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Obama Nominates Hagel For Defense, Brennan For CIA; Obama Official Nomination Speech

Aired January 07, 2013 - 13:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


WOLF BLITZER, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: His counter terrorism advisor, John Brennan, to be the next director of the Central Intelligence Agency. The president has already picked Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts as his nominee to become the next secretary of state. Joining us now to discuss what's going on with all these nominations, our White House Correspondent Brianna Keilar, she's over in the East Room of the White House; our National Political Correspondent Jim Acosta, he's up on Capitol Hill; also joining us, our National -- Chief National Correspondent John King and our Chief Political Analyst Gloria Borger.

Let's go to the White House first. Brianna, set the scene for us, just walk us through a little bit what we are about to see.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: We are here in the East Room, Wolf. We're expecting that President Obama will come out and that he will say, obviously, a few words about former Senator Chuck Hagel. We're also expecting in attendance the acting director of the CIA and as well that we will be seeing John Brennan here.

But obviously, as you know, Wolf, some of the major issues that we expect critics already talking about having, for instance, with Chuck Hagel, that that perhaps may not be something that the president addresses very overtly. But this is going to be something that the White House continues to push back on as they have. For instance, his remarks before when he referred to AIPAC, the leading pro-Israel lobby, as the Jewish lobby. That is something that Hagel has apologized for. (INAUDIBLE) will tell you here at the White House, Wolf, not just on the issue of calling AIPAC the Jewish lobby but also on criticism that he has been not tough on Iran, that these are things that the White House feels he will have a chance to answer for.

During the confirmation process, he will be asked these questions. He will get tough questions. But the sense here coming from sources at the White House is that he has good answers and that he will be able to win some people over. So, even though, as you know, there are some Democratic senators who have concerns about Hagel's nomination, in particular, there's a sense here at the White House that he will be able to convince them.

BLITZER: All right. Stand by, Brianna. We're going to go to the East Room as soon as the president is there with his nominees and others. I'm curious to see if the secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, will be there as well. She's -- went back to work earlier in the day, following a four-week absence as a result as a concussion, originally a flu, concussion and then a blood clot in her head. And I'm happy to report she is now back in the State Department working. Let's see if she is in the East Room for this nomination -- for these nominations as well.

Let's go up to Capitol Hill, Jim Acosta is standing by. Jim, how tough of a confirmation process is it likely to be for Hagel and for Brennan for that matter?

JIM ACOSTA, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think it remains to be seen at this point, Wolf. I mean, we did hear those tough comments from Lindsey Graham on State of the Union yesterday. But, you know, Mitch McConnell, the senate minority leader, he was a bit more open minded on some of the other Sunday talk shows, saying, yes, there will be tough questions for Chuck Hagel, but that he's going to get the same kind of vetting that any other nominee would get up here. And so, we're going to have to see what happens after that.

As for John Brennan, I think you're right, in terms of what everybody has been saying over the last hour, that John Brennan's nomination appears to be much less controversial. Although there are items that I'm sure he'll be asked about with respect to his support for enhanced interrogation techniques and the use of drones and that sort of thing. I'm sure that will come up with some of the more liberal members of the Senate up here once that gets going. But the real battle now is about Chuck Hagel. John Kerry, you just mentioned him a few moments ago, the incoming -- or expected to be incoming secretary of state, senator from Massachusetts, almost night and day in terms of what you hear in the background noise in the Capitol with respect to John Kerry.

I remember when you were talking to Olympia -- not Olympia Snowe, but Susan Collins, one of the moderates in the Senate, last month. And, you know, she was saying that John Kerry would make a fine secretary of state. You are not hearing -- senators are not coming out of the woodwork to say that about Chuck Hagel, at least not at this point, not as of yet. Dick Durbin, I think, who was a senior Democrat, was saying that on State of the Union yesterday. But it's not the same kind of course of overwhelming approval that you heard for John Kerry. So, I think that that does say that there will be a tough fight for Chuck Hagel coming up -- Wolf.

BLITZER: All right. John, thanks. We're going to come back to you as well. But let me bring in John King and Gloria Borger. John, first to you. He's clearly qualified to be the secretary of defense. He serves on the president's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board. He serves on Pentagon's Defense Policy Board. He runs -- he's chairman of the Atlantic Council, a major think tank here. He served on the Senate on key committees for more than a decade. He's obviously qualified but some of the statements, some of the votes, some of the positions he has taken over the years have raised questions.

JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: They have and to that degree, that's all fair game. Anything that's public record or any votes, they are fair game. He has been an opponent of some of the Iranian sanctions, and that's, obviously, one of the big pressing foreign policy -- BLITZER: I want to be precise on this because he is an opponent of unilateral --

KING: Right.

BLITZER: -- sanctions. He supports multilateral, multinational sanctions. He opposes unilateral saying they're probably not very effective. Other than that, he can make a good argument.

KING: He could make a strong argument. He can make a case that they won't be effective. And he's going to have to make that argument. He has been -- you know, he has talked in the past about maybe you should have some conversations with people like Hamas and Hezbollah. He's not alone in saying that. There are a lot a lot of people who it, including Barack Obama, the candidate for president, that maybe you want to have conversations with people first, at least give them a first chance to see if they'll change their ways before you push them off. His past comments on gay rights, the ambassador who was up in the Clinton administration, which he has apologized for some of his criticism or not -- probably the best way to put it is it's not use of diplomatic language when it comes to the power of Israel and the power of the American pro-Israel lobby.

It's a statement of fact in Washington, D.C. that the government of Israel and the pro -- the American based pro-Israel lobby is quite powerful and it does intimidate some people on Capitol Hill. He was too candid, perhaps, politically, to say such things publicly. He's going to have to answer for that in every vote he had in the Senate but he has his Vietnam War history. The thing that puts him out of place with today's Republican Party is some of it's personal. His break with his old friend John McCain.

But remember, you had a group in the Senate, John Kerry, a Democrat; Bob Kerrey, a Democrat; Chuck Hagel; John McCain. There was this group of Vietnam veterans back in the 43 Bush administration, and carried through into the Clinton administration, who were more, I would say, in the Colin Powell wing of the Republican party. If you want to take a Republican philosophy, war is a last resort. And if you do have war, use overwhelming force. Then the Cheney, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz NeoCon movement came in. And Chuck Hagel is not in sync with them. And his friend, John McCain, drifted more into that camp. And I think -- so, you're going to have some personal stuff and some philosophical arguments about America's role in the world and the use of military force.

KEILAR: And it's going to be very interesting, Wolf, to see what kind of a role John McCain takes in all of this. As John just points out, these two men were great buddies once upon a time.

BLITZER: Both Vietnam War veterans.

KEILAR: Both Vietnam vets, decorated heroes and they were really close. Then they started splitting over the questions of the use of force. Then they split, of course, when Barack Obama ran for president. Chuck Hagel's wife endorsed Obama when he was a candidate. Chuck Hagel just stopped short of it. But it's no secret that these two men are really close friends, so we haven't -- we've seen McCain criticize him. Lots of Republicans don't believe Hagel is a Republican, by the way. But we saw Mitch McConnell, the leader of the Republicans in the Senate yesterday, hold his fire -- as Jim was pointing out, hold his fire, didn't come out against the nomination.

Everybody has their own political calculations when it comes to a presidential nomination. Lindsey Graham, for example, very much opposed to Chuck Hagel, facing a tough re-election fight back home. Does he run to his right on this? So, you know, when you look at these senators, you have to look at each of their own political situations as they head into it, including pro-Israel Democrat.

BLITZER: Momentarily, we'll see president of the United States and his nominees for the CIA director's position as well as the secretary of defense. Our special coverage will continue right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: We're back watching what's going on in the East Room of the White House. The president will be walking in with his nominees to become the next secretary of defense and the next director of the CIA. We're talking about Chuck Hagel to be the next defense secretary, assuming he's confirmed by the Senate. Also, we're watching John Brennan, the president's homeland security advisor. Counterterrorism as well to be the next director of the Central Intelligence Agency.

