UPDATED 22:08 PM EST, February 2, 2013
WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Leon Panetta says "the political knives" came out when former Sen. Chuck Hagel appeared before a Senate committee for a confirmation hearing.
Republicans on the Armed Services Committee grilled Hagel about his views on Iran and Israel and other issues.
In discussing the nomination of Hagel, Panetta tells NBC's "Meet the Press" that he is disappointed that the questions Hagel received at the hearing Thursday focused so much on what Hagel has said in the past instead of what he thinks about today's issues.
