Chuck Hagel, former Republican senator from Nebraska, will be nominated Monday by President Barack Obama to be the next Secretary of Defense, even as both Democratic and Republican senators have signaled that Hagel will face a tough fight in the Senate.

Hagel faces criticism that he is anti-Israel from comments he made in 2008 regarding the “Jewish lobby” by pro-Israel conservative organizations and senators. On the left, he is being criticized for comments he made in 1998 about a gay nominee to the Ambassador to Luxembourg; he has since apologized for those comments.

Hagel will likely be confirmed, however, since the Senate is controlled by Democrats and since at least some Republicans will eventually support him, for fear they will look like they are not supporting a Defense secretary during a time of war.