Let's go to the Pentagon. Barbara Starr is standing by. Are you hearing any criticism from within the Pentagon, either the military or civilian areas of the Pentagon of the next defense secretary, assuming he is confirmed, Barbara?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, not at this point, wolf. But, you know, we'll see how it goes. The Pentagon is well on the track to wrapping up the war in Afghanistan. Hagel, that will be one of his major jobs. One of the interesting issues is how much he will move to cut the defense budget in the face of what will be happening on Capitol Hill with further discussions post fiscal cliff, if you will. Hagel is a big proponent of trying to cut what he believes is the bloat in defense spending.

At this point, there are many in the Pentagon who say there's plenty to cut but they don't want to go too far. He may run into some resistance there. Let me tell you, in the last couple of minutes, a senior defense official has told me that tonight Senator Hagel and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta will be having dinner, so they will sit down and have their first transition discussion, if you will, and the transition effort will now begin. Hagel will get the briefings. He will get the information he needs to get ready for that confirmation hearing.

And, you know, this will begin to shape how the confirmation hearing looks. I think that, fundamentally, the issues for Hagel are cutting defense spending and for everyone -- pardon me, for everyone to get a better idea in today's world where will Chuck Hagel fall on the issue of how and when to commit military force -- Wolf. BLITZER: Looks like the folks are getting in, the family members for the nominees there. They're going to be sitting up front in the East Room of the White House. There you can see everyone is in place. This is an important moment. The president's national security team will be in place for the second term if, in fact, all of these nominees are confirmed. And a lot of our viewers, of course, will remember that John Kerry was nominated by the president to be the next secretary of state, succeeding Hillary Clinton. He is expected to sail through his confirmation process. John Brennan will -- is about to be nominated as next director of the CIA. I assume he will sail through as well. Although there will be serious questions raised on drone strikes and Pakistan, Afghanistan, Yemen and elsewhere, enhanced interrogation techniques and other areas -- sensitive areas. What's going to happen to detainees at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.

But the most controversial nominee will be Chuck Hagel, the former Republican senator from Nebraska who the president -- the president wants him to succeed Leon Panetta as the next secretary of defense. That confirmation process will begin fairly soon. They've done all the vetting. They've gone through all the background checks. Chuck Hagel does have government experience since leaving the Senate. He's been on the president's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board as well as on the Defense Advisory Board, the Defense Department's Policy Board, as it's called.

So, he's been very much involved in these areas, not only there but also at the Atlanta Council, a major think tank here in Washington, and he's been teaching at Georgetown University. He's fairly well known to those of us who've been covering Washington for a long time. Less well known outside of Washington but we're about to learn a lot more, especially during the extensive Q and A. Here comes the president right now with the entire team, the current members of his cabinet as well as his nominees.

