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Subscribe to RSSIf President Barack Obama selects United Nations envoy Susan Rice to replace Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, he’ll face determined opposition from at least three Republican senators: John McCain of Arizona, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire. Ayotte and Graham would each place a “hold” on Rice’s nomination if she were nominated, their aides told NBC News Tuesday. McCain's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Senators John McCain, Lindsey Graham, and Kelly Ayotte stated that, after meeting with Amb. Susan Rice, they are more "troubled" and still have many questions regarding the administration's handling of Benghazi.
The three GOP senators met with Rice Tuesday and said afterwards they still weren’t satisfied with the administration’s handling of the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attack on the US consulate in Benghazi and Rice’s initial role in explaining that attack.
Related: Senators not satisfied with Rice's Benghazi story
If Rice were nominated and her nomination came to the Senate floor for a vote, it seems highly likely that with Democrats holding the majority in the new Congress, she’d be confirmed.
But her Republican opponents could use the Senate rules to try to prevent her nomination from coming to a floor vote.
A “hold” is an informal procedure by which a senator signals to his or her floor leader that he or she doesn’t want a bill or nomination to come to the floor. Holds have been used for years by senators to indicate that a nomination is so unacceptable to them that they’d try to filibuster it -- to stop it through endless debate -- if necessary.
Ambassador Nicholas Burns talks about Ambassador Susan Rice's meeting with Sens. John McCain, Kelly Ayotte and Lindsey Graham. He also talks about the challenges facing the next Secretary of State.
“I would hold her nomination until I had additional answers to questions, and then I will render judgment," Ayotte told reporters after meeting with Rice.
When Graham was asked by Defense News if he would place a hold on Rice’s nomination, he said, “Oh, absolutely. I would place a hold on anybody who wanted to be promoted to any job who had a role in the Benghazi situation.” Graham’s office confirmed that account.
Graham told a press conference Tuesday after he, McCain and Ayotte met with Rice that “before anybody can make an intelligent decision about promoting someone involved in Benghazi, we need to do a lot more (investigating).”
But indicating they’d put a hold on a nomination does not mean that Rice’s opponents could themselves kill her nomination.
If Rice were nominated and if the Foreign Relations Committee reported her nomination to the full Senate, it would be up to Majority Leader Harry Reid to decide when to bring it to the floor for debate.
Susan Walsh / AP
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., ranking Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, center, flanked by fellow committee members, Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., left, and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., right, speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2012, following a meeting with UN Ambassador Susan Rice. Rice met with lawmakers to discuss statements she made about the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Libya that left the ambassador and three other Americans dead.
If senators opposed to Rice were able to keep debating the nomination, and if Reid failed to muster 60 votes for cloture, bringing the debate to a close, then the nomination would essentially be dead.
It’s early in this battle, and it’s not clear there would be enough Republicans to sign onto a filibuster, but one Democratic Senate aide said Democrats would welcome the fight and are confident she would be confirmed. “People are happy to fight for her,” the aide said.
There are echoes here of the nomination battles of the Bush era. Democratic filibusters blocked, and ultimately killed, a number of President George W. Bush’s judicial nominees and Bush’s nomination of John Bolton to be U.N. ambassador.
“I remember the John Bolton episode pretty well,” Graham told reporters Tuesday. “Democrats dug in their heels saying we're not gonna vote, we're not gonna consider this nomination until we get basic answers to our concerns.”
There were two cloture votes on Bolton’s nomination in 2005. He got 56 votes on one of them, four shy of the number needed to end debate and confirm him.
In some cases, a senator putting a hold on a nomination is enough to convince the majority leader or the chairman of the committee considering the nomination to not try to move ahead with it.
For example in December 2011 the Washington Post reported that Matthew Bryza, Obama's nominee to be ambassador to Azerbaijan, was "deemed insufficiently hostile to Armenia's enemies by the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) and two Democratic senators with Armenian American constituencies, Barbara Boxer (Calif.) and Robert Menendez (N.J.)."
Boxer and Menendez put a hold on his nomination, preventing or at least delaying a floor vote. Obama gave Bryza a recess appointment and renominated him.
But Boxer and Menendez continued to oppose him and the Post reported that Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Sen. John F. Kerry, D-Mass., never scheduled a hearing on his nomination.
Sometimes a hold on a nomination is simply a way of trying to extract some specific policy change or administrative action from the executive branch.
