MSNBC contributor Karen Finney criticized the potential nomination of former Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel to secretary of defense, calling the lack of diversity in nominating Hagel and Sen. John Kerry (D., Mass.) to key cabinet positions "not a smart strategic decision."
"I think naming two white men in the same week when you saw an African-American woman who is well-qualified, overly-qualified get treated that way," she said, "and in a cabinet that, let's face it, could use a little more diversity anyway, probably not a smart strategic decision."
A number of groups and individuals, including the Anti-Defamation League and former New York mayor Ed Koch, have pushed back against a potential Hagel nomination in recent days. A bipartisan group of experts have also expressed concern about Hagel as secretary of defense.