HUFFINGTON POST: …“Will you please answer the question?” McCain said. “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?”
Hagel added that his comment about the “most dangerous foreign policy blunder” was not just about the surge, but about the overall decision to invade Iraq — a belief he stood by because it took the U.S. focus off Afghanistan.
“In the surge case in Iraq, we lost almost 1,200 dead Americans during that surge, and thousands of wounded,” he continued. “Now, was it required? Was it necessary? Sen. McCain has his own opinion on that, shared by others. I’m not sure. I’m not that certain it was required. It doesn’t mean I’m right, it doesn’t mean I didn’t make wrong votes, but that is what guides me when you ask me the question about my time in Vietnam… (more)
