Pentagon chief says shutdown hurts U.S. credibility with allies

By David Alexander SEOUL (Reuters) - The U.S. government shutdown will undermine American credibility abroad and lead allies to question its commitment to treaty obligations, the U.S. defense chief warned on Tuesday as he prepared to put 400,000 civilian workers on unpaid leave. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, who was visiting South Korea to celebrate the two nations' 60-year-old mutual defense treaty, said Pentagon lawyers were analyzing a new law passed by Congress to see if additional civilian workers could be spared unpaid leave. ...

via Health News Headlines - Yahoo! News http://news.yahoo.com/pentagon-chief-says-shutdown-hurts-u-credibility-allies-102856515--business.html