Obama still considering Hagel

President Barack Obama says he hasn't decided on a nominee for defense secretary, but suggested former Sen. Chuck Hagel is still in the running.

Asked by NBC's David Gregory if anything disqualified the Nebraska Republican from the post, Obama said "Not that I see."

"I've served with Chuck Hagel. I know him. He is a patriot," Obama said during an interview broadcast Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press." "He is somebody who has done extraordinary work both in the United States Senate, somebody who served this country with valor in Vietnam - and is somebody who's currently serving on my intelligence advisory board and doing an outstanding job."

The president specifically addressed comments Hagel made in 1998, when he called an ambassador pick "openly aggressively gay," suggesting he was unfit to serve.

"He apologized for it," Obama said, referencing a statement Hagel issued earlier this month. "And I think it's a testimony to what has been a positive change over the last decade in terms of people's attitudes about gays and lesbians serving our country."

"That's something that I'm very proud to have led," the president added. "And I think that anybody who serves in my administration understands my attitude and position on those issues."

http://www.politico.com/blogs/politico-live/2012/12/obama-still-considering-hagel-152977.html

But why not add "...and I intend to nominate him."