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Subscribe to RSSFormer Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel is likely to be President Barack Obama's next pick for Secretary of Defense, although the White House has yet to finalize its decision for the cabinet appointment.
A former Pentagon official tells NBC News that Hagel is the likely pick for the post, while another White House insider says that, while Hagel is a top candidate, it's unclear if the president has made a final decision.
A senior administration official tells NBC News that "no decision" has been made on the nomination.
Bloomberg News reported Thursday that President Barack Obama spoke to Hagel about the position on December 4.
Hagel, who served two terms in the United States Senate representing his home state of Nebraska, has been a member of the president's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board as well as a member of the faculty of Georgetown University since leaving Capitol Hill in 2009.
He also accompanied then-Senator Obama on his campaign trip to Afghanistan, Iraq and the Middle East in the summer of 2008.
While in the Senate, he was a member of four Senate committees, including the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Select Committee on Intelligence.
NBC's Carrie Dann contributed to this report.
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Chuck Hagel is a great choice! He's one of the Reps that was willing to cooperate, did his job and was an excellent Senator.
I met Mr. Hagel in Washington D.C. back in 2008. Very personable man. One of his staff said that she was in a bad automobile accident overseas, and he saw to her ability to recover in the hospital overseas (Greece, I think), and safe trip home out of HIS pocket. He may be a Repub, and I am a Dem, but a good person is a good person no matter what the party affiliation of an individual. I regret seeing Ms. Rice decline her candidacy for the position. She may have had personal reasons, or she may be trying to make things easier for President Obama. If that was the reason, I think she was mistaken.
I say fire all the greedy bastards. Shut the doors, lock the chains, close it all down. Then do the same for the states. People power
Hagel would be a wonderful choice. I would also like to see Richard Lugar get tapped for a role in the Obama second term. That would stick it to the Jim DeMints of the world. DeMint cost the GOP dearly.
ROTFLMAO at the liberals here. Sounds much like the Nazi Party in 1939-1941.
If Boner really wants to balance the budget and cut deeply, President Obama should please him and suspend all Federal funding to programs on Red States. You'll see that reactionary region of the USA scream for new entitlement programs as their economies collapse along with mass, I mean MASS unemployment.
Hey GoodOleDays, look in the mirror that Nazi Party crap is a dead ringer for the so called Tea Party period. You know those country loving, flag waving, gun toting, beer drinking compassionate christian loving, war mongers and obstructionists. Bout sums it up I think. LMAO
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Yawn
Looks like the Far Left trash on here haven't turned against Hagel yet, like they did to his fellow centrist McCain, whom they both used to cherish when they were disagreeing with Bush. I guess because he never ran for President?
I say fire all the greedy bastards. Shut the doors, lock the chains, close it all down. Then do the same for the states. People power.
Dick Lugar would be a good choice, too! I dont always agree with the old guard but I respect them. The crazy Tea Party idiots they just scare me!
I have a good opinion of Chuck Hagel although he has been out of politics for some time. He was a fine politician. It would be good to have him in our government again.
I had hoped that Mr. Hagel would run against Obama in the last election. You should read his book(s). He's a fine American in every sense, not a partisan hack like so many others, but a true patriot who use the U.S. Constitution as his guide. We would be lucky indeed if he took over as secretary of defense or state, and I'd vote for him in a second, would indeed offer to help, if he ever decides to run for president.
Losers
Chuck Hagel is an honest man that served his country honorably in VietNam. He would be an honest broker in the SecDef position. Kerry, well a pathological liar, will serve the country well as SOS!
Much better than Chicken Hawk Cheney too :)
Its about time for Chuck Hagel to get some credit and recognition, and its past due.
A very good if not great choice
Hagel would do well. Go for it Mr. President
He is a good choice and a good candidate for the post.
Chuck Hagel is a rare person in a disheveled GOP. A single bright spot among the black hole dim wits who now call them selves conservative Republicans. A good choice for the position.
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This is excellent !!
Looks like a bipartisan move.
But isn't !
Dupe the repugs !!
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Joe Biden in 2016.
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Now, only if Obama would pick a republican to advise him on how to get the economy fixed.
maybe like bush huh? Close your trailer door and SHUT UP
Hey Dan... Harry-1952 typed the words in his post, you moron.
Obama can f-up a soup sandwich ! The people have given him a second chance to be a wise leader, thinking he would learn from all his failures trusting republicons in his first term. He keeps crawling back for another wupping, like a good slave to his MASTER! The republicon party has OWNED him from the beginning and he seems to like, ( enjoy even ) having his nose rubbed in their crap. Why can't he pick democrats for positions of leadership. If the people wanted more republicons in charge they would have voted for them. This is NOT the time to be building his imagined legacy. He really needs to do the job the people elected him to do. We need a LEADER NOW!!! I want to be proud of OUR first black PRESIDENT, and I will be if he can forget the optics and PC . We have your back MR. PRESIDENT!!!
Chuck Hagel is a man, unlike what is left in the Republican Party today. He is not a racist so he would never fit into the tea party movement, he is a fiscal conserviative that understands we needs cuts to spending but also need to increase the revenue stream. He is not afraid of women so he doesn't fit in with the Taliban wing of the Republcan party either. He and Bloomburg could have been an awesome pair to run for office.
Dan-1018744...what are you...Chuck Hagel's press agent? Why don't just ask him for a date? I remember Chuck Hagel...to paraphrase Shakespeare's Othello "...as ignorant as earth". The guy has the letters "L" and "R" marked on the inside of his shoes with a sign on his bedroom wall "...first the pants, then the shoes".
I've met a lot of bright, talented people from Nebraska and Chuck Hagel isn't one of them. In a flock of Turkeys, Chuck Hagel is mid-level smart. Standing next to a brickwall, Chuck is the 144th smartest brick there.
Chuck Hagel is certainly a man, male even, but those two qualities don't always make for a good Secretary of Defense...don't make me pull out the list of morons who've held the job (it doesn't make either political party look good).
But Chuck Hagel...really?
Happy to see an effort at bipartisanship. One more and we could be setting a trend!
Centeronthe center-5774637...the bipartisan part of all of this is the stupid level. Picking Chuck Hagel (R) does for the Republicans what having the other side pick your basketball team does for your chances of winning. "You get the four, short, fat white guys and Sheldon".
A curious choice. Hagel is a genuine war hero. Democrats accused Hagel of stealing his senate elections because he owned stodk in a holding company (McCarthy Group) that controls a voting machine company (ES&E).
Chuck Hagel? Anyone that AIPAC opposes has something good going for them!!!!!
He spoke in opposition to continuing the Iraq War quagmire - THUMBS UP !!