Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will return to the State Department next week after three weeks of recovery from a stomach virus and a related concussion, The Cable has confirmed.

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Clinton's ongoing recovery will still prevent her from flying abroad, but will allow plans to move forward for her to testify in open hearing on the Sept. 11 attack on Benghazi, testimony that she was unable to give -- as per her doctor's orders -- on Dec. 20. Her return to a public schedule could also end the weeks of conspiracy theorizing and wild speculation about whether or not she was faking or misrepresenting her illness to avoid testifying.

"The secretary continues to recuperate at home. She had long planned to take this holiday week off, so she had no work schedule. She looks forward to getting back to the office next week and resuming her schedule," Clinton aide Philippe Reines told The Cable.

Reines declined to say whether Clinton was at her Washington home or her house in Chappaqua, New York, but he said she did spend the holidays with her family. There's no definite schedule for her Benghazi testimony, but she has pledged to appear before both House and Senate foreign relations committees in January.

Since Dec. 9, when Clinton's stomach illness was first disclosed as the reason she pulled out of a planned trip to the Middle East and North Africa, a torrent of conservative pundits and media outlets have suggested or outright accused her of avoiding the public eye. Insinuations that Clinton was faking or exacerbating her illness to avoid the Benghazi issue came from the New York Post, the Daily Caller, hosts on Fox News's evening shows, Rep. Allen West (R-FL), the conservative website Pajamas Media, the Investors' Business Daily website, conservative blogger Lucianne Goldberg, and others.

The National Enquirer actually claimed that Clinton was suffering from brain cancer. "Considering the source I can't believe we even have to say this. But it's absolute nonsense," Reines said.

Former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton became the highest-ranking former government official to publicly accuse Clinton of faking her illness on Dec. 18.

"Every Foreign Service officer in every foreign ministry in the world knows the phrase that I'm about to use. When you don't want to go to a meeting or a conference or an event, you have a 'diplomatic illness.' And this is a diplomatic illness to beat the band," Bolton said.

"I certainly hope it's nothing serious, but this was revealed in a way that I think that was not transparent, and I think there is an obligation here, especially if Secretary Clinton decides to run for president, to indicate what happened," Bolton said. "She may beat testifying this week, but she's not going to escape it forever."

Bolton's accusation came three days after Clinton's doctors, Lisa Bardack of the Mt. Kisco Medical Group and Gigi El-Bayoumi of the George Washington University, issued a detailed statement about the secretary's injuries.

"Secretary Clinton developed a stomach virus, leading to extreme dehydration, and subsequently fainted. Over the course of this week we evaluated her and ultimately determined she had also sustained a concussion. We recommended that the Secretary continue to rest and avoid any strenuous activity, and strongly advised her to cancel all work events for the coming week," they said.

But Bolton accused Clinton of a pattern of avoiding the public that predated her illness and concussion. "The secretary has stayed out of the limelight ever since the attack of Sept. 11," he said.

In fact, Clinton held 14 press availabilities and gave nine separate press interviews between Sept. 12 and Dec. 7, when she fell ill. She also briefed the full House and the full Senate Sept. 20 on Benghazi.

In an e-mail to The Cable Thursday, Bolton explained that his comments on Clinton's illness were meant to highlight the administration's lack of openness about her medical condition.

"A fair listener would understand that my central point was the lack of transparency about her status," Bolton said. "Such a lack of transparency cannot be sustained in a presidential campaign, for example, where observers might infer that her condition was worse than it actually was. That's what I said, fair and balanced."

In addition to the Dec. 15 doctor's statement, the State Department has issued four separate statements on Clinton's health, on Dec. 9, 10, 15 and 19. Thursday's statement to The Cable marks the fifth time Clinton's representatives have spoken on the record about her progress outside of the State Department briefing room. In a background quote to ABC news Dec. 17, a U.S. official went into even more detail.

"According to the official, the secretary had two teams of doctors, including specialists, examine her. They also ran tests to rule out more serious ailments beyond the virus and the concussion. During the course of the week, Clinton was on an IV drip and being monitored by a nurse, while also recovering from the pain caused by the fall," ABC reported.

Top GOP lawmakers have rallied to Clinton's defense. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) told The Cable that he believes Clinton has been honest and forthright about her medical condition.

"I have no doubts that Secretary Clinton has been ill and suffered a concussion. I know she will testify and statements to the contrary are misplaced," said Graham.

