Obama Likely To Nominate Republican As Secretary Of Defense

President Barack Obama is close to nominating former Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE) to replace Sec. Leon Panetta as the next Secretary of Defense, according to reports. Hagel recently met with both Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, and sources say that he has cleared the early hurdles required to be sent to the Senate as a nominee for a Cabinet-level position.

Hagel presently serves as the co-chair of the president’s Intelligence Advisory Board, and is both close to Obama and knowledgeable about the national security challenges facing the United States

Hagel served as a Republican Senator before leaving the upper chamber in 2009. Despite his party affiliation, he endorsed Nebraska’s Democratic Senate candidate Bob Kerry in November and is reputedly a supporter of “engagement” and “soft power.” Hagel opposed the decision to invade Iraq in 2003 and also opposed the 2007 “surge.”

h/t The Atlantic

> >Follow Noah Rothman (@Noah_C_Rothman) on Twitter

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!