Key appointments in the Obama administration

 U.S. President Barack Obama named  the candidates for  two key posts in his new administration: he proposes to appoint former senator Chuck Hagel as Minister for Defense, and John Brennan - his current adviser to fight against terrorism, as the head of the CIA. 

Along with the previously announced candidate for Secretary of State, Senator John Kerry, Hagel and Brennan will be the backbone of the U.S. administration for the second term of Obama’s presidency.

In recent years, Hagel worked at Georgetown University and was also co-chairman of the group of advisors for intelligence to the President.  According to observers, the approval of his candidacy by the Senate is unlikely to be smooth. 

Lawmakers have remembered ambiguous statements by Hagel and intend with prejudice  to "interrogate" him at the hearing. In particular, to require clarification on Hagel’s position on the Middle East. He had previously made a lot of noise by his  statements about the "Jewish lobby", which allegedly influences the U.S. Congress, as well as statements about the need to establish diplomatic relations with Iran and the movement "Hamas".

Homosexuals also are unhappy with Hagel, and  repeatedly refer to his controversial statements in 1998 about the sexual orientation of the applicant to the post of ambassador to Luxembourg, despite the fact that Hagel later apologized.

There may also be problems  with the approval of John Brennan, who, after September 11, 2001, headed the National Centre for the fight against terrorism and was one of the key organizers of the operation to destroy the "terrorist number one" Osama bin Laden. This issue will raise tough questions about secret prisons and torture of detainees during the presidency of George W. Bush, in which Brennan occupied various positions at the CIA. -0-