Crack Pipe  —  I'm watching a lot of neoconservative policy activists and a lot of people in the press telling me that it's a very up in the air thing whether Chuck Hagel gets confirmed as Secretary of Defense.  These folks should stop smoking crack.  Because crack isn't good for you.

Why Hagel Matters  —  According to various reports, Obama will nominate Chuck Hagel for defense secretary.  Beinart puts the nomination in context: … To my mind, this is his core qualification.  Unlike so many of the lemmings and partisans of Washington DC, Hagel actually called out the catastrophe of the Iraq War as it happened.

Exclusive: Hagel says critics distort his views on Israel, Iran  —  Chuck Hagel said Monday an accurate assessment of his record will demonstrate “unequivocal, total support for Israel” and endorsement of tough international economic sanctions against Iran.  —  Critics have “completely distorted” …

White House officials reach out to Jewish community to answer Hagel concerns  —  Washington (CNN) - Senior members of the White House staff called key American Jewish interest groups on Sunday to tell them about the impending nomination of Chuck Hagel to be Defense Secretary and to try to answer …

Dems look for up to $1T in new revenues  —  Democrats say they want to raise as much as $1 trillion in new revenues through tax reform later this year to balance Republican demands to slash mandatory spending.  —  Democratic leaders have had little time to craft a new position …