(BEGIN LIVE FEED)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Good afternoon, everybody. Please have a seat. As president and commander-in-chief, my most solemn obligation is the security of the American people. Over the past four years, we've met that responsibility, by ending the war in Iraq and beginning a transition in Afghanistan, by decimating the Al Qaida core and taking out Osama bin Laden, by disrupting terrorist plots and saving countless American lives. Among an outstanding national security team, I am especially grateful to Leon Panetta, who has led the CIA and our military with incredible skill. Leon, after nearly five decades of service, you have more than earned the right to return to civilian life. (LAUGHTER) I'll have much more to say about Leon's distinguished service in the days ahead. Today I'd simply want to convey, both to you and to Sylvia, the eternal gratitude of the entire nation. Thank you so much, Leon. I also want to thank Michael Morell, who's earned the admiration of all of us who've worked with him, across government and here in the White House. In moments of transition, he's guided the CIA with a steady hand as acting director, not once, but twice. And he is a consummate professional, as I said. Everybody in the White House who works with him, everybody across agencies who works with him, considers him truly to be one of our most outstanding national security team members. And so, Michael, on behalf of all of us, thank you and Mary Beth for your continued service. As these leaders know, the work of protecting our nation is never done. And we've still got much to do, ending the war in Afghanistan and carrying for those who have borne the battle, preparing for the full range of threats, from the unconventional to the conventional, including things like cybersecurity, and within our military, continuing to ensure that our men and women in uniform can serve the country they love no matter who they love. To help meet the challenges of our time, I'm proud to announce my choice for two key members of my national security team, Chuck Hagel for secretary of defense and John Brennan for director of the Central Intelligence Agency. Now, Chuck Hagel is the leader that our troops deserve. He is an American patriot. He enlisted in the Army and volunteered for Vietnam. As a young private and then a sergeant, he served with honor alongside his own brother. When Chuck was hit by shrapnel, his brother saved him. When his brother was injured by a mine, Chuck risked his life to pull him to safety. To this day, Chuck bears the scars and the shrapnel from the battles he fought in our name. Chuck Hagel's leadership of our military would be historic. He'd be the first person of enlisted rank to serve as secretary of defense, one of the few secretaries who've been wounded in war, and the first Vietnam veteran to lead the department. As I saw during our visits together to Afghanistan and Iraq, in Chuck Hagel our troops see a decorated combat veteran of character and strength. They see one of their own. Chuck's a champion of our troops and our veterans and our military families. As a leader at the V.A., he fought to give our veterans the benefits they deserve. As head of the USO, he devoted himself to caring for our troops. Having studied under the G.I. Bill himself, he helped lead the fight for the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill so today's returning heroes can get their education, too. Having co-chaired my intelligence advisory board, he knows that our armed forces collect, analyze, and depend on good intelligence. And Chuck recognizes that American leadership is indispensable in a dangerous world. I saw this in our travels together across the Middle East. He understands that America stands strongest when we stand with allies and with friends. As a successful businessman, he also knows that, even as we make tough fiscal choices, we have to do so wisely, guided by our strategy, and keep our military the strongest fighting force the world has ever known. Maybe most importantly, Chuck knows that war is not an abstraction. He understands that sending young Americans to fight and bleed in the dirt and mud, that's something we only do when it's absolutely necessary. "My frame of reference," he has said, "is geared towards the guy at the bottom who's doing the fighting and the dying." Well, Chuck, our troops will always know, just like Sergeant Hagel was there for his own brother, Secretary Hagel will be there for you. And finally, Chuck represents the bipartisan tradition that we need more of in Washington. For his independence and commitment to consensus, he's earned the respect of national security and military leaders, Republicans and Democrats, including me. In the Senate, I came to admire his courage and his judgment, his willingness to speak his mind, even if it wasn't popular, even if it defied the conventional wisdom. And that's exactly the spirit I want on my national security team, a recognition that when it comes to the defense of our country, we are not Democrats or Republicans, we are Americans. "Each of us has a responsibility," Chuck has said, "to be guided not by the interests of our party or our president even, but by the interests of our country." So, Chuck, I thank you and Lilibet for agreeing to serve once more in the interests of our country. Now, when I'm on the subject of patriots, let me say a few words about John Brennan. In John Brennan, the men and women of the CIA will have the leadership of one of our nation's most skilled and respected intelligence professionals, not to mention that unique combination of smarts and strength that he claims comes from growing up in New Jersey. (LAUGHTER) A 25-year veteran of the CIA, John knows what our national security demands: intelligence that provides policymakers with the facts, strong analytic insights, and a keen understanding of a dynamic world. Given his extensive experience and travels-which include, by the way, traveling through the Arabian Peninsula where he camped with tribesmen in the desert-John has an invaluable perspective on the forces, the history, the culture, the politics, economics, a desire for human dignity driving so much of the changes in today's world. Having held senior management, analytic, and operational positions at the