Defense Secretary Nominee Chuck Hagel Faces Senate Vote Tuesday; McCain: Hagel Will Be Confirmed...

[Purveyor]

WASHINGTON -- The fierce Republican opposition to President Barack Obama's nomination of Chuck Hagel to be defense secretary is personal and business.

The nasty fight long has been seen as a proxy for the never-ending scuffles between the Democratic president and congressional Republicans, with barely any reservoir of good will between the White House and lawmakers, and the GOP still smarting over the November election results.

Barring any surprises, the drawn-out battle over Hagel's nomination probably will end this coming week with his Senate confirmation. But his fellow Republicans have roughed him up.

A vote is expected on Tuesday.

MORE...

http://www.dailycamera.com/nation-world-news/ci_22656689/defense-secretary-nominee-chuck-hagel-faces-senate-vote?source=most_viewed

McCain: Hagel Will Be Confirmed This Week

(CNN) - The Senate will move forward in confirming President Barack Obama's nominee to become defense secretary this week, a leading Republican who opposes Chuck Hagel's elevation to the role said Sunday.

"I don't believe Chuck Hagel, who is a friend of mine, is qualified to be secretary of defense. But I do believe that elections have consequences, unfortunately, and the president of the United States was re-elected," Sen. John McCain said on "State of the Union."

The Senate will vote again Tuesday on whether to end a Republican filibuster of Hagel's nomination. Two weeks ago, a similar attempt fell short of the 60 votes needed to end the debate. Many GOP lawmakers and aides expect Hagel to be confirmed, although with just a handful of GOP votes.

Last week, 15 GOP senators sent a letter to Obama calling on the president to withdraw his nomination of Hagel, who previously served as a Republican senator from Nebraska. McCain was not among the signatories of the letter, though he did not vote to break the filibuster last week, and has led the charge in stalling Hagel's nomination in exchange for more information from the White House on September's attack on a diplomatic post in Benghazi, Libya.

MORE...

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2013/02/24/mccain-hagel-will-be-confirmed-this-week/

[TheCowsCameHome]

1. And McCain will be on the losing side, again. n/t

[Dawson Leery]

2. McCain needs to be placed into retirement.

[rdharma]

4. Grandpa McCain doesn't realize it.........but........

...... While he's in Washington DC, there's nobody to chase the kids off his lawn in Cottonwood, AZ!

[TwilightGardener]

3. Who knew that being occasionally critical of a foreign country's policies was enough to keep you

out of the DoD? I never would have guessed it was a disqualifier until recently. John Kerry, who actually does set foreign policy, has similar positions to Hagel on Israel, and yet...no one cared. Of course, Kerry's department purse strings are miniscule compared to Hagel's...

[Bluenorthwest]

5. Chuck will complete for his Party a new record.

16 years of Republicans heading the Department of Defense. And many Democrats cheer this on. Strange days indeed when an Iraq War voting right wing anti choice homophobic Republican is the Democratic President's choice.

[Purveyor]

6. Without a doubt Bill Kristol will be as 'pained' over this confirmation as you except for differing

reasons.

I think it is a good appointment, indeed.