Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell says former Sen. Chuck Hagel should be given a “fair” confirmation hearing if he’s picked as defense secretary, but wouldn’t stand by his previous praise of the Nebraska Republican. 
 
 
 
 (Also on POLITICO: Obama to pick Hagel for Pentagon) 
 
 “He ought to be given a fair hearing like any other nominee, and he will be,” McConnell (R-Ky.) said during a pre-taped interview Sunday on ABC’s “This Week.” “I’m going to wait and see how the hearings go and whether Chuck’s views square with the job he would be nominated to do.” 
 
 When Hagel left the Senate in early 2009, McConnell praised his “clear voice and stature on national security and foreign policy.” But McConnell appeared to back off those comments as Hagel has come under fire from fellow Republicans for not being sufficiently supportive of Israel, especially as it relates to the nuclear threat from Iran. 
 
 “I’m going to take a look at all of the things Chuck has said over the years and review that, and in term of his qualifications to lead our nation’s military,” McConnell said. “He certainly has been outspoken on foreign policy and defense over the years. The question we will be answering,if he is the nominee, is do his views make sense for that part job.” 
 
 Earlier McConnell stated: “Whoever is nominated for secretary of defense is going to have to have a full understanding of our close relationship with our Israeli allies, the Iranian threat and the importance of having a robust military.” 
 
 
 
 (Also on POLITICO: The shortlist for Obama’s top jobs) 
 
 Read more about: Mitch McConnell, Chuck Hagel, Pentagon, Defense ||||| Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is shrugging off questions about a potential 2014 challenge from actress Ashley Judd, saying he's more concerned about working through the current battles in Congress. 
 
 "Look, the election is going to occur in 2014," McConnell said Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press." "In the meantime, I'm going to focus on the issues we have going on here." 
 
 Judd is reportedly considering challenging McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky, but has yet to declare her candidacy. ||||| Texas Sen. Ted Cruz on Sunday attacked President Barack Obama's expected choice of former Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel to head the Pentagon, saying that he had ignored bipartisan criticisms of Hagel. 
 
 "This is a president who has drunk the tea. He's high on reelection right now," Cruz, a freshman Republican, said on "Fox News Sunday." 
 
 Hagel, who as a former Republican senator opposed the Iraq war, has come under attack for views he has expressed on Israel. His anticipated nomination to serve as secretary of defense is likely to kick off a hard-fought nomination battle. 
 
 "What I am concerned about are his record and past policy positions," Cruz said of Hagel. 
 
 Read more about: Chuck Hagel, Ted Cruz ||||| Freshman Rep. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), a veteran of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, said Sunday he would vote against confirming Republican Chuck Hagel as secretary of defense -- that's if he had a vote -- and suggested there were qualified Democrats whom Obama could pick. 
 
 "I would vote against him," Cotton said on ABC's "This Week," later noting that the Senate votes to confirm presidential nominees "I'm disappointed the president's nominated Mr. Hagel, and I've urged the Senate to oppose that nomination. Mr. Hagel came out against the surge the week that I returned from Iraq in 2006, said the war couldn't be won. No one had told us that when we were fighting it in 2006. He delayed emergency funding for the troops in 2007. Even after the surge succeeded in 2008, he still said that it wasn't because of the troops addition. 
 
 "When you add that to his dangerous views on Iran and Hezbollah and Hamas and terrorism, as well as his strange hostility towards Israel, I think the Senate should oppose Mr. Hagel as secretary of defense," Cotton added There are many other qualified Democratic defense professionals who the president could nominate. 
 
 Read more about: Chuck Hagel, Tom Cotton ||||| Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Sunday called former Republican Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel, who is President Barack Obama’s likely pick for defense secretary, an “in-your-face” nomination” and someone who is “out of the mainstream” of thinking on foreign policy issues. 
 
 
 
 (Also on POLITICO: Obama to pick Chuck Hagel for Pentagon) 
 
 “I’m going to vote for Senator [John] Kerry [for secretary of state]. I don’t agree with him a lot, but I very much think he’s in the mainstream of thought,” Graham said on CNN’s “State of the Union." 
 
 “Chuck Hagel, if confirmed to be the secretary of defense, would be the most antagonistic secretary of defense toward the state of Israel in our nation’s history," Graham said. “Not only has he said you should directly negotiate with Iran, sanctions won’t work, that Israel should directly negotiate with the Hamas organization, a terrorist group that lobs thousands of rockets into Israel. He also was one of 12 senators who refused to sign a letter to the European Union that Hezbollah should be designated as a terrorist organization." 
 
 “He has long severed his ties with the Republican Party. This is an in-your-face nomination by the president," Graham said. "And it looks like the second term of Barack Obama is going to be an in-your-face term." 
 
 
 
 (Also on POLITICO: The shortlist for Obama’s top jobs) 
 
 Read more about: Lindsey Graham, Chuck Hagel, Pentagon, Defense ||||| Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin on Sunday defended President Barack Obama’s likely pick for defense secretary, Chuck Hagel, calling him a “serious candidate.” 
 
 Hagel, who could be nominated to lead the Pentagon as early as Monday, has come under fire from some Democrats for insensitive comments he made about gays, which he recently apologized for. And Republicans have questioned his support of Israel in light of past remarks. 
 
 “Chuck Hagel was a Republican senator from Nebraska, a decorated veteran of the Vietnam war a person that includes service on the Foreign Relations Committee as well as the Intelligence Committee,” the Illinois senator said. “Yes, he is a serious candidate if the president chooses to name him.” 
 
 And Durbin, who's No. 2 in Senate Democratic leadership, pointed out that Obama won the election and "wants to lead this country." 
 
 Read more about: Barack Obama, Chuck Hagel, Dick Durbin, Pentagon, Defense
– No sooner had rumors of Chuck Hagel's pending nomination to head up the Pentagon leaked than lips were flapping about what a bad idea it was. Hagel "is an in-your-face nomination by the president," charged Lindsey Graham, who "would be the most antagonistic secretary of defense toward the state of Israel in our nation’s history." Texas Sen. Ted Cruz blasted President Obama as "a president who has drunk the tea. He's high on re-election right now." Mitch McConnell, in an interview taped yesterday, was slightly warmer, saying, "he ought to be given a fair hearing, like any other nominee, and he will be. I’m going to wait and see how the hearings go and whether Chuck’s views square with the job he would be nominated to do.” Elsewhere on your Sunday dial, as per Politico: Dick Durbin on Hagel: “Chuck Hagel was a decorated veteran of the Vietnam war, a person that includes service on the Foreign Relations Committee as well as the Intelligence Committee. Yes, he is a serious candidate if the president chooses to name him.” Freshman Rep. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., on Hagel: "I would vote against him. Mr. Hagel came out against the surge the week that I returned from Iraq in 2006, said the war couldn't be won. No one had told us that when we were fighting it in 2006." McConnell on a potential challenge from Ashley Judd: "Look, the election is going to occur in 2014. In the meantime, I'm going to focus on the issues we have going on here."