Chuck Todd, NBC’s incorrigible political director, took time out of his day following President Obama on his Mideast trip to answer questions from his legions of Twitter followers. The conversation ranged from his take on Obama’s relationship with Netanyahu to the the particulars of 2014 Senate races and University of Miami athletics (he’s a fan if you haven’t heard). Here are some highlights from the wide-ranging conversation:
President Barack Obama wraps the first foreign trip of his second term Friday with stops in Israel and Jordan before returning to the U.S.
After spending time with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and giving a speech to Israeli youths Thursday, Obama is finishing his trip Friday with a visit to Amman, Jordan and a meeting with King Abdullah II.
Chuck Todd, NBC News’ Chief White House Correspondent and anchor of MSNBC’s “Daily Rundown,” has been traveling with the president and will take to Twitter this morning to answer questions about the trip.
And in the spirit of March Madness, he’ll dish on NCAA basketball brackets as well. (Chuck has his Miami Hurricanes taking the title).
To join the conversation on Twitter, tweet your question for Chuck (@chucktodd) using the hashtag #ChuckToddQuestions. He’ll be answering until 11:30 a.m. ET.
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Multiple sources on Capitol Hill and in key special-interest groups involved in national security issues say they have been told to be prepared for a Chuck Hagel nomination for Defense Secretary, either as early as Monday or perhaps more likely Tuesday of next week.
Related: Former Sen. Chuck Hagel apologizes for gay comment
While it's still possible for the president to have a change of heart, all signs are pointing to a Hagel nomination.
When President Barack Obama returns to Washington this weekend, he will still have two big cabinet posts to fill and the current favorite for Secretary of Defense – Chuck Hagel – is taking heat on a range of issues. Obama 2012 traveling press secretary Jen Pskai and former RNC Chairman Michael Steele discuss.
That said, a White House spokesperson tells NBC News pretty emphatically that the president has not made a final decision and does not expect the president to make a final decision until he gets back from Hawaii.
The White House spokesperson adds, the "chatter" about Hagel-as-the-pick in the national-security and Capitol Hill communities is "premature." That said this spokesperson acknowledged Hagel is a "leading contender."
For what it's worth, the reason a lot of outside sources are being given a heads up on Hagel is that the White House knows if Hagel is indeed the president's choice, it's going to be a real fight.
President Obama responds to criticism of Chuck Hagel as a potential replacement for Defense Secretary Leon Panetta.
Hagel's 2008 statement that "the Jewish lobby" intimidates many lawmakers has drawn criticism from both sides of the aisle, and some have painted him as weak on defense issues. Democrat Chuck Schumer of New York, a top-ranking Jewish senator, passed on the opportunity to offer an endorsement for Hagel during an appearance on Meet the Press, while Republican Sen. John Cornyn called his positions on Iran and nuclear weapons "unacceptable."
Hagel also recently apologized for his 1998 opposition to an ambassadorial nominee whom he described as "openly, aggressively gay."
There are as many as 10 Democratic senators who could vote no, Capitol Hill sources say. But Hagel has some big backers besides the president who would become the key point people in getting Hagel over the finish line – Vice President Joe Biden and Rhode Island Sen. Jack Reed, both of whom are huge proponents of Hagel.
Asked on MSNBC’s Morning Joe about the opposition to Hagel, Obama political adviser David Axelrod defended the former Republican Nebraska senator.
“It speaks to the larger problem that we’re talking about, which is, we have to get the point, where, first of all, independence is admired and not discouraged, and we can disagree on some things and still work together on others,” Axelrod said. “And the notion that we demonize people because of a position that they’ve taken and disqualify them on that basis is what’s destroying the ability to get things done in this town.”
Dave Kaup / Reuters
Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE) leaves a news conference in Omaha, Nebraska in this March 12, 2007, file photo.
Bottom line: It appears to be Hagel, but the White House says no final decision has been made.
News of the expected nomination was first reported by Foreign Policy magazine's The Cable blog.
LOS CABOS, Mexico -- President Barack Obama expressed support for his European counterparts and their measures to manage the fiscal crisis as the G20 Summit in Los Cabos, Mexico wrapped up Tuesday, saying he believes they are "ready to do what is necessary to hold the Eurozone together."
Behind the scenes, however, one senior administration official said the focus of the summit was to convince German Chancellor Angela Merkel to pull away from an austerity plan and focus more on spending and creating jobs.
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President Barack Obama, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Chinese President Hu Jintao chat after arriving for the family photo of the G20 summit, at the convention center in Los Cabos, Mexico.
Another senior administration official was asked whether leaders "ganged up" on Merkel; that official replied, "I don’t think I’d describe it that way." But another official said world leaders were very blunt in their efforts to convince Merkel to sign on to the plan.
While the official declaration out of the G20 Summit pointed to a more integrated financial system and an agreement to help Greece stay in the Eurozone, an official says the group was closer to an agreement to create a fund to loan money to troubled countries.
There is no agreement, however, on how such an account would be funded.
Obama said he was "confident" that over the next several weeks, "Europe will paint a picture of where we need to go," but he acknowledged that the world's economy could affect his election prospects. He used the moment to admonish Congress for not acting on the jobs plan he announced last year.
Obama also used his time in Mexico to meet with President Vladimir Putin of Russia and President Hu Jintao of China, where the primary topic of discussion was the unraveling situation in Syria.
While Obama did say he believed both countries understood that civil war was in nobody's interest, it was clear that neither the Russian or Chinese leaders were willing to call for Syrian President Bashar al Assad to step down.
"I wouldn't suggest that at this point, the United States and the rest of the international community are aligned with Russia and China in their positions," the president said carefully.
The president also said he hopes there will be a formal political transition plan in place in Syria in coming weeks, but he was not sure whether Russia or China would sign on. One senior administration official said there was a glimmer of hope that Putin is now willing to consider scenarios where Assad is not in power.
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