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Republicans Plan Contentious Hearing for Defense Chief

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“Ash Carter will be in the witness hot seat at his confirmation hearing Wednesday, but it’s President Barack Obama who will really be on trial,” Politico reports.

“Republicans who now control the Senate Armed Services Committee plan to make Carter’s confirmation hearing to become defense secretary all about the commander in chief, using the daylong grilling as a forum to excoriate the president’s foreign policy and national security strategy.”

Ash Carter Picked as Next Defense Secretary

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Ashton Carter will be President Obama’s choice as secretary of defense, “barring last-minute complications,” CNN reports.

“An administration official had said that Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, a former General Counsel at the Pentagon, was also still on the list of possibilities, but on Tuesday morning, sources said Johnson was no longer being considered. The prospect of an additional confirmation hearing for Johnson’s replacement if he were to move to the Pentagon as the Senate switches to Republican control would have been problematic for the White House.”

Shortlist to Replace Chuck Hagel

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The New York Times says the shortlist to replace Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel includes Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI), Michele Flournoy, a former under secretary of defense, and Ashton Carter, a former deputy secretary of defense.

Roll Call says that confirmation of Reed “would presumably be a foregone conclusion.”

[speech_bubble type=”std” subtype=”a” icon=”pwdome.jpg” name=””]Of course, Reed has turned down the job before. Perhaps the thought of being in the Senate minority will help change his mind. [/speech_bubble]

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About Political Wire

goddard-bw-snapshotTaegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.

Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.

Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.

Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.

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