A powerful band of the Republican foreign policy establishment came forward Tuesday to offer their enthusiastic approval and praise of Rex Tillerson, the Exxon Mobil CEO Donald Trump has plucked to become his secretary of state.

The concerted rollout of support for Tillerson from high-level names, largely from President George W. Bush's administration, represented a strategic effort by Trump's transition team to beat back early criticism and simmering doubts within GOP ranks about an unfamiliar candidate whose early media profile is being defined by his close relationship with Russia.

Before noon, Trump aides had rolled out accolades from former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, former National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley and former Vice President Dick Cheney, who called the selection of Tillerson "inspiring."

"He has the vast experience, ability and judgment to deal with the very dangerous world we find confronting us," Cheney said in one of a series of statements provided by the Trump transition.

"He is a person of great integrity whose only goal in office would be to protect and advance the interests of the United States," Gates said.

Former Secretary of State James Baker – who served under President George H.W. Bush – also indicated his support for Tillerson to Trump's team on Monday afternoon.

Even Jeb Bush, Trump's favorite foil during the Republican primary, offered praise for Tillerson, calling him a "patriot" who will "represent the interests of the United States really, really well" in an interview with a Tennessee television station.

The flood of support from such prominent GOP names and highly respected figures from the last Republican White House has appeared to lift Tillerson's initial standing on Capitol Hill, where he will need to attain Senate confirmation.

Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona, an outspoken critic of Trump during the presidential campaign, signaled that the endorsements of Tillerson carry "considerable weight."

Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee, who will lead Tillerson's hearings before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, dubbed the nominee "a very impressive individual [who] has an extraordinary working knowledge of the world."

Perhaps most significantly, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell indicated he would support Tillerson's nomination.

Undoubtedly, the 64-year-old Tillerson will face considerable scrutiny for his business dealings with Russia and his close ties to Vladimir Putin. Democrats already have begun circulating videos of Tillerson raising a glass of champagne with Putin and receiving the Russian Order of Friendship award in 2013.

Additionally, a handful of Republicans have raised concerns about Tillerson, a crucial factor given that the Texan will need at least 50 votes (plus Vice President-elect Mike Pence if there was a tie) to clear the Senate. Holding a slim majority, Republicans will have only 52 senators next year.

Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, another member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee who will vet Tillerson's views on global hot spots, has said "being a 'friend of Vladimir' is not an attribute I am hoping for" in a secretary of state.

"While Rex Tillerson is a respected businessman, I have serious concerns about his nomination," Rubio said in a separate statement. "The next secretary of state must be someone who views the world with moral clarity, is free of potential conflicts of interest, has a clear sense of America's interests, and will be a forceful advocate for America's foreign policy goals to the president, within the administration, and on the world stage."

Sens. John McCain of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina also have harbored doubts and pinpointed areas of interest they want pursued during Tillerson's confirmation process. Graham, for instance, wants to know why Tillerson opposed efforts to impose sanctions on the Russian government.

An oil magnate who ran Exxon Yemen in the 1990s and was also responsible for Exxon holdings in Russia and the Caspian Sea, Tillerson has raised objections to sanctions on Russia. Such measures have stymied Exxon business endeavors, like oil operations in Siberia.

"Mr. Tillerson opposed the sanctions we imposed when Russia invaded the Crimea. That's disturbing," Graham said in a Facebook chat Tuesday afternoon. "I'm looking for a reset with Russia. The question for me: Is Mr. Tillerson so close to Putin, so tied to the Russian economy in terms of his business dealings, that he can't push back when he needs to push back? I want a secretary of state who will take it to Russia."

Assuming that all Democratic caucus members oppose Tillerson, if he should lose the votes of Rubio, McCain and Graham on the floor, that would be enough to sink his nomination.

A potential savior for Trump and his pick is Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, a moderate Democrat who already is being eyed as a potential affirmative vote for Tillerson. Manchin, who faces re-election in 2018, hails from a state that just voted for Trump over Hillary Clinton by an astonishing 42 points. In a statement provided through a spokesman, he tells U.S. News he's keeping an open mind.

"As West Virginia's former governor, I was able to select members of my Cabinet and key advisors and I have always believed that a president should be able to do the same," Manchin says.

Still, a top Senate aide says the hearings could go a long way toward alleviating the worries of the hawkish GOP trio.

"Yes, a number of them have already had their concerns known. But for what it's worth, I think he gets confirmed," the senior GOP Senate aide tells U.S. News.

According to transition aides, Trump warmed to Tillerson after seeing him as an executive not wholly different from himself: an expert negotiator who knows how to cut deals.

At the heart of the case for Tillerson will be his experience navigating the tricky web of politics across the globe to build Exxon Mobil into one of the world's largest publicly traded oil and gas companies, an operation that reported earnings of $2.7 billion during the last financial quarter.

"The good Lord didn't put oil in all freedom-loving democracies across the world, and yet Rex Tillerson was able to make this work," Trump's incoming chief of staff, Reince Priebus, said Tuesday on MSNBC.

Supporters of Tillerson already are playing up the nontraditional choice as a virtue and a lever that will help redirect American leadership following eight years of President Barack Obama's administration.

To some Democrats and their allies, though, Tillerson's corporate resume is exactly the problem.

"Not only is Mr. Tillerson a pal of Russian's authoritarian leader, Vladimir Putin, but he is the head of one of the largest oil companies in the world," Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont said. "Very sad. Very dangerous. Mr. Tillerson must be opposed."

At an event at conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation on Tuesday morning, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich spoke sarcastically about the resistance Tillerson would face from Democrats due to his success in the private sector.

"I want to confess up front here: Tillerson has a huge problem. He's successful. Being successful in the largest corporation in the world, he's actually involved in making money. Tillerson actually has gone around the world negotiating agreements with foreign countries, successfully," Gingrich said. "Now if you're John Kerry or Hillary Clinton, or the entire State Department, and your entire career has been one of going around the world unsuccessfully, negotiating non-agreements, Tillerson is horrifying."

"Of course Tillerson has to be attacked by the left, because if you can't attack the head of Exxon Mobil, you need to give up your card in the Socialist Party."

Turning serious, Gingrich said Tillerson's worldwide network would only buoy Trump's reputation among foreign leaders who are still trying to understand the president-elect and his priorities.