Bench Press
With President Obama’s nomination of Chuck Hagel to be the next secretary of defense, some analysts and many Democrats will bemoan the fact that a Democratic president once again needs to rely on a Republican to fill a top national security position. According to this view, the Democratic national security bench is much thinner than the Republicans’. But, since the end of World War II, presidents have often appointed members of the other party (as well as career civil servants) to key posts.
Read more here.
This article was originally published in Foreign Policy.
To speak with our experts on this topic, please contact:
Print: Katie Peters (economy, education, health care, gun-violence prevention)
202.741.6285 or kpeters1@americanprogress.org
Print: Anne Shoup (foreign policy and national security, energy, LGBT issues)
202.481.7146 or ashoup@americanprogress.org
Print: Crystal Patterson (immigration)
202.478.6350 or cpatterson@americanprogress.org
Print: Madeline Meth (women's issues, poverty, Legal Progress)
202.741.6277 or mmeth@americanprogress.org
Print: Tanya Arditi (Spanish language and ethnic media)
202.741.6258 or tarditi@americanprogress.org
TV: Lindsay Hamilton
202.483.2675 or lhamilton@americanprogress.org
Radio: Madeline Meth
202.741.6277 or mmeth@americanprogress.org
Web: Andrea Peterson
202.481.8119 or apeterson@americanprogress.org

