Usually, when a potential nominee receives this much opposition from varied groups, the president usually convinces him/her to withdraw their name from consideration. But I sense a play by Obama to prove his "independence" from what he and other liberals refer to as the "Jewish lobby." Hence, the nomination of former Senator Chuck Hagel for Secretary of Defense appears to be on track and will probably drop next week. ABC News: With the "fiscal cliff" crisis behind him, President Obama is poised to name two new key players to his cabinet, with both announcements expected to come next week. Obama will name the replacement for outgoing Defense Secretary Leon Panetta as soon as Monday, sources told ABC News. Former Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel is the likely nominee, they said. Meanwhile, the president is also eyeing a replacement for outgoing Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, the longest-serving member of Obama's first-term economic team and one-time lead negotiator for the ...(Read Full Post)