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笔谤别蝉颈诲别苍迟听听offered strong support for former Republican Senator听听as the potential next U.S. defense secretary but said in remarks aired on Sunday that he had not yet decided on a nominee for the听听辫辞蝉迟.

Hagel is considered a leading candidate to replace outgoing Secretary of Defense听, but the former听听lawmaker has come under criticism for his record on听听补苍诲 for a comment that being gay was an inhibiting factor for being an ambassador.

"I've served with听. I know him. He is a patriot. He is somebody who has done extraordinary work both in the听, somebody who served this country with valor in听," Obama told NBC's "Meet the Press" in an interview taped on Saturday and broadcast on Sunday.

Any nomination for defense secretary must be approved by the听听where some lawmakers have voiced criticism about their former colleague.

"I think a lot of Republicans and Democrats are very concerned about听's positions on Iran sanctions, his views toward听,听听补苍诲 Hezbollah, and that there is wide and deep concern about his policies. All of us like him as a person," Republican Senator听听蝉补颈诲.

"There would be very little Republican support for his nomination, at the end of the day, there will be very few votes," Graham said on Fox News Sunday.

Obama said he had seen nothing that would disqualify Hagel.

The president said Hagel had apologized for his comments related to homosexuality, referred to by NBC's David Gregory in the interview.

"With respect to the particular comment that you quoted, he apologized for it," Obama said.

"And I think it's a testimony to what has been a positive change over the last decade in terms of people's attitudes about gays and lesbians serving our country. And that's something that I'm very proud to have led," he said.

Obama came out in favor or gay marriage in the middle of his re-election bid this year. Earlier in his term he presided over the end of the "don't ask, don't tell" policy that prohibited gay men and women from serving openly in the U.S. military.

Hagel, who left the听听in 2008, has faced questions about his record on听.

Some of听's leading U.S. supporters contend that Hagel at times opposed听's interests, voting several times against U.S. sanctions on Iran, and made disparaging remarks about the influence of what he called a "Jewish lobby" in Washington.

Obama, who has strained relations with Israeli Prime Minister听, has faced questions of his own from the American Jewish community about his approach to the U.S. ally.

Obama said Hagel was doing an "outstanding job" serving on an intelligence advisory board and gave no indication on when he would make his final decision about the defense chief job.

The president has already backed down once from a contentious nomination, choosing Democratic Senator听听to replace听听as secretary of state rather than going with his presumed first choice, U.S. Ambassador to the听听Susan Rice, whom many Republicans opposed after she made controversial remarks about the Sept. 11 attacks on a听听in听,听, that killed four Americans.