For example, the Hill reported last year that Sen. David Vitter, R-La., announced he was lifting his hold on Obama’s nomination of Dan Ashe to head the Department of Interior’s Fish and Wildlife Service.
Vitter wanted speedier action from the Obama administration on approving deep-water drilling permits in the Gulf of Mexico.
“I said I would lift it when we got to 15 permits,” Vitter said on June 1, 2011. “We finally reached that mark today, and I’m lifting my hold.”
But the stakes would be far higher if Obama nominated Rice, partly because it would be the first nomination battle since he won re-election last month.
NBC News’s Domenico Montanaro contributed to this story.
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Answer: They can't do a damned thing about it but jump around like Rumplestiltskin.
Face it, Grand Old White Man Party, Obama beat you. You're going to be doing things his way.
Obama sent Rice out to lie to cover his butt because, like him, she is very good at lying, and because she is black and a woman. The a-hole was daring anyone to question her. Didn't work.
phucktard alert
SoFL... But of course, you're ridiculously wrong. Please read something and get back to us.
SoFL,
Are you inferring that only white women are good at lying?
Wow, I'd like to know I'm a white woman in my 60's and never realized that fact.
That Traitor McCain and that limp wrist Graham need to shut their pie holes. When they open their mouths all that spills out is pure sh-t. Keep up the work boys and the party of NO will be taking a beating in every election.
What happened to John Kerry?
McCain and Graham: hang them both.
From the time I heard of this meeting yesterday, I thought it was a mistake. Publicly these guys were being discredited and they were beginning to change their tune. The administration should have just let that ride and let them continue to hang themselves. By having this meeting they were pandered to, and their views given relevance; and it gave them further reason to say I'm still not convinced after hearing what she said. Thing is the public doesn't know what she said nor how the meeting was conducted so you only have their word to go on. They were never going to be happy with anything that was said. Obama and Rice looked weak by taking this meeting with 3 people interested only in air time and who chair nothing relating to the investigation. Bad move politically.
Andrekb,
I actually disagree with you entirely. I think it shows that this Administration is willing to work with even their biggest critics to do the work of the people. Right now people in this country, by in large, want government to get things done. It is McCain and the other two goobers that look incredibly petty with this and look as if they are on a witch hunt. There are Republicans both in government and in the media that are turning on these three....if there was a bad move politically; it was by the three senators.
Ironically, the focus of these three made this a political winner for the Administration (I still feel wrong speaking about this as having 'winners' or 'losers'....but McCain made this political) and made them look much stronger.
Logic...
I take your point and see where you are coming from. My view is the administration has shown on many fronts that they are willing to work with their biggest critics in the past 4 years and even at the beginning on this new term. But this is different, this is a personal, and as you say, petty and baseless attack. Which should not have been pandered to behind closed doors. You give relevance to their ranting, when it was being proven publicly that their rantings were irrelevant - and other republican were already saying so. What was coming out publicly and openly was already discrediting them. Based on what came out of the senate committee briefing, and from the intelligence community Rice and the administration were already looking strong and her credibility was being restored. I still contend it was an unnecessary move.
Andrekb,
I too see what you are saying....but now the Administration is able to point to McCain missing a briefing about Benghazi when he chose to speak to cameras on FOX "News" rather than get 'those questions he was looking for answered' (remember the famous 'scheduling conflict' McCain had)....AND the fact the Ambassador met with them personally to answer those questions they missed.
Again, Obama looks reasonable....the GOP looks petty. There is also something to be said for government actually working together.....there once was a time where the (R) or (D) behind someone's name was secondary. If these Senators had questions...fine...let's meet and get them resolved (you know, the way government is SUPPOSED to work). If these senators want to go on the goose chase and take their party down in the mean time; go for it.
So lets see.. where to start?
The woman either made the biggest mistake in her political career or she is the scapegoat of the decade. Either way the Republicans will oppose it just as the Democrats opposed Bushes Nominations. Its politics. Though if I remember right Democrats in Bushes time Filibustered damn near every time.
Now Bush lied, but so has Obama. All politicians lie. It doesn't matter which side of the isle you stand on you'll only see what you want to see and attack anyone who doesn't agree with you. Is Bush to balme for the current Economic crisis? Yes and No
Bush allowed for the banking system regulations to be relaxed. From home loans to wall street Legislation became whirlwinds of corruption. lenders bank rolled and lied to investors.. it was a mess. Those of us who remember Enron know full well the follies of the Bush years.