In a press conference last week, Graham said he wants Clinton to testify on Benghazi before she steps down from office, but reiterated that her illness was real and serious.

"To those who suggest that she's dodging her responsibilities because she's not sick, I think that's inappropriate and not true," Graham said. "I know she's sick now. I know she is not appearing because she really is ill."

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairwoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) acknowledged the veracity of Clinton's illness at her Dec. 20 hearing and Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) also backed Clinton up in a Dec. 19 Fox News appearance.

"I must say, I have never seen Secretary Clinton back down from a fight. And I have never seen her back down. And I believe that she is now not physically well enough to testify and she will testify the middle of January," he said.

Outrage over the charge that Clinton has been misleading the American public about her illness extends well past Washington. The NFL Players Association, apparently concerned about the seeming trivialization of similar injuries, felt compelled to weigh in and admonish those who would downplay the secretary's ordeal.

"A concussion is a serious injury that should not be discounted or belittled for political purposes," NFLPA Assistant Executive Director George Atallah said in a statement. "The Players Association has worked tirelessly not only to address this problem at the professional level, but to educate the general public about the risks to youths playing sports of all kinds. Efforts to raise awareness and teach prevention are undermined whenever someone dismisses the impact of a concussion. We must set a better example consistent with what we know to be the medical truth."

Russian President Vladimir Putin is punishing Russian orphans to spite the United States, a top State Department spokesman said Thursday.

Putin pledged Thursday to sign a bill barring Americans from adopting Russian children after the upper house of the Russian parliament passed the legislation unanimously. The bill is being seen as retaliation for a new U.S. law that punishes Russian human rights violators by restricting their access to visas and their ability to do business in the United States.

That bill, the Sergei Magnitsky Accountability and Rule of Law Act of 2012, was named after the Russian anti-corruption lawyer who died in prison, allegedly after being tortured by Russian officials.

State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell said Thursday that the Russian bill would needlessly result in the suffering of the most vulnerable Russian orphans, who bear no responsibility for the political feud between Moscow and Washington.

"We have repeatedly made clear, both in private and in public, our deep concerns about the bill passed by the Russian parliament that, if signed by President Putin, would halt intra-country adoptions between the United States and Russia. Since 1992 American families have welcomed more than 60,000 Russian children into their homes, and it is misguided to link the fate of children to unrelated political considerations," Ventrell said. "The welfare of children is simply too important to tie to the political aspects of our relationship."

CBS News reported Thursday that 100,000 Russians have signed a petition against the legislation, which would block dozens of Russian children who are near the end of the adoption process from traveling to America and effectively end the flow of adoptees, tens of thousands of whom have been taken in by American families over the last 20 years.

"The bill is named in honor of Dima Yakovlev, a Russian toddler who was adopted by Americans and then died in 2008 after his father left him in a car in broiling heat for hours. The father was found not guilty of involuntary manslaughter," CBS reported.

The State Department also criticized sections of the bill that would further restrict Russian civil society organizations from working with American partners. Harsh reporting restrictions and the threat of treason charges for Russians working with international NGOs have compelled several aid organizations to flee Russia in recent months.

"The decades of cooperation between Russian and American NGOs have been beneficial to both our countries and our citizens," Ventrell said. "We have also been clear that our interaction with Russian civil society has always been nonpartisan and transparent."

A growing number of GOP senators have expressed concerns about the potential nomination of Chuck Hagel to be Obama's next secretary of defense, but only four years ago many of these same Republicans praised Hagel as a statesman and even suggested he would make a good cabinet official.

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White House sources insist that President Barack Obama hasn't made his final decision on whom he will choose to succeed Leon Panetta at the Pentagon. Hagel, the former Nebraska senator and current co-chair of Obama's intelligence advisory board, has been fully vetted, as have Deputy Defense Secretary Ash Carter and former Under Secretary of Policy for Defense Michèle Flournoy, according to multiple sources close to the process. An announcement could come as early as Friday.

Meanwhile, Hagel's critics have been mounting a relentless media campaign against his potential nomination, accusing him of being an anti-Semite, a homophobe, and weak on Iran. A loose conglomeration of interest groups, conservative writers, and national newspaper editorial boards have also attacked Hagel, alleging he wants to cut the Pentagon budget and accusing him of poor management skills. The effort has included documenting the "concerns" of several GOP senators about the nomination.

