in the United States Senate. Why?

• In 1999, Senator Hagel was the only Senator not to sign a letter to then-Russian President Boris Yeltsin on the “rise of anti-Semitism” in Russia. The letter appeared in the New York Times in conjunction with a Yeltsin visit to the United States. One would think it would be a no-brainer for a Senator to sign the letter but Senator Hagel did not. Again, why?

Senator Cruz was right to bring up the fact the Iran has endorsed Hagel. The evidence is clear that Chuck Hagel should not be confirmed by the United States Senate based on his record with regards to Iran and Israel. Call your United States Senator and tell them you stand with Ted Cruz in opposition to Chuck Hagel’s nomination for Secretary of Defense.

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