Obama hasn't helped. He gave the auto industry a loan and instructed them to use it to create new alternative energy vehicles. This hasn't happened. Asia has made more progress without the bail out money. Obama bailed out the Banking system. well that's still being paid. For those who lost count its over 10 billion now on that open ended check, oh and by the way its all unaccounted for. Gitmo is closed? If you believe that you are a fool.
Welcome to politics.
We American citizens have been lied to for years, the government has failed to properly manage itself. How is it expected to manage a country?
Akum....
You are actually trying to equate the lies of Bush and WMD that got us into a decade long war with Iraq to the UN Ambassador making a statement on TV 5 days after the event while following intelligence at the time?!?! That is outright lunacy.
On your other topics.....
*First, actually your wrong on alternative energy vehicles...plus, our vehicles are putting in place the highest MPG standards making huge strides toward reducing carbon emissions. There have been plants across the nation making batteries for electric vehicles.
*Second, TARP was started under Bush and finished under Obama. Or do you not remember the famous 3 page document held up by Hank Paulsen that gave the banks $400B? The Obama Administration actually put teeth into the agreement and wound up getting most of that money back.
*Third, don't get me started on Gitmo.....unless you think Gitmo can be closed by Executive Order.
There are many ways to look at government and find failings....but there are also ways to look at it for the good it does (Social Security, Medicare etc.). Therefore, why don't we build up rather than tear down? Problem is, we have a faction of people in this country that believe there should be NO government...much less a smart one. How do you work with imbeciles like that?
Rice doesn't even have any business being one of the nominees. She simply isn't qualified.
Bruce,
What are you basing that on?
Bruce,
I'm guessing a fortune cookie or a Quija board.
Bruce, please tell us why she isn't qualified.
We're waiting...
If you believe Fox News she isn't qualified... and John McCain is the most learned man on foreign policy in America... Actually maybe John McCain wants the job of SoS.... Now there's a thought... ;)
You notice that stupid idiot "Bruce" still hasn't respond on why she is not qualified. Hell, he don't even know. He heard it on Fox news and thought it was cool to come on FR an post it. What a loser!!!
reservations,that's rich coming from these guys
look at what these guys stood for during the elections - trust me we should all have reservations about the GOP's sanity and codes of ethics because they have none
they got whopped in the election because of poor judgement - what happened did they find a brain between them
they need to clean house,get rid of the old in with the new moderate-if not we can always find away of creating on and push this party to the far right
let the tv crews in - how can the public judge for themselves -
we don't need the gop making our minds up for us - maybe rather then blowing smoke they should concentrate on the farce they call a party
i would look the gop to answer some questions myself-lets put a list together and see how they conduct business
maybe it's not rice who should be under the microscope
The game the three stooges are playing is getting pretty sickening. They can't seem to do the job they were elected for to work on the budget. Instead, those poor loosers want to trash everyone they think gets in their way. Or shall I say, the more they trash Rice, maybe the President will put John Kerry into the job. If Kerry leaves his seat as Massasschusets senior senator, the republicans will put defeated Brown in Kerry's place. That is like a gift to the republicans power shift.
I hope Kerry keeps his seat not to allow the three stooges to succeed in their quest. McCain isn't fit to stay in office. This angry old man has been an embarassment to his party, to our country, and to the office he now holds. He needs to retire to save his face. Grahm is also walking in troubling waters. The respect for those two has reached the bottom of the barrel. Meanwhile, they have Ayotte to extend their plight to continue their quest to trash Rice's reputation. New Hampshire can't be proud to see one of their own stoop so low. Their actions are very troubling as to the downward direction those congressmen are seeking to flush all respect and consideration of this presidents administration down the toilet. Sore loosers!
After invading Irag and then moving to Afganistan 11 yrs. ago who gives a poop whether it was instant or planned. It is easy to get the Moslem population to rise against the US. Kinda like getting the US population to rise up over Power Ball. Then you have the thousands of yrs. of hate between Christians and Moslems. Get over it McCain and take care of your Fiscal Cliff house cleaning.
Why don't they nominate Jeb Bush?
Well, during the entire 9/11 attack his brother sat in a kindergarten reading nursery rhymes for one.
