Washington (CNN) -- During his 2000 presidential run, a New Hampshire voter asked Republican Sen. John McCain who he might choose as secretary of defense. McCain responded by tossing out the name of a dear old friend and colleague, the very man who would be nominated to that post by a Democrat and frequent McCain target 13 years later. "There's a lot of people that could do that," he told voters at a January town hall in Nashua, New Hampshire. "One of 'em, I think, is Sen. Chuck Hagel." Now Hagel has been nominated for that same job, by McCain's 2008 campaign rival, President Barack Obama. But when the Senate Armed Services Committee meets on Thursday to discuss the nomination, McCain will be one of Hagel's biggest skeptics.
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In 2000, candidate McCain says Hagel would make a great Defense Secretary
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In 2013, McCain says he has concerns over Hagel's nomination to the post
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The views of the onetime friends have "diverged dramatically," McCain says
Speaking about his comrades in arms, @placeholder mentioned the "unique bond that exists between us of which I am eternally proud."