Ayotte Up a Step on Armed Services Committee

Campaigning against cuts to the Pentagon with senior Senators

There's a generational and gender change afoot in the Senate Hawks Club: Joe Lieberman's out and Kelly Ayotte's in.

The 44-year-old New Hampshire freshman has found her way to the cool kids' table on the Armed Services Committee, huddling often with other GOP senators, including John McCain of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina.