JACKSON, Miss.—The bid to become the second-term defense secretary for President Obama has been a tumultuous one for former Senator Chuck Hagel.
Last week Republicans blocked a vote on Hagel, which hasn’t sat too well with President Obama.
Mississippi Sen. Roger Wicker spoke about his displeasure with the Hagel nomination late last week on MSNBC.
“There’s a lot of great Democrats, and a lot of great Republicans we can put in there but Chuck Hagel is not the guy,” he said.
Many of Hagel’s critics point to his stance of Israel, an ally of the U.S., as not being loyal enough and his stance on Iran as not being very tough.
“And I don’t think he has the judgment or the temperament to be the leader of the Department of Defense,” said Wicker.
Wicker isn’t alone in his thoughts. Arizona Sen. John McCain has been adamant about Hagel not getting the bid for defense secretary also appearing on many national outlets and saying as much.
Republicans have pointed towards a vote on February 25th when the lawmakers return from a break. President Obama and the White House have been outspoken with critics of the nomination saying the immediate confirmation of Hagel is needed.
Hagel was a U.S. Senator from Nebraska from 1997-2009.
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