Roger Simon: Hagel puts country ahead of conquest

"They're already saying Chuck Hagel may be unwilling to send troops into a warzone needlessly," David Letterman said a few nights ago. "What kind of a nut job is he?"

Letterman, who often pretends to be a clueless goof when it comes to serious topics, actually is politically astute. And he hit on one of Hagel's chief appeals as Barack Obama's nominee to become secretary of defense: Hagel doesn't believe in needless wars or endless wars or wars as our first choice.

And, in that, both he and the president match the public mood perfectly. ...