Why Hagel?  Carol Platt Liebau  1/7/2013 1:21:33 PM - Carol
Platt Liebau  On yesterday's "This Week," Jonathan Karl noted
that at present, there is insufficient support among Democrats
to confirm Chuck Hagel:  What, perhaps, is most interesting
about the nomination is the rationale for it.  Why would the
President not pick the superbly qualified Michelle Flounoy,
former Deputy Secretary of Defense for Policy, who commands
bipartisan support and would be the first woman to hold the
post?   Why pick a  man who instead commands bipartisan
opposition, on the left because of his comments about gays and
elsewhere because of his history of anti-Jewish remarks?  Surely
it can't be that important to the President to put a thumb in
the eye of Israel (though it seems to be to some of his
supporters).  Ron Fournier (who has been thinking off the
liberal reservation, at least since the President's been safely
reelected) speculates that Obama likes Hagel because Hagel is
just like him (a plausible theory given the Presiden