Better re-new the plates on the Republican clown car. Looks like McLame and Porky are taking the show on the road for another two years. Really, morons! She said what she believed to be true at the time based on the information that she was given. Get it and get over yourselves! With regard to Porky's statement that he is "even more distutbed than before," I didn't believe that was humanly possible since he is obviously one of the most "disturbed" people in the government, but I guess we need to stay tuned.
Why block it? Obama's foreign policies are such rampant failures that a good strong secretary of state would make very little difference. Let him have his appointee and look to strengthening the senate in the next election with enough to get rid of useless Reid and the house to get rid of the useless Boehner. Both houses need much stronger leadership.
CKSM, instead of posting empty accusations please give us some examples of the "rampant failures" you're alluding to...
A few: in 2008, more people around the world, by a margin of 23 percent, thought that the United States rather than China was the world’s leading economic power. Today, by a margin of 6 percent, they think Beijing is ahead.
Libya responses. Growth of extreme islamists. Iran's WMD progression. Suppor of Israel. View and actions with Russia. Free trade. Iraq and Afgan relations. Egypt dealings. Iran's democracy support. Where are his successes?
This is actually so laughable I won't even bother deal with the points (or non-points) you've made... hahahahahahahaha
Andrekb, Don't expect you to because you were not the one that requested the items, Chip was. Hope you have a good laugh it shows where you are.
CKSM, all you said was just empty rhetoric. Egypt dealings???? What dealings are you referring to. Can to be specific. Iraq and afgan relations. Ok, again what relations. What happen, how is it Obama admin fault, SPECIFICS idiot.
Waiting on those sources to back up everything you claim is Obama fault.
Sources not more empty rants..... I'm waiting
I think the last thing Americans want is for Politics to play a part in this now. Obama won and has the right to pick his cabinet. It would be a shame for the best person for the job not to get it. McCain and Graham represent the old ways that Americans no longer want in their Government. Ayotte has joined these two in game playing and she had best step carefully as her constituents didn't send her to Congress for games like this.
You know the REPUBLICANS, should realize now that they lost the election. Now they are trying anything to change the game. We The People showed you spending millions did not buy you the election you hoped for get over it. You trying to make a mountain out of a mole hill. get over it is time for you to do your job, which is take care of business of the PEOPLE.
They did not win the presidency, but they did win majority in the house. That is not losing the election, it is losing one piece of power in politics.
Once again.... laughable.
can't stop laughing. wow CKSM is a joke. Last I checked repubs in congress was not running for President. Only Obama an Romney was.
If they should investigate someone try Lindsay Graham. It is well known around inside Washington circles that he is a flaming Queen homosexual. Even his Republican rivals have accused him of hiding his sexuality. I don't care if he is gay but IA do care if he hides the facts from us. This Benghazi situation is laughable for most and they know something else is behind it. Sour Grapes in McCain's case, Kelly Ayotte wants TV cameras on her and Graham wants any questions but those involving him and his gayness.
Really Bill??? Does the name Barney "the purple dinosaur" Franks strike a bell? (after all his "room-mate" was running a MALE ESCORT service from Barney's basement).
Anyways being a "liberal" it would seem to me you would be more "tolerant" of someones "sexual orientation"......whether Republican or Democrat?
You idiots..........you just don't get it do you. Obama the one who is really responsible for the incompetence, that lead to these 4 death.
And Obama loves the fact that everyone is bickering over one of his "flunkies"(rice), while HE slithers away.......untouched........again.
This isn't about, what he said, she said......its about the..... WHEN...and the WHY. And at this point........what the "f-in" difference does it MAKE?
Would have been nice, in a more perfect World, that the Congress, Senators........and YES EVEN ROMNEY.....would have caused more of a STINK BEFORE THE ELECTION, like the DAY AFTER 9/11!
They should have DEMANDED the White House release all documents, including the audio tapes from the White House "situation room".
It would help explain why, everyone sat on their collective azzes watching live video feed of the attack, and the WHAT and WHY........that nothing was done.
And Jay Tapper all ready admitted that the MEDIA, was "complacent"(LIED AND WILLINGLY COVERED UP), because (quote), "the media wanted to put a "positive spin, on Obamas war on terror".
So yeah THANKS McCain for making a STINK now..........after the ELECTION.
And who gives a damn NOW, who is nominated for what position in the White House? All these idiots are not COMPETENT to hold these positions.....especially Obama....
but Americans were STUPID enough to give him a DO OVER.......to do more damage.
