Mr. Hagel’s opposition to sanctions on Iran wasn’t a challenge to “Republican orthodoxy”; the sanctions he opposed were passed by votes such as 98 to 2, with the two dissenters being Mr. Hagel and another Republican, Richard Lugar. They were signed into law by a Democratic president, Bill Clinton. Sanctions against Iran aren’t “Republican orthodoxy,” they are supported at this point by Democrats, the United Nations, European nations, and even the New York Times editorial page as a preferred peaceful alternative to military attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities.