Hagel may jeopardize cabinet position with military comments

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Story Created: Dec 21, 2012 at 6:56 PM CDT

Story Updated: Dec 21, 2012 at 7:46 PM CDT

At the White House President Obama names Massachusetts Senator John Kerry as his nominee for Secretary of State. But one of his options for Defense Secretary took a hit this week.

As Secretary Clinton prepares to leave the Obama administration, President Obama says there is no better choice than Senator John Kerry to lead the state department as his next Secretary of State.

Clinton plans to leave office sometime early next year. She did not attend today's announcement because she recovering from a concussion sustained in a fall.

As far as the Secretary of Defense goes former Nebraska U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel is at the top of the list.

But that could be in jeopardy as comments Hagel made in 1999 against the permitting of openly gay people from serving in the U.S. military have resurfaced.

Hagel had told the New York Times that "the U.S. armed forces aren't some social experiment."

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