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Another one bites the dust.
Hagel Was Reportedly Fed Up with White House Micromanagement
After less than two years at the helm of the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is resigning.
Hagel approached President Obama last month about stepping down, Mr. Obama announced Monday from the State Dining Room of the White House, with Hagel and Vice President Joe Biden by his side. . . .
"Thanks to Chuck, our military is on a firmer footing," Mr. Obama said. Having guided the Pentagon through that transition, Hagel thought that now -- as the Obama administration moves into its final two years -- would be the appropriate time for his resignation, the president said.
After the president spoke, Hagel said, "We have set not only this department, the Defense Department, but the nation on a stronger course towards stability, security and prosperity.".
. . . Hagel was was fed up with micromanagement from the White House, while the White House was unhappy that Hagel was not a vocal defender of the administration's policies.
Hagel was Mr. Obama's third defense secretary, following Robert Gates, a holdover from the Bush administration, and Leon Panetta, who also served as the CIA director prior to his retirement in 2013.
Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, said in a radio interview Monday morning that he recently spoke with Hagel, who was "very frustrated" with the White House.
"It was a job he was given where he never was really brought in to that real tight circle inside the White House that makes all the decisions, which has put us in the incredible debacle that we're in today throughout the world, so I thank Chuck Hagel for his service and I know that he was very, very frustrated," McCain told Arizona station NewsTalk 550 KFYI, the Hill reports.
Hagel's resignation comes as the U.S. is tackling several crises abroad, ranging from the rapid rise of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in the Middle East, to ongoing international talks to curb Iran's nuclear program to the spread of Ebola in West Africa. . . .
Hagel Was Reportedly Fed Up with White House Micromanagement
After less than two years at the helm of the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is resigning.
Hagel approached President Obama last month about stepping down, Mr. Obama announced Monday from the State Dining Room of the White House, with Hagel and Vice President Joe Biden by his side. . . .
"Thanks to Chuck, our military is on a firmer footing," Mr. Obama said. Having guided the Pentagon through that transition, Hagel thought that now -- as the Obama administration moves into its final two years -- would be the appropriate time for his resignation, the president said.
After the president spoke, Hagel said, "We have set not only this department, the Defense Department, but the nation on a stronger course towards stability, security and prosperity.".
. . . Hagel was was fed up with micromanagement from the White House, while the White House was unhappy that Hagel was not a vocal defender of the administration's policies.
Hagel was Mr. Obama's third defense secretary, following Robert Gates, a holdover from the Bush administration, and Leon Panetta, who also served as the CIA director prior to his retirement in 2013.
Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, said in a radio interview Monday morning that he recently spoke with Hagel, who was "very frustrated" with the White House.
"It was a job he was given where he never was really brought in to that real tight circle inside the White House that makes all the decisions, which has put us in the incredible debacle that we're in today throughout the world, so I thank Chuck Hagel for his service and I know that he was very, very frustrated," McCain told Arizona station NewsTalk 550 KFYI, the Hill reports.
Hagel's resignation comes as the U.S. is tackling several crises abroad, ranging from the rapid rise of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in the Middle East, to ongoing international talks to curb Iran's nuclear program to the spread of Ebola in West Africa. . . .