From budget to defense, rising Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Cotton is already distinguishing himself on the extreme end of the spectrum.
Here it's in a Wall Street Journal op-ed opposing former Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel for Defense secretary.
In short, Hagel was too soft in Iraq for Cotton.
For a countervailing view, try this in Huffington Post by Doug Bandow:
The former senator is under consideration for Secretary of Defense because he would be an excellent choice. He is more of an interventionist than I am. But he offers a thoughtful, realistic, and measured perspective that has been largely lacking in Washington, especially over the last decade. As my Cato Institute colleague Chris Preble put it, Hagel's nomination "should be welcomed by anyone frustrated by years of war and foreign meddling, and out-of-control spending at the Pentagon. Which is to say, nearly everyone."In fact, it is Hagel's thoughtful, realistic, and measured perspective that most angers the Neoconservatives who believe war is the best way to solve every international problem.