Editorial: Hagel's Strengths

Some label Chuck Hagel unfit for the role of defense secretary. They express concern over his stance on Israel or call him soft on the use of force. Others refer to a distant remark seen as insensitive to homosexuals.

Certainly he has raised eyebrows with comments such as “the Jewish lobby intimidates a lot of people up here,” the “up here” referring to Washington’s Capitol Hill. And although he cast his vote in favor of the Iraq war in 2002, he pulled his support as the conflict wore on and the initial cause—weapons of mass destruction—turned out to be false.

Yet Hagel’s vo...