To "allege that Hagel is somehow a Republican -- that is a hard one to swallow," Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) said last week, criticizing Hagel's long-ago reference to a "Jewish lobby" and his record on Iran sanctions.

That's quite a change from the sentiments McCain and his GOP Senate colleagues expressed about Hagel the last time his name was mentioned for high office, when he resigned from the Senate in 2008. At that time, presidential candidate McCain said he and Hagel were "close and dear friends" and that Hagel could have a place in a McCain administration.

"I'd be honored to have Chuck with me in any capacity," McCain told the New York Times in 2006. "He'd make a great secretary of state."

In the summer of 2008, Hagel traveled with then candidate Obama and Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI) on a trip to Iraq, and rumors swirled that Obama might choose Hagel as his running mate. McCain was all for the idea.

"I don't know anything about that," McCain said about the idea of Obama picking Hagel for vice president, "except to say Chuck Hagel is a distinguished veteran and a very dear and close friend of mine and I cherish his friendship and have for many, many years."

McCain also said it was good that Obama chose to bring Hagel to Iraq, because even though the two Vietnam veterans had developed opposing views on the Iraq war, McCain said Hagel "has military experience (and) knowledge of these issues."  He also said Hagel was a "respected leader in America" who "served his country admirably, with honor and distinction."

If nominated and confirmed, Hagel would become the first enlisted soldier to ever lead the Pentagon. But now, as the nomination looms, Republican senators have gone so far as to question Hagel's military experience and his credibility with our troops in uniform.

"I don't know how you can nominate someone and make them secretary of defense who has had so much disrespect for the military," Sen. Dan Coats (R-IN) told an Indianapolis radio station last week. "And said so many public things in opposition to the military, what it stands for, the values that it holds. Chuck has alienated an awful lot of people."

Coats's argument, which mimics the attack ads of right-wing groups, is that Hagel is somehow to the "left" of Obama on crucial national security issues and that Hagel has moved away from his conservative principles since leaving office.

"[I]deologically [Hagel] has moved from a conservative Republican coming out of Nebraska to someone that looks like they are out of the most leftist state in the country and exceeding even a lot of Democrats, who also have concerns about his ideology and where he is coming from," Coats said.

But Hagel's positions on things like unilateral sanctions, the use of force abroad, and the role of America are the same as they were in 2008. He has taken no votes that would indicate a policy shift and he has authored no papers that show a departure from his long held views.

By contrast, his former GOP colleagues have completely changed their tune on Hagel in the four years since he left the Senate. During speeches on the floor to commemorate his retirement in 2008, several senior GOP senators praised Hagel effusively.

"In two terms in the Senate, Chuck has earned the respect of his colleagues and risen to national prominence as a clear voice on foreign policy and national security," said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY). "He has consistently fought to expand free trade, particularly with Vietnam. Chuck's stature as a leading voice in foreign affairs has earned him a reputation, in just 12 years in the Senate, as one of Nebraska's great statesmen. This is a tribute to his intelligence, hard work, and devotion to a country that he has served his entire adult life."

"When Senator Hagel came to the Senate, his actions often reflected his experience as a combat veteran. He did what he believed was best for the men and women in uniform, and he defended his positions forcefully," said Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl (R-AZ). "Senator Hagel has continued to protect and defend the country, notably through his work on the Foreign Relations and Intelligence Committees. He had strong opinions, and he was never shy about letting them be known."

"Senator Hagel's heroism and service serving side by side with his brother in Vietnam is one of the most fascinating, heroic stories of any member of the Senate," said Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN). "With that sort of independent background, you can imagine he brought to this body a sense of independence, a great knowledge of the world... [H]e understands the world better than almost anyone, and he works hard at it. He has been independent in his views, willing to criticize those he thought were wrong, including those in his own party. ...  We will miss Senator Hagel."

To those who worked with Hagel in the Senate, the GOP's turn against their former boss is a betrayal of the comity and mutual respect the Nebraska lawmaker and his GOP colleagues shared for so many years.

"Hagel and his former GOP colleagues may have differed strongly on some issues, but there was no disputing his deep credibility on matters of foreign policy or national security," one former Hagel staffer said. "These recent attacks amount to a mix of revisionist history and political gamesmanship, not a substantive examination of his record. And I think most of his former colleagues know that. This whole dynamic is a product of the trial-balloon method; it will change dramatically if he is actually the nominee."

When Secretary of State Hillary Clinton leaves her post next month, several top State Department officials are expected to leave with her. But her successor Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) already has a full team of foreign-policy professionals waiting in the wings to fill those slots in Foggy Bottom.

