Commenting on Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel’s being forced out, syndicated columnist Charles Krauthammer said that while President Barack Obama can “tolerate a lot,” specifically pointing out “cluelessness, incompetence, and laziness,” he is unable to deal with criticism within his cabinet. Krauthammer added that Hagel simply “had to go” because of that reasoning.
Krauthammer: Hagel’s problems were not institutional, he was over his head from the beginning. Anybody who watched his hearings knew that, he knew that. He was sort of a non-presence for the first year or so. The irony is that he got tossed in the end and thrown under the bus because he actually sort of spoke up, spoke out and spoke the truth on the fact that the Syrian policy was entirely incoherent. He went against the White House and Susan Rice and the NSC, who were trying to manage his department and manage the Department of Defense over his head. And when he said the truth, he criticized the administration. Obama can tolerate a lot — cluelessness, incompetence, laziness — but not criticism. He had to go.