Pentagon Nominee Hagel Reaches out to Senators Senate Republicans' reservations about one of their own heading the Pentagon are caught up in potent politics, from a proxy fight over President Barack Obama to more parochial concerns about nuclear weapons facilities. Former Sen. Chuck Hagel, Obama's choice to be his new defense secretary, has reached out to all 100 senators and will be meeting personally with dozens of them starting this week, according to an official working on his confirmation. The sessions - and, more importantly, what Hagel says - will be vital for a nomination that faces outright opposition from a handful of Republicans, including the second-ranking Republican, Sen. John Cornyn of Texas; nervous questions from influential Democrats such as New York Sen. Chuck Schumer; and plenty of non-committal senators. Hagel's very public confirmation hearing before the Armed Services Committee will probably occur within weeks. The official was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter and spoke on condition of anonymity. The nominee enters the make-or-break period with critical support - former Secretary of State Colin Powell called Hagel "superbly qualified," and Armed Services Chairman Carl Levin, D-Mich., and Intelligence panel chairwoman Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., have praised Hagel's extensive knowledge of national security issues. Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., a senior member of the Foreign Relations Committee, said late Monday that she would support Hagel's nomination. She said he provided answers to a range of questions and promised to support Obama's policies "without reservation." The former Nebraska GOP senator has been dogged by questions of whether he's soft on Iran, weak in his backing for Israel and opposed to gay rights. "A lot of charges rise up and fall when the facts are presented," Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., a friend of Hagel's, said in an interview Monday. That's the same thing that's going to happen here. These claims - suddenly claims are debunked - and we get on to substance. Backers of Hagel's nomination counter criticism by pointing to his votes for some $40 billion in military and security aid for Israel during his 12 years in the Senate and his support for all options, including military action, to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. They argue that his position on gay rights has evolved. Despite the support, Hagel - a Republican tapped by a Democratic president - has few advocates in either party in the Senate and a limited number of opportunities to make inroads with the GOP. A potential vote is Sen. Bob Corker, top Republican on the Foreign Relations Committee, who served two years with Hagel and has spoken highly of him. But the Tennessee lawmaker has real reservations about Hagel's views on nuclear weapons, which could affect more than 5,000 jobs at the Y-12 National Security Complex near Oak Ridge, Tenn. Any cuts in the nation's nuclear arsenal would affect work at the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant, which makes uranium parts for every warhead and is the primary storehouse for bomb-grade uranium. The facility also dismantles old weapons. Corker was one of the few Republican votes in December 2010 for a new U.S.-Russia treaty on reducing the number of nuclear weapons and establishing a verification process.