Chuck Hagel's rocky and inauspicious path to leadership of the Pentagon could haunt him if he doesn't watch his step. "If people feel Hagel makes a mistake in the future, they will come after him even harder than if this ugly process of recent weeks hadn't happened," said Michael O'Hanlon, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and a co-author of "Bending History: Barack Obama's Foreign Policy." The former Nebraska senator's nomination as defense secretary was subject to harsh criticism from some fellow Republicans over past statements on sensitive political and national security matters. His shaky performance at his confirmation hearing and the subsequent fierce political wrangling over his selection and on unrelated matters did not help his case.
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Senate votes 58-41 to confirm former Nebraska senator, a Republican
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Fight for Cabinet post was deeply partisan, uphill battle for Hagel
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Obama says he will rely on Hagel's counsel on national security issues
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Hagel pledges to work with Congress; Will be sworn in on Wednesday
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