Hagel draws fire as Obama's Pentagon pick
US President Barack Obama named Chuck Hagel on Monday to lead the Pentagon, setting up an ugly confirmation battle as Republican opponents said he was too hard on Israel and too soft on Iran. Obama's choice of John Brennan to replace scandal-tainted David Petraeus as CIA chief was seen as more straightforward despite the counterterrorism czar's defense of "enhanced interrogation techniques" and the US drone war. The second term revamp of the president's national security team was expected to eventually win approval but several leading Republicans signaled they would make it tough for Hagel even though he is one of their own. Obama paid particular tribute to retiring Pentagon chief Leon Panetta before giving ringing endorsements to the "outstanding" Hagel and Brennan and urging the Senate not to dally in confirming the important appointments.
