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Obama announces controversial Cabinet picks

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    Questions from lawmaker on both sides of the aisle

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Good evening I'm Bret -- President Obama is filling out his second term national security roster with a pair of controversial nominees.

Whose confirmation is anything not secure.

We have fox team coverage tonight senior political analyst Brit Hume looks at the record of former Republican senator Chuck Hagel the president's pick to run the Pentagon.

National security correspondent Jennifer Griffin on the first enlisted soldier to be so honored.

Chief intelligence correspondent Catherine Herridge tells us why John Brennan's road back to the CIA may be a little bumpy but we began -- White House correspondent -- -- on today's announcement to be and went.

Good evening -- President Obama is nominating a former Republican senator be.

Secretary of defense and a 25 year veteran of the CIA to head that agency.

These two leaders have dedicated their lives to protecting our country.

And I'm confident they will do an outstanding job.

I urge the senate to confirm them as soon as possible.

But moderate Chuck Hagel selection drew more criticism than praise from fellow Republican senators.

Have the choice of John Brennan threatened to raise questions about waterboarding and other enhanced interrogation techniques said he didn't want to answer when he was first considered for the CIA post four years ago.

The twice decorated hagel mr.

Obama said would be an outspoken advocate for servicemen and women during and after their tours of duty.

And -- business experience mr.

Obama suggested will help him prioritized pentagon spending cuts that everyone knows are coming.

He also knows that even as we make tough fiscal choices we have to do so -- Guided by our strategy and keep our military the strongest fighting force the world has ever known.

But hey Eagles history drew immediate fire.

For liberals it was a fourteen year old comment about a US diplomat being openly and aggressively -- which -- who has apologized.

-- Republicans it was his opposition to the war in Iraq.

And the troop surge largely credited with securing the games.

His most of independence from what he called the Jewish lobby.

And calls for talks with Hezbollah.

All of which led South Carolina senator Lindsey Graham to call it and in your face nomination and -- the number two Republican senator frankly skeptical.

And I think mean that the president has much better choices he could make.

That's secretary defense than to choose somebody who really fails when it comes to the number one security issue namely a nuclear Iran.

President Obama praised John Brennan's tireless work at his counterterrorism director and one of the reporters asked don't -- -- -- -- John said.

I don't do down time.

Brennan will face questions about acknowledging US drone strikes against al-Qaeda leaders -- that criticism might be more properly directed at the president.

Global certainly made the call.

Republicans may also use the confirmation hearings the question -- and about the attack on the US consulate in Ben Ghazi.

But his focus is on terrorist threats in this country.

In 2008 Brennan withdrew his name from consideration as CIA director.

Rather than answer questions about waterboarding and other enhanced interrogation techniques.

He privately told mr.

Obama he opposed to women and a Senator John McCain says he's still ask questions about what role -- played in enhanced interrogation and why he publicly seem to supported.

And he intends to ask those questions but Cain a former Prisoner of War who was tortured in Vietnam is a long time critic waterboarding.

-- Political -- in the north -- Wendell thank you.

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