agency, John's committed to investing in the range of intelligence capabilities we need, technical and human. He literally built and then led the National Counterterrorism Center, and he knows the risks that our intelligence professionals face every day. John has lost colleagues and friends, heroes whose stars now grace that memorial wall at Langley. The last four years, as my adviser for counterterrorism and homeland security, John developed and has overseen our comprehensive counterterrorism strategy, a collaborative effort across the government, including intelligence and defense and homeland security and law enforcement agencies. And so think about the results. More Al Qaida leaders and commanders have been removed from the battlefield than at any time since 9/11. Their communications, recruiting, training, finances are all under enormous strain, all of which makes it harder to plan and carry out large-scale attacks against our homeland. And our entire team, including our exceptional director of national intelligence, Jim Clapper, will remain relentless against Al Qaida and its affiliates. In all of this work, John has been tireless. People here in the White House work hard, but John is legendary even in the White House for working hard. (LAUGHTER) He is one of the hardest-working public servants I've ever seen. I'm not sure he's slept in four years. We-when I was on Martha's Vineyard, John came and did the press briefing. It was in the summer. It's August. He's in full suit and tie. And one of the reporters asked him, "Don't you ever get any downtime?" And John said, "I don't do downtime." (LAUGHTER) He's not even smiling now. (LAUGHTER) There's another reason I value John so much, and that is his integrity and his commitment to the values that define us as Americans. He has worked to embed our efforts in a strong legal framework. He understands we are a nation of laws. In moments of debate and decision, he asks the tough questions and he insists on high and rigorous standards. Time and again, he's spoken to the American people about our counterterrorism policies because he recognizes we have a responsibility to be open and transparent as possible. And so, John, you've been one of my closest advisers. You've been a great friend. I'm deeply grateful for your extraordinary service. I'm even more grateful for Kathy's willingness to put up with you. And I'm grateful to both of you for your willingness to take this assignment. Today I can say to the men and women of the CIA, in Director John Brennan, you will have one of your own, a leader who knows you, who cares for you deeply, and who will fight for you every single day. And you'll have a leader who has my complete confidence and my complete trust. Now, as I said, the work of defending our nation is never done. My number-one criteria in making these decisions was simple: Who is going to do the best job in securing America? These two leaders have dedicated their lives to protecting our country. I am confident they will do an outstanding job. I urge the Senate to confirm them as soon as possible so we can keep our nation secure and the American people safe. And so, Chuck and John, congratulations. And with that, I want to invite each of these leaders on stage to say a few words, starting with Mr. Leon Panetta. LEON PANETTA, UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: First of all, let me express my deepest gratitude to the president for giving me the honor and the privilege of serving in your administration these last four years as director of the CIA and now as secretary of defense. I have been extremely proud to be part of your national security team, Mr. President, and to be proud of what it has accomplished in your first term. Looking ahead to the second term, I want to commend President Obama on his decision to nominate Chuck Hagel as the next secretary of defense, and let me also add, as former director of the CIA, to commend the president for his choice of John Brennan. I've had the opportunity to work with John on counterterrorism issues these last four years. He knows the CIA. He will be a strong leader of that great intelligence agency. I've also known Chuck for a long period of time, as well. And I had the opportunity to work with him closely, particularly in his capacity as chairman of the president's intelligence advisory board. I greatly appreciate the work he has done to strengthen our intelligence enterprise. It has been extremely important to our ability to improve our intelligence capabilities. And as secretary of defense, I also benefited from his work when he served on our Defense Policy Board. Chuck Hagel is a patriot. He's a decorated combat veteran. And he is a dedicated public servant. I believe his experience, his judgment, his deep understanding of the security issues facing this country make him the right choice to be secretary of defense. As for me, after close to 50 years of serving the American people began in 1964, when I served as a first lieutenant in the United States Army, and then in both the legislative and executive branch positions in Washington-the time has come for me to return to my wife, Sylvia, our three sons, their families, our six grandchildren, and my walnut farm... (LAUGHTER) dealing with a different set of nuts. (LAUGHTER) I want to deeply thank my family for giving me the fullest measure of love and support during my many absences from home throughout my long career in public service. But I will leave Washington with a very deep sense of pride in what we have accomplished during these last four years being on the president's national security team. As both director of the CIA and as secretary of defense, I have always believed that our fundamental mission is to keep America safe, to keep America secure. And because of the outstanding dedication of our intelligence and military professionals, America is safer and more secure than it was four years ago, and we have reached a turning point after more than a decade of war. And on that, as we've reached that turning point, we've developed a new defense strategy for the 21st century. We have, with John's leadership, decimated Al Qaida's leadership and weakened their effort to attack this country. We have brought wars in Iraq and we will bring the war in Afghanistan to an honorable conclusion.