Politico is
reporting that the nomination for Defense Secretary has been settled, Chuck Hagel will be nominated on Monday. Mr. Hagel served in the Senate from 1997 to 2009.
An unnamed Democratic aide described the reasoning for choosing Hagel: “Chuck Hagel is a decorated war hero who would be the first enlisted soldier and Vietnam veteran to go on to serve as secretary of defense. He had the courage to break with his party during the Iraq War, and would help bring the war in Afghanistan to an end while building the military we need for the future.
“He has been a champion for troops, veterans and military families through his service at the VA and USO, and his leadership on behalf of the post-9/11 GI Bill. The president knows him well, has traveled with him to Iraq and Afghanistan, trusts him and believes he represents the proud tradition of a strong, bipartisan foreign policy in the United States.”
Opposition
While appearing on "State of the Union" on CNN, Senator Lindsey Graham (R - SC) stated “This is an in-your-face nomination by the president to all of us who are supportive of Israel, I don't know what his management experience is regarding the Pentagon -- little, if any. So I think it's an incredibly controversial choice, and it looks like the second term of President Obama is going to be an in-your-face term. I'm not going to talk to you at all about the debt ceiling, and here's my secretary of defense nominee that is going to get a lot of bipartisan concern.”
Senate minority whip John Cornyn (R - TX), said
he’s firmly against Hagel’s nomination.
