John McCain Was Wrong on the Iraq War - He Must Admit This

Senator John McCain certainly turned harsh on his friend and political party colleague when he inappropriately drilled Senator Hagel during confirmation hearings for the Secretary of Defense position with the US Senate. 

Although the two men were once friends, Senator McCain certainly parted ways with his former friend. I doubt their friendship survives today's brutal hearing questioning. Yet, there was no need for Senator McCain to turn hypocritically against his colleague and friend.

Clearly, Senator McCain is sounding more and more like an angry old man rather than a statesman, former war hero and and presidential candidate.

Senator McCain's dagger questions to Hagel were inappropriate for two reasons:

1.  Senator John McCain sounded jealous of his (former) friend, Senator Hagel, who may well be confirmed as the Secretary of Defense, a high level executive cabinet position.  

2.  When it comes to whether or not Senator Hagel is qualified to be the Secretary of Defense, we must be reminded about who Senator McCain selected to be his Vice Presidential running mate during his lost 2008 presidential election bid.  Senator McCain selected Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate in 2008, a decision that would have put her "one heart beat away" from the presidency.  By all analysis, Governor Palin was no way ready to be Vice-President of the United States.  Senator Hagel is certainly more qualified to be Secretary of Defense than Governor Palin was to be Vice President of the United States.  

Although Senator Hagel seemed stunned by the intensity of Senator McCain's questions, he practiced restraint in his response.  In fact, he was honestly forthcoming when he said, "I'm on the record on many issues (ie,votes), but no one individual vote, no one individual quote, no one individual statement defines me,"  Hagel said in his opening statement at his first day of confirmation hearing for secretary of defense.

Senator McCain is as obsessed with the Iraq War as he has been on the tragic Benghazi Consulate Attack where Ambassador Stevens was killed.  Senator Hagel parted ways with  Senator McCain on the invasion of Iraq and the value of the "surge" to help win the peace in the war dismantled country.  

Unfortunately, Senator McCain was wrong to defend the Iraq War, because there was never evidence of Weapons of Mass Destruction, the premise for the US invasion of a sovereign nation.  In the Benghazi moralities, caused by a terrorist attack on the consulate, Senator McCain clearly made a political decision to use the tragedy to discredit Senator Hillary Clinton and President Obama. There was little anyone could do to save Ambassador Stevens, because he was in harms way the second he took leave of the Syrian Embassy to travel to the consulate in Benghazi.  Senator McCain lost his friend Ambassador Stevens in the attack. Nevertheless, he does no favor to his martyred colleague by continuing to undermine the administration, as Secretary of State Clinton is clearly mourning this tragedy.  It turns out, the Secretary was on the defensive for several potential terrorist attacks on American embassies on the same day, September 11, 2012, as the mortal Benghazi attack.  Senator McCain should not obsess on these issues where there is no resolution resulting from his outrage.  

Senator McCain doesn't value his friend Senator Hagel, or he would be have been more professional than angry during today's hearing interrogation.  

In my opinion, Senator McCain can drill Senator Hagel "until the cows come home" (as they tend to do in Hagel's Nebraska), but it won't cleanse his own poor judgement in supporting the illegal Iraq War. Moreover,  he can't change his poor judgement in picking the unqualified Governor Palin as his Vice-President running mate.  Finally, Senator McCain can't bring his friend Ambassador Stevens back to life by discrediting Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.  

Rather than behave like a jealous and angry old man when television cameras are focused on him, Senator McCain should tell Americans how wrong he has been on the Iraq War. Rather than criticize Senator Hagel, it is Senator McCain who should admit to being terribly sorry for the many thousands of lives lost as a result of the illegal invasion of Iraq, under false pretenses.  

Perhaps Senator McCain is fearful of what else Senator Hagel will learn about the illegal invasion of Iraq when, hopefully, he is confirmed by a majority vote of the Senate to be Secretary of Defense.  It's hard to understand why Senator McCain has turned on his former friend and colleague, but jealousy and fear are two ugly and vengeful character traits.