海角大神

At a White House ceremony Monday, President Obama nominated two controversial picks to round out his national security team: Former Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel for secretary of Defense and counterterrorism adviser John Brennan to head the Central Intelligence Agency.

The president acknowledged the contention in announcing his choices.聽

Bucking conventional wisdom is, he said, 鈥渆xactly the spirit I want on my national security team.鈥澛�

Mr. Obama signaled that he placed a premium on nominees who understand the organizations they will lead from the bottom up.

Mr. Brennan, who worked at the CIA for 25 years, offers the agency 鈥渙ne of your own,鈥� he said.

And Mr. Hagel was an enlisted infantry soldier who earned two Purple Hearts in Vietnam. That gives him a 鈥渇rame of reference,鈥� Obama said, that is 鈥済eared towards the guy at the bottom who鈥檚 doing the fighting and the dying.鈥� 聽

The nods come as little surprise after weeks of speculation, which has included robust critiques of the potential nominees 鈥� and no small measure of censure aimed at the White House for floating potential nominees without actually naming them.

This move, critics point out, has made it easy for opponents to pan the prospective cabinet picks and far trickier for supporters to defend them.

With the White House announcement, administration officials hope it will become more politically risky for critics to speak out. But the outcry is expected to continue.

Hagel, for his part, will face the toughest opposition from within his own party.聽

That became clear over the weekend, as Republicans signaled that objections to his policy would likely trump the deference lawmakers traditionally accord one of their own.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R) of South Carolina on Sunday called the Hagel nod an 鈥渋n your face nomination鈥� of a contender who 鈥渉as long severed his ties with the Republican Party.鈥�

鈥淚 don鈥檛 know what his management experience is regarding the Pentagon 鈥� little, if any 鈥� so I think it鈥檚 an incredibly controversial choice,鈥� added Senator Graham, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, which will preside over the nomination hearing.

While Senate colleagues like Graham acknowledge Hagel鈥檚 distinguished service in Vietnam, they cited criticism echoed in a number of quarters.聽

These include concerns from gay rights advocates who point to Hagel鈥檚 1998 description of a nominee to be President Clinton鈥檚 ambassador to Luxembourg as 鈥渁ggressively gay,鈥� a comment for which he has since apologized.聽

Obama gave a subtle nod to the criticism, noting that the work of the new Defense secretary will include 鈥渃ontinuing to ensure鈥� that servicemen and women 鈥渃an serve the country they love, no matter whom they love.鈥澛�

Pro-Israel groups have accused Hagel of being too soft on Iran and have bristled at his use of the term 鈥淛ewish lobby,鈥� which Hagel accused of 鈥渋ntimidating a lot of people.鈥� 聽

鈥淨uite frankly, Chuck Hagel is out of the mainstream of thinking, I believe, on most issues regarding foreign policy,鈥� Graham told CNN, adding that if he is confirmed, Hagel 鈥渨ould be the most antagonistic secretary of Defense towards the state of Israel in our nation鈥檚 history.鈥澛�

Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell (R) of Kentucky told ABC on Sunday that any nominee must have 鈥渁 full understanding of our close relationship with our Israeli allies, the Iranian threat, and the importance of having a robust military.鈥澛�

The question, Senator McConnell added of Hagel, 鈥渋s do his views make sense for that particular job?鈥�

Brennan, for his part, was forced to withdraw from the running for CIA chief early in Obama鈥檚 first term. Critics said he supported so-called enhanced interrogation techniques, which many consider to be torture, during the George W. Bush administration.

He has also been pivotal in Obama鈥檚 stepped-up drone attacks on top Al Qaeda operatives, a controversial campaign that has been likened to extra-judicial killing.聽

During remarks at the nomination ceremony, Brennan said he would ensure that his work at the CIA 鈥渁lways reflects the liberties, the freedoms, and the values that we hold so dear.鈥澛�

Hagel, who was a leader at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), as well, would be both the first enlistee and the first Vietnam veteran to serve as Defense secretary.

His goals, he said at the White House Monday, would be to 鈥渟trengthen alliances鈥� and to 鈥渁dvance global freedom, decency, and humanity.鈥�

He also said he would work to help 鈥渕ilitary families, who have sacrificed so much over the decade of war.鈥澛�

These are points the president emphasized Monday. At the VA, Hagel 鈥渇ought to give our veterans the benefits they deserved.鈥澛�

Today, 鈥淐huck bears the scars, and the shrapnel, from battles he fought in our name,鈥� Obama said. 鈥淐huck Hagel is the leader that our troops deserve.鈥澛