Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel resigned/was fired this morning by President Obama. But less than one week ago, he seemed fairly intent on sticking with the job for a while.
“I don’t get up in the morning and worry about my job,” Hagel told Charlie Rose. But he added, “It’s not unusual by the way, to change teams at different times.”The White House is trying to characterize Hagel’s departure as one of mutual consent, but all signs have pointed to him being forced out for criticizing the president, most notably on the downsizing of the U.S. military. The friction between Obama and all of his former secretaries of defense has been tangible and quite public in recent months, with each of Hagel’s predecessors each publishing revealing books about the inner workings of the Obama administration and the Pentagon.
Secretary Hagel has said that he serves “at the pleasure” of the president…but apparently, the “pleasure” was all Hagel’s.
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