"In a sense, John's entire life has prepared him for this role. As the son of a Foreign Service officer, he has a deep respect for the men and women of the State Department -- the role they play in advancing our interests and values, the risks that they undertake and the sacrifices that they make along with their families," President Barack Obama said in nominating Kerry Friday.

Clinton has pledged to remain in the job until Kerry is confirmed, which Obama said he was confident would happen "quickly." The Senate is expected to take up Kerry's nomination in early January, but multiple Republican senators have already said they won't agree to a vote on Kerry's nomination until Clinton testifies about the Sept. 11 attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi. Illness and a concussion has prevented Clinton from appearing thus far.

When Clinton does depart, several longtime aides and officials she brought with her to Foggy Bottom are also expected to leave. They include Chief of Staff Cheryl Mills, Deputy Chief of Staff and Policy Planning Director Jake Sullivan, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell, Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs Andrew Shapiro, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Strategic Communications Philippe Reines, and many more.

Several top State Department positions are vacant and awaiting the new secretary to be filled. They include the posts of Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan (Marc Grossman resigned), State Department Counselor (Harold Koh resigned), and Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs (Beth Jones returned from retirement temporarily in an acting capacity).

Inside the State Department, rank and file employees are waiting with bated breath to learn who Kerry might appoint to fill these senior roles. Sources close to Kerry told The Cable that the nominee hasn't yet begun formally arranging his new team, but he has a large team of experts and friends accumulated over the years from which to draw.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee majority staff would be a natural place for Kerry to start. That staff is led by Bill Danvers, who was brought in by Kerry himself and is widely expected to have a top role in a Kerry State Department.

Andrew Keller, chief counsel for the committee, is also a Kerry hire and could make the move to Foggy Bottom. Communications Director Jodi Seth will not go with Kerry to State, having already accepted a position with Facebook.

For the Asia position, Kerry has an able staffer in Michael Schiffer, who was brought on to the committee earlier this year after serving as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Affairs. A former staffer for Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Schiffer could fill the opening to be left by Campbell, unless the White House prefers to send over Danny Russel, the NSC's top Asia official.

Shannon Smith is Kerry's top staffer for Africa and Global Health and could also be on the list to move over to State. Smith was key in dealing with Sudan and South Sudan and is a highly trusted senior staffer. 

Fatema Sumar has been the committee's top staffer for Afghanistan and Pakistan since 2009. Well regarded both on the Hill and in the administration, she is not senior enough to become SRAP, but could be a key part of Kerry's Af-Pak team nonetheless. Perry Cammack is Kerry's key Middle East staffer and could come along to Foggy Bottom even though he is a holdover from the Biden era at SFRC.

On issues of arms control and nuclear nonproliferation, two key SFRC staffers to watch are Anthony Wier and Greg Kausner. Wier has been with the committee since 2007. Kerry hired Kausner, a Navy aviator who traveled with Kerry when he worked at the Senate Navy Liaison office. Other committee staffers include Jason Bruder, who works on Europe, Ilan Goldenberg, who works on Israel and the Middle East, Andrew Imbrie, who works on foreign aid, Melanie Nakagawa, senior council on energy and the environment, and Tamara Klajn, who works on Africa issues.

There are also Kerry people spread out in the greater community, including former staff director Frank Lowenstein, currently at the Podesta Group, who could conceivably return to the fold when Kerry takes over at State.

U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice, who withdrew herself from consideration to be secretary of state earlier this month, congratulated Kerry in a statement Friday.

"America is fortunate that Senator John Kerry will be our next Secretary of State, once confirmed by the Senate," she said. "For over four decades, Senator Kerry has served extremely ably and demonstrated selfless commitment to our country. From his heroic service in the U.S. Navy, his principled opposition to the Vietnam War, and his distinguished tenure in the U.S. Senate, to his wise chairmanship of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Kerry has led tirelessly and effectively to advance U.S. interests and values around the globe. I have been honored to work with him in the past, and I look forward to working closely with him again on President Obama's national security team."

"Today, I spoke to Senator John Kerry and congratulated him on his nomination to be the next Secretary of State.  I also spoke with President Obama and told him that he has made an excellent choice. I hope Senator Kerry will be confirmed quickly.

