On Hagel, Brennan

Former Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE) would be the first person of enlisted rank to serve as secretary of defense, one of the few secretaries who've been wounded in war and the first Vietnam veteran to lead the Defense Department, President Obama said today when nominating Hagel to succeed Leon Panetta as defense secretary.

"As a successful businessman, he also knows that even as we make tough fiscal choices, we have to do so wisely, guided by our strategy, and keep our military the strongest fighting force the world has ever known," Obama said. "Most importantly, Chuck knows that war is not an abstraction. He understands that sending young Americans to fight and bleed in the dirt and mud -- that's something we only do when it's absolutely necessary. My frame of reference, he said, is geared towards the guy at the bottom who's doing the fighting and the dying."

Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin (D-MI), who will oversee Hagel's confirmation hearing, praised the nomination. “Senator Hagel is well qualified to serve as secretary of defense with his broad experience in national security affairs," Levin said in a statement. "He was a decorated soldier and an effective member of the Senate, and he is a strong advocate for the men and women of our military. The Armed Services Committee will give prompt and careful consideration to Senator Hagel’s nomination for this critical position.”

Earlier today, committee member Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI) issued a statement praising Hagel: “Chuck Hagel will make an outstanding Secretary of Defense. He is highly qualified and his record of service to this country as a decorated combat veteran, successful CEO, senator, and statesman is extraordinary. Chuck is a man of uncommon independence and integrity. Chuck Hagel’s candor, judgment, and expertise will serve him well as our next Secretary of Defense. I fully support his confirmation.”

In a separate statement, Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK), the panel's top Republican, praised Panetta's leadership at the Pentagon but did not endorse Hagel. "In the months and years ahead, the Defense Department will be confronted with significant challenges from budget issues to Afghanistan policy," he said. "I worked with Senator Chuck Hagel in the Senate, and his nomination deserves to be fully vetted. The Armed Services Committee has a time-tested process to consider nominations, and I am committed to upholding that process. I am aware of the serious concerns about some of his policy positions, his record, and some of his comments that have been publically reported. I will be seeking clarification from him about these concerns as his nomination proceeds."

Regarding Obama's nomination of counterterrorism adviser John Brennan to head the CIA, Inhoffe said the administration "has an abysmal record of national security and intelligence leaks when it benefits the President’s agenda. And, the tragedy in Benghazi still pose many questions that have not been adequately answered for those of us in Congress and for the American people. As John Brennan’s nomination goes forward, the American people expect us to get answers on these and other subjects related to his nomination. I will be looking into his record more closely in the weeks ahead."

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), who recently ended his tenure as the panel's top Republican, released his own statement on Hagel's nomination: “Chuck Hagel served our nation with honor in Vietnam and I congratulate him on this nomination. I have serious concerns about positions Senator Hagel has taken on a range of critical national security issues in recent years, which we will fully consider in the course of his confirmation process before the Senate Armed Services Committee.”

On Brennan’s nomination, McCain said, “I appreciate John Brennan’s long record of service to our nation, but I have many questions and concerns about his nomination to be Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, especially what role he played in the so-called enhanced interrogation programs while serving at the CIA during the last administration, as well as his public defense of those programs. I plan to examine this aspect of Mr. Brennan’s record very closely as I consider his nomination.”