“I think he’s exactly what our country needs more of. I think he’s what the Senate needs more of — courageous, independent thinking,” Hagel said. “That’s what the job is about. You are supposed to use your judgment.”…

The two have military ties: Hagel, a moderate Republican, is a Vietnam war veteran, while Sestak is a 31-year Navy veteran who reached the rank of vice admiral before retiring in January 2006.