Can somebody provide some quotes that specifically indicate Hagel’s nomination will not continue to be filibustered? I see McCain saying “he shouldn’t be held up” and Graham indicating that he finds Hagel to have the potential for honesty: “as long as nothing new comes out”. Neither statement means anything like “he will get a vote to be confirmed and the Republican party will support a vote”.
Not only that, but has anyone asked McCain how Hagel could have been perfectly qualified to be his prospective Secretary of State but lost those qualifications in the intervening years? Seems to me, once you’re qualified for a Cabinet position, very little short of treason would then be able to disqualify you.
To be fair, Andrews is in Maryland (USA), Tel Aviv is in Israel. He had to use the rear door on his return to the US.
Since the Republicans don’t have the votes to defeat the Hagel nomination and can’t filibuster him forever, 11 Senators have asked the White House to withdraw the nomination. That’s definitely not a desperate ploy, it’s a way out of this mess. Yes, that’s it.
“Dude, you’ve GOT to stop letting us make ourselves look bad!”
Senator Shelby just announced he’d change his vote from his previous position of supporting the filibuster. Since they only fell one vote short last time, unless someone else changes their vote to voting against, it should be a done deal.
Let us please have no more discussion of Gingrich in connection with any rear door.
[CCR]Newt! Newt! Newt!
Lookin’ out the rear door.[/CCR]
Well, there’s this whole “Friends of Hamas” debacle, which the Republicans took as fact, and even spread as truth, without doing any sort of due diligence to find out if it was actually true. Then have since made frowny-faced pronouncements about the seriousness of this ‘issue’ and called for further investigation. What fucking morons.
And now that they know they can’t block him forever, the Core Crazy of the Senate is demanding that Obama withdraw Hagel’s nomination. When even Grampy McCain parts company with you, you know you’ve crossed over into a mushroom trip.
Poor Senator Pittypat…the things he’s forced to do to beat off (pardon the double entendre) a primary challenge from the Rubber-Room Right…
BENGHAZl!!
They didn’t fail to do due diligence. They didn’t give a shit if it was true and haven’t slowed down after it was debunked.
Like the old saying goes, “When the only tool you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a slaughterhouse cow’s head.”
Jon Stewart on the Hagel confirmation. He really reams Lindsey Graham – and McCain, too!
I guess when we finally abandon all reason and logic for the sake of personal gain and power, we’ll end up like all past empires: a faded, impotent and broken people. I’d like them to wait another 20-30 years, as by then I won’t be around to see it.
We’ll see what happens, but the expectation is that the filibuster will end today and Hagel will be confirmed today or tomorrow. Some of the Republicans won’t let this end quietly but I think several of them have already agreed to vote for cloture.
It’s a good thing nothing else is happening right now that needs Congressional attention.
Give them a little credit: they’re capable of inventing and fucking up a bunch of problems at once. Anyway the vote is over, and with the Republicans having proved the point they definitely had for reals guys, stop laughing, the filibuster is over. There were 71 votes for cloture, which means about a third of the Republicans voted to end the debate and get on with this already.
The confirmation vote for Hagel is scheduled for 4:30.
And Hagel is confirmed as secretary of defense, 58 to 41. That’ll show ya, ya terrorist.