Republican Sen. John McCain angrily labeled defense secretary nominee Chuck Hagel as "on the wrong side" of history when it comes to the Iraq War during the Defense Secretary Confirmation Hearing on Thursday.
Senator McCain openly doubted whether he could support the confirmation of his long-time friend, and fellow Republican to be the next defense secretary.
The heated exchange (see video) between two decorated Vietnam War veterans, was a testy affair in which McCain hammered Hagel, specifically over the Iraq War.
McCain had long been seen as a champion of the troop surge in Iraq, and disparaged Hagel over his opposition to that escalation of the war, labeling Hagel's concerns as "bizarre" and "nonsense."
McCain demanded to know whether the nominee stood by his criticisms of the war and asked him pointedly, "Were you right or wrong about the surge?"
"The surge assisted in the objective," Hagel responded.
"Will you please answer the question?" McCain quickly retorted. "Were you correct or incorrect when you said that the surge would be the most dangerous foreign policy blunder in this country since Vietnam? Were you correct or incorrect? Yes or no?"Were you right or wrong? That's a pretty straightforward question," McCain said.
"I'm not going to give you a yes or no answer," Hagel said. "If you would like me to explain why ..."
"No, I actually would like an answer, yes or no," McCain said.
Hagel was the lone witness in a jam-packed hearing room at a session that could be crucial in determining whether he will win Senate confirmation and join Obama's still forming national security team.
