As Chuck Hagel makes his way through the nomination process for a position as secretary of defense, I cannot help but think of those times in our past when there were many decent and thoughtful speakers on behalf of conservative causes here in America. Now it would appear that former senator Hagel is one of a very few who are willing to speak honestly and openly about their views. If one needs an example of just how far off track the conservative pundits and politicians have drifted from the days of Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan, one need only look at the attacks being leveled by conservatives at one of their former Republican colleagues. In Hagel, we have a man who honorably served our nation during the Vietnam War and who earned both injuries and honor for his service. Yet, when Hagel stands to fight first for America’s interests, suddenly he is seen by those who disagree with his views as un-American. What is especially sad about this turn of events as they apply to Chuck Hagel is that most of his critics, almost every one of them, have never served a day in America’s armed forces let alone fought, as he did, in a war for us.
This is not the first time that America has seen a wave of hypocrisy over shadow our political and social world. One need only think of the McCarthy years in the late 1940s and early 1950s to understand this point. And it is because we eventually withstood and overcame Joseph McCarthy’s terrible moments that I remain hopeful we in America will do likewise with our current challenges.
This is not the first time that America has seen a wave of hypocrisy over shadow our political and social world. One need only think of the McCarthy years in the late 1940s and early 1950s to understand this point. And it is because we eventually withstood and overcame Joseph McCarthy’s terrible moments that I remain hopeful we in America will do likewise with our current challenges.
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