There does seem to be some terminological drift with "isolationist," where people have started to use it to mean unilateralist. To me "unilateralist" is a perfectly good word to describe a unilateralist, but the Sensible CenterTM did such a good job of turning "isolationist" into a scare word that people naturally want to put it to use.

Point being, I've seen people other than Hagel slip this usage into the discourse, and it's how you get "isolationist . . . power projectors." I prefer the original meaning of "someone reluctant to travel a long distance to kill foreigners at great expense."

Mr. Henley's reaction is precisely what I would've written, though I suspect we have different normative judgments about isolationism. Isolationism, in Hagel's usage, probably means disliking the liberal international establishment (i.e. the UN, treaty organizations, and the like). Setting aside this high-minded talk, my gut reaction to that quote is a simple question: why is Hagel still a Republican anyway?

Well, when a country acts unilaterally for long enough, on subjects divisive to the international community, and in diametric opposition to the opinions & interests of most other countries, it tends to result in isolation... which is kind of a longer-winded way of saying

Regardless, isolationism and a belief in power projection are diametrically opposite.

Word.

Maybe he means we should not be trying to avoid fighting the war on terror here on American soil.

And maybe we ARE trying to isolate ourselves as citizens from honor killings, beheadings, etc. But that's not wrong.

I don't know what he meant by "power-seeking". I think the R party is, to the point of obsession, "power seeking", if the term is understood to mean the acquisition of domestic political power. Rove, Delay, the majority of R operatives in Congress or in the hierarchy of the party have no ideas beyond spin, manipulation, and criminal action for the purpose of making themselves and their patrons more powerful. Foreign policy was just one more way to make themselves look good on TV. Appeals to religious fanatics were just to milk them for the votes. The politicization of the government agencies, particularly the prosecutors ( so they could be tools for manipulating state level elections), was just to get more power. The imperial Presidency was just to get more power.
So if that's what he meant, then he's right.

I don't know what he meant by "power-seeking"

He said "power projection," which is a fairly well understood term of art.

Perhaps we can sum this all up by saying:

Chuck Hagel who?

Seriously, even if he runs on an independant ticket, he won't win the Presidential bid/nomination.

Bloomberg or not it's just not something Americans will swallow and cheer for.

....James, it's almost eerie how many programs you and I catch to write about.

I don't have to make posts about it, just come over and comment LOL

Good work.

I don't have to make posts about it, just come over and comment LOL

We at OTB try to provide a full-service blog.

I prefer the original meaning of "someone reluctant to travel a long distance to kill foreigners at great expense."

The last seven years have done an awful lot to make me an isolationist in the original sense.