Hagel Said to Top Obama's List to Take Over at Pentagon

December 18, 2012 by legitgov

Hagel Said to Top Obama's List to Take Over at Pentagon 13 Dec 2012 Former Republican Senator Chuck Hagel has emerged as the leading candidate to become President Barack Obama's next secretary of defense and may be nominated as soon as this month, according to two people familiar with the matter. Hagel, who served as an enlisted Army infantryman in Vietnam, has passed the vetting process at the White House Counsel's office, said one of the people. The former Nebraska senator has told associates that he is awaiting final word from the president, said the other person.