Denver, CO/Washington DC – January 14, 2013 – News Release – Former Senator Gary Hart (D-CO) has endorsed the nominations of Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE) to lead the Pentagon as Secretary of Defense and Senator John Kerry (D-MA) to the post of Secretary of State.
"It appears that U.S. foreign and security policies may be turning back in a more traditional, less ambitious, costly, and dangerous, direction, and the nomination of both Senators Kerry and Hagel will facilitate that trend,� said former Colorado Senator Gary Hart.
“Senator Chuck Hagel's combat experience, like that of John Kerry's, makes him properly cautious about the casual risk of American lives where U.S. national security is not directly or even indirectly at stake. It is helpful to have someone who has worn the uniform of the United States military in the senior civilian command of the Department of Defense. Senator Hagel will be an important Secretary of Defense at an important historical moment."
Sen. Hart’s endorsement of Sen. Hagel joins many other key national security and international affairs leaders, including former Secretary of State and Joint Chief of Staff Chairman, General Colin Powell; former Secretary of Defense, Sen. William Cohen; former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates; former National Security Advisor, James L. Jones and an extensive list of other civilian, military and diplomatic leaders. For a full list of those endorsing Sen. Hagel, see here.
Sen. Hart is currently a national security consultant, the Wirth Chair professor at the University of Colorado, a Council for a Livable World board member and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He is a former president of the Council for a Livable World.
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Council for a Livable World is a non-partisan advocacy organization dedicated to increasing national security, particularly through reducing of the danger of nuclear weapons. The Council advocates for a strong and sensible national security policy and helps elect congressional candidates supporting those ideals.