I have been privileged to know John for many years and to call him a friend, colleague, and partner.  He will bring decades of service to our country and deep experience in international affairs.  The son of a career Foreign Service Officer, diplomacy is in his blood.  As a decorated veteran, he knows what it takes to defend our nation and our values.  As a leader in the Senate, he understands how to build coalitions and craft compromises.  As a statesman respected around the world, he will be able to sustain and extend America's global leadership. 

John Kerry has been tested - in war, in government, and in diplomacy.  Time and again, he has proven his mettle.

I remember watching young Lieutenant Kerry's testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee many years ago and thinking that I had just seen a man of uncommon courage and conscience.  Years later, as First Lady, I admired John's integrity and leadership as he returned to Vietnam to uncover the truth about fellow American soldiers who never came home, and to help normalize relations.  Then, as Senate colleagues, we worked together on behalf of wounded warriors, working families, and other causes close to both our hearts.

Over the past four years, now as Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Kerry has been my trusted partner on major foreign policy challenges facing our nation.  He helped us end the war in Iraq and advance a responsible transition in Afghanistan, co-authored key assistance legislation for Pakistan, won ratification of the New START Treaty with Russia, led the way on climate change, and helped us navigate a fast-changing Middle East. 

President Obama and I have often asked Senator Kerry to undertake delicate diplomatic missions and to deliver difficult messages.  He has forged strong relationships with leaders around the world.  As I have learned, being able to talk candidly as someone who has won elections and also lost them is an enormous asset when engaging with emerging or fragile democracies.

Through it all, Senator Kerry has fought for our nation's diplomats and development experts - and for investing in their mission and America's global leadership.  And now, he is working closely with me and my team to learn the lessons of the tragedy in Benghazi, further protect our people and posts, and implement every single one of the Accountability Review Board's recommendations.

We need a leader with John Kerry's experience and talent at the helm of the State Department and USAID in the years ahead.  There is much more to do on all of these crucial challenges, from Afghanistan to nonproliferation to climate change, and many others.  We also have to consolidate America's expanded engagement in the Asia-Pacific, continue championing the rights and opportunities of women, pursue a new approach to development centered on dignity and self-sufficiency, keep putting economics at the center of our foreign policy, and practice the kind of smart power that harnesses innovation and partnerships - with governments and with people - to solve problems and seize opportunities. 

The men and women of the State Department and USAID represent the best traditions of a bold and generous nation.  They serve and sacrifice every day, often in dangerous circumstances.  It has been one of the great honors of my life to serve with such fine public servants over the past four years.  I could not be prouder of all we have achieved together.  They deserve the highest caliber leadership, and that is exactly what they'll get in John Kerry."

The new ranking Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee has big problems with the potential nomination of Chuck Hagel to be the next defense secretary and believes Hagel has an "endemic hostility towards Israel."

Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY) is only the latest lawmaker to expressed deep concerns about the prospect of Hagel joining President Barack Obama's second term cabinet. And as a member of the House, he won't get to vote, should Hagel be nominated.

But as the new leader of the House Democrats on foreign policy, his comments represent a strong rebuke to the president's reported consideration of Hagel to take over at the Pentagon.

In an interview Friday taped for C-SPAN's Newsmakers, conducted jointly by The Cable and Politico, Engel said that Hagel's record on Israel and Iran make him a poor choice to lead the military. In particular, Engel said he was irked by Hagel's reference to the "Jewish lobby" in an interview with former official Aaron David Miller. (Miller supports Hagel's nomination.)

"I think that remark is troublesome, it's problematic. It shows at the very best a lack of sensitivity, at the very worst perhaps a prejudice. And I'm concerned about it, I'm concerned about the nomination," Engel said. "If I were doing the appointing, I would not appoint Chuck Hagel."

Engel, who represents the Bronx, Rockland, and Westchester, said he has been hearing a lot of opposition to the potential Hagel nomination from his constituents. He also said that Hagel's activities related to Israel, including his statements on Hamas and Israel's influence in Washington, show a pattern of "hostility."

"It seems there is some kind of an endemic hostility towards Israel and that's troublesome to me and troublesome to a lot of people," Engel said. "In the sensitive post of secretary of defense, those are warning bells. Those are red lights."

Obama should have the privilege of picking his own team, Engel said, but he predicted that Obama will pass over Hagel to avoid the controversy.

"I think [the president] knows that the Hagel nomination potentially is a problem," he said.

Engel said that former Pentagon official Michèle Flournoy would be a good potential secretary of defense. He also praised the president's Friday nomination of Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) to be the next secretary of state.

