Unless completely clueless, no one should be surprised at the endorsement of former Sen. Chuck Hagel for secretary of defense by the transparent hypocrite Sen. Charles E. Schumer, New York Democrat ("Schumer says he'll back Hagel nomination for Pentagon," Web, Tuesday).
What will Mr. Schumer get in return from President Obama -- support for Senate majority leadership, perhaps? Regardless of whom he supports on a particular issue, rarely does the self-serving Mr. Schumer act out of pure altruism. First and foremost, he will ensure his Machiavellian aggrandizement of power and party.
In this case, the enervating triumvirate of President Obama, Mr. Hagel and Mr. Schumer has not thrown Israel over the cliff (Democrats are saving that maneuver for the economy), but instead directly to the wolves. His flanks and his "six" now unprotected, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's situation has become infinitely more perilous with the Hagel nomination. Welcome, Israel, to the second Obama nightmare.
JAMES MCCAFFREY
Yonkers, N.Y.
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By Rand Paul
Obama acts as though we no longer have a Constitution
