Another example of Imperialism! Why Obama fired Hagel

President Barack Obama has announced that Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel has resigned from his cabinet post, partially in response to the growing number of military conflicts and global crisis.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Hagel, the only Republican on Obama's national security team, will remain in his position until a successor is confirmed by the Senate.

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Hagel is "no ordinary secretary of defense," Obama said. He has seen combat as "a young Army sergeant from Vietnam who rose to serve as America's 24th secretary of defense."

The president also called Hagel an "exemplary" Defense Secretary.

"If there's one thing I know about Chuck ti is that he does not make this or any decision lightly. This decision does not come easily to him."

The resignation apparently came after several meetings occurred between the two men during the past couple of weeks, where Hagel had a heart-to-heart talk with the president, and they both agreed that the position needed to go in a new direction to respond to issues like the Islamic State and growing conflict in the Middle East and new and overt aggression by China and Russia.

Hagel was widely believed to be very passive while he saw the draw-down of U.S. troops in Afghanistan, and with the country getting back into a war footing, new skills are going to be needed.

"The next couple of years will demand a different kind of focus," said one anonymous administration official.

He also revealed that Hagel was not fired, but that Obama and Hagel arrived at a mutual understanding during talks.

Already there is speculation on Hagel's replacement.

Two top contenders are Michele A. Flournoy, a former under secretary of defense, and Ashton B. Carter, a former deputy secretary of defense.

As if to curb thoughts that a new Secretary of Defense might mean a new and more aggressive strategy in Iraq, the Pentagon's Press Secretary, John Kirby, said that "the secretary's decision to resign has nothing to do with Iraq policy or strategy."

Hagel is "very much a strong advocate for the policy and the strategy that we're executing there."

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