"I think the world of John Kerry," he said. "He is knowledgeable. Foreign policy has been his forte, he knows all the issues, understands the politics ... I think it's an excellent choice and I think he'll be a very, very good secretary of state."

One State Department mid-level official has resigned over the security failures related to the Sept. 11 attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi and three others have been placed on "administrative leave." But lawmakers and experts are asking why the disciplinary action stops there.

Assistant Secretary of State for Diplomatic Security Eric Boswell resigned. Deputy Assistant Secretary for Embassy Security Charlene Lamb, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs Raymond Maxwell, and a third as yet unidentified diplomatic security official were placed on "administrative leave" pending further action.

"The ARB identified the performance of four officials, three in the Bureau of the Diplomatic Security and one in the Bureau of Near East Asia Affairs," State Department Spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said in a statement late Wednesday evening. "The Secretary has accepted Eric Boswell's decision to resign as Assistant Secretary for Diplomatic Security, effective immediately. The other three individuals have been relieved of their current duties. All four individuals have been placed on administrative leave pending further action." 

Lamb, Maxwell, and the still unnamed DS official have not "resigned." As federal employees, they are entitled to an administrative process to determine what, if any disciplinary action might be taken against them. It's possible they could simply be reassigned to new roles inside the State Department after the Benghazi issue blows over.

Nuland's statement indicates that State is pointing to the report of the Accountability Review Board (ARB) that was released Wednesday as the source of the names of officials to be disciplined. The ARB was led by Tom Pickering and Adm. Mike Mullen. In a press briefing Wednesday, Pickering explained the logic the ARB used to come up with its disciplinary recommendations.

"We fixed it at the assistant secretary level, which is in our view the appropriate place to look, where the decision-making in fact takes place, where, if you like, the rubber hits the road," he said.

That explanation left lawmakers, employees inside the State Department, and outside experts scratching their heads, because Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Beth Jones will apparently escape any disciplinary action, letting her subordinate Maxwell take the fall.

"The report says that there were ‘systemic failures and leadership and management deficiencies at senior levels within two bureaus of the State Department,' namely the Diplomatic Security (DS) and Near East (NEA) bureaus," wrote former NSC Middle East official Elliott Abrams. "Why is the head of the DS bureau forced out, and the head of NEA allowed to remain?"

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) challenged Deputy Secretaries of State Bill Burns and Tom Nides in a Thursday Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on why the disciplinary actions were limited to officials at the assistant secretary and deputy assistant secretary level.

"And why I find that quite puzzling is because Benghazi and Libya in general is not some remote outpost, is not Luxembourg. I mean, this is a country that we were involved in militarily not so long ago in a high-profile intervention," he said.

Rubio wanted to know whether Stevens had raised his concerns about security to Burns or Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during their trips to Libya earlier in 2012. Burns said that security had been discussed, but not in specifics.

"And you know, as Secretary Clinton has said, all of us as senior leaders in the department are accountable and responsible for what happened. And I certainly fault myself," said Burns. "You know, I accompanied the remains of my four colleagues back after the attack in Benghazi... And on that long flight home, I certainly had a lot of time to think about sharper questions that I could have asked, sharper focus that I could have provided."

When pressed by Rubio over whether the March and July cable requesting more security had reached the upper echelons of the State Department, Burns said they had.

"Well, they certainly would have been reviewed up through assistant secretary level, and it may be that some of my colleagues on the 7th floor saw them as well." Burns said. "There were certainly memos that came up to the 7th floor that talked about the deteriorating security situation in eastern Libya, yes, sir."

Maxwell, according to several State Department sources, had been slated to retire in September but was asked to stay on as DAS for the Maghreb after the attack. Maxwell might have been in a position to directly receive the requests for more security in Benghazi, giving him a direct connection to the security failures, those sources speculated. Those details are confined to the classified version of the ARB report. But State Department officials insist that he would not have been able make any decisions about such matters with consulting with Jones, who would have had the final say.

"Either they have some kind of documentary evidence that puts Maxwell in a bad light specifically, or this could be the Foreign Service elite protecting itself. Maxwell is not a member of the elite, but Jones is," one senior foreign policy hand who has worked in the State Department said.

Jones, who had already retired, was brought back to State by Deputy Secretary Bill Burns after Assistant Secretary Jeff Feltman moved to the U.N. Jones is close to Burns, fueling speculation that her stature allowed her avoid punishment.

