Outside the Beltway

John Cornyn tells Jennifer Rubin that he’ll oppose the confirmation of his former colleague, Chuck Hagel, for Secretary of Defense.

While no official announcements have been made, President Obama’s second term national security team appears to be taking shape.

President Obama seems to have given away the store when it comes to the defense sequestration cuts.

Several key members of the Syrian government were killed in a suicide bomb attack today in Damascus.

The President’s Cabinet is less a Team Of Rivals and more a Team Of Managers.

What’s worse: Leon Panetta spending $860,000 in taxpayer money flying home? Or the GSA spending $823,000 on a conference?

What the hell was Leon Panetta thinking when he got dressed? He’s surrounded by fit Marines in battle dress and he’s wearing a poorly fitted blue short-sleeved “dress” shirt,* pleated slacks, and perhaps the most askew gig line ever, calling attention to his pot belly.

We need to have opinions on a subject as serious as war with Iran.

Not surprisingly, Republicans are trying to reverse the automatic cuts to defense spending agreed to in August.

Michael Hastings has yet another credulous story attempting to smear the United States military.

Philip Hammond addressed the Atlantic Council this morning in advance of a meeting with Leon Panetta.

Despite the opposition of the SECDEF and Joint Chiefs, the latter expanded yesterday.

With the Super Committee dead, 2012 is likely to see a fight over the defense cuts set to take place starting in 2013.

The Secretary of Defense has some words of warning for those advocating military action against Iran.

My first piece for CNN has been posted at Fareed Zakaria’s Global Public Square.

Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta gave the strongest signal ever that there will be some U.S. military presence in Iraq after December 31st.