"Being on the Seventh Floor appears to grant immunity. I'm sure that's what is being said around the water coolers at State, and from what I can see they are not wrong. Pickering led what was called an ‘Accountability Review Board.' A better name might have been ‘Accountability for Mid Level Officials Review Board,'" Abrams wrote.

Former Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel hasn't been nominated for anything, but the onslaught of attacks against him have prompted his friends and supporters to begin a campaign to respond and defend the potential next defense secretary.

President Barack Obama is not expected to announce new nominations for national security cabinet positions until at least Dec. 21 and perhaps later than that. But amid reports that Hagel is Obama's leading choice for the Pentagon, a group of activists, Senate staffers, and partisan journalists have already begun a campaign to paint him as an anti-Semitic, anti-Israel, anti-sanctions, defense cutter.

The Weekly Standard quoted an anonymous Senate aide calling Hagel an anti-Semite last week. Buzzfeed reported about Jewish leaders criticizing Hagel at a White House Hannukah party. The Washington Post ran an editorial today entitled, "Chuck Hagel is not the right choice for defense secretary." The Post's Right Turn blog has been collecting and documenting opposition to Hagel in the Jewish community, including from the Anti-Defamation League.

On Thursday, the Emergency Committee for Israel, which counts among its board members Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol, will begin running this television ad criticizing Hagel's opposition to unilateral sanctions against Iran. "For secretary of defense, Chuck Hagel is not a responsible option," the ad claims.

The effort to intimidate the White House into not nominating Hagel seems similar to the successful effort that ended only one week ago to convince the White House it would be too time-consuming and troublesome to seek Senate confirmation of U.N. ambassador Susan Rice for secretary of state. But while the actual Senate opposition to Hagel is not as strong as it was for Rice, his ability to fight the negative publicity campaign is also minimal next to the resources Rice had at her disposal.

Hagel has no large staff, no official administration position, and no communications infrastructure that is actively working to push back against bad press. The Cable spoke with several of Hagel's friends and former staffers, and they are starting to organize an effort to defend the former Nebraska senator, who they believe is being treated unfairly.

"Those misrepresenting Senator Hagel's positions on this are in the gutter," said Andrew Parasiliti, who was Hagel's foreign policy advisor from 2001-2005 and is now editor of Al-Monitor. "That he is anti-Israel is complete nonsense, not at all supported by his record. He knows the issues and the players there as well as anyone in Washington.  Those tossing around these accusations can't hold a candle to his record of service and expertise on national security."

Hagel supporters have also begun to circulate a memo called "Facts on Chuck Hagel," which is meant to rebut, among other things, the charge Hagel is not supportive enough of Israel because he has declined to sign several letters supported by some pro-Israel groups and because he once referred to the pro-Israel lobby as the "Jewish lobby."

"I don't think it's fair," Richard Armitage, former deputy secretary of state in the George W. Bush administration, told The Cable in an interview. "I've known him quite closely for the last 15 years and I've never heard him utter any anti-Semitic statement. If he used the term 'Jewish lobby, that's a poor choice of words and I'm sure he'll speak for himself on that."

Armitage also pushed back against the reports quoting anonymous sources criticizing Hagel's management style.

"I happen to know the guy. He's not owned by anybody, he happens to think for himself, and this apparently causes some fear in some cases. He's got an unerring bullshit sensor, he's got real stones, and he doesn't mind telling you what his opinion is, which will stand him in very good stead in the Pentagon if the president nominates him," Armitage said.

Other criticisms of Hagel include that he has made comments supporting smaller Pentagon budgets. But Armitage said that Pentagon budget cuts are coming with or without Hagel and that Hagel is perfectly prepared to oversee that process.

"Chuck Hagel might be just the guy to come in to steward the Pentagon through what's going to be a tough budget environment," he said. "He is a straight thinker, he thinks for himself, and if that makes him subject to criticism from either party, so be it."

If Hagel is nominated, a series of Republican foreign-policy heavyweights from previous administrations are preparing to come to his defense.

"Senator Hagel is one of the most well-respected and thoughtful voices on both foreign and domestic policy," retired Gen. Brent Scowcroft, a former Republican national security advisor, told The Cable. "At an uncertain time in America-with a significant debt burden, a polarized Congress, and a host of challenges facing the international community, I am confident Senator Hagel will provide a vibrant, no-nonsense voice of logic and leadership to the United States."