Still waiting for Obama to DO SOMETHING to those responsible.........now that we know..........
HE KNEW ALL ALONG .................WHO WAS.
I recommend a Vermont goat cheese to go with that excellent whine!!!
Speak of the devil.......and here's a response from one of those IDIOTS now!
What was that final electoral count again???
8 of 9 swing states going democratic???
Karl Rove having a whiney meltdown on FOX??
The whole lot of you are too funny.
Keep it up, 4 more years of good laughs for free!!
So why didn't Hillary Clinton go on the talk shows and blame the video? Because there was absolute proof by Sunday that this assasination was not because of a video sparked protest.
Rice was high high up in the administration but one of the few who could use the theory of "plausible deniability" - she WASN'T involved in Benghazi directly and she could claim she didn't know any better than the talking points whereas Clinton could not.
This is so typical of politicians on both sides - I don't see why the left finds it so hard to believe that this is what the administration did.
I don't blame Rice. I am sure she was being a faithful surrogate and putting out what she was ordered to do.
I would however like to know who made the ultimate decision to try and force this phony story down the throats of the American public. Probably the same person who though that increasing our diplomatic security in Libya didn't fit the "normalization - Al Quadea is dead" narrative.
EXACTLY..........all this was about was an attempt to hide the DEBACLE of Obamas Middle Eastern policy. It goes all the way back to the "so-called" Arab Spring.
When Libya fell to what the Obama Administration called the "freedom fighters", it was admitted THEN that amongst these fighters were members of al Qaeda and the Taliban.......
but the liberal media played it down(surprisingly....not).
Also when Libya FELL............the "freedom fighters" obtained Libya's weapons STOCKPILE......including mortars and RPG's.
GUESS WHAT WEAPONS WERE USED TO ATTACK THE CONSULATE?
In Massachusette? Really?
Scott Browns election was an anomoly. Massachusettes is a democrat state. This is beyond absurd.
Scott Brown is taking a job at Fox News.
You people's lack of concern about the murder of the freak'n US Ambassador and three other great Americans is sickening!
You miss the point totally... They are serious question to be answered on Benghazi but it's not who said what on a morning talk show... it's not how can me make politically haye out of this tragedy. In my opinion these guys are doing more to dishonour their deaths than anyone on this message board. Instead they are arguing about if she changed talking points; why was Rice talking; is she qualified to be secretary of state. So really ask yourself who is showing lack of concern here.
gotta love it, some bitter old white men going after a highly intelligent and qualified black woman, McShame even said that "she was not that bright" they did get 1 woman to join in on their fiasco, but the majority of GOP'ers in congress are distancing themselves from McShame and his minuet following. Where where these people when 911 happened, when rice lied and used spin to sell the Iraq war? All of the missteps taken during Katrina?? This is just one more example of partisan BS from the "party before country at any cost" GOP
blah, blah, blah........typical liberal response........pull out the "race card" and double down with the "war on women".
Must be nice that if you are a Democrat, black(or atleast any other color than white) that if all else fails..................and you LIE for your boss to "cover up" HIS INCOMPETENCE.........
no one can FAULT you for ANYTHING you do........ANYTHING.........including lying to the American public.......
and if you get CAUGHT.........you are UNTOUCHABLE.....because your a woman and even better..........a BLACK WOMAN.....yep.....must be nice........
never to have to be ACCOUNTABLE.........for ANYTHING.
WE all know what the GOP senators could do to block any nomination by Pres.Obama. The real question is WHY?
Well, clearly it would be in retaliation for Obama's easy win when Republicans ere SURE that Romney would win! They have to reassert themselves in the face of this stinging defeat at the poles. The problem is, Americans KNOW that if they do so, any reason they give will NOT be believed. The will know it is exactly what it is....... payback.
I think the GOP is at a crossroads. If they continue to obstruct in the face of a clear mandate from the American people, They I think the chances of repudiation in 2014, the end of this version of the GOP, are very good! If it happens, there will be a HUGE sigh of relief that the party that nearly ruined this country is finally gone!
Thats it........ the Democrats....... thought they were watching the poles.....the stripper poles! They may have a manatee, certianly not a mandate!
As a Conservative let me offer a my view. I think Susan Rice is intellectually capable, has done a good job and quite frankly would be a good appointment. She is not to blame for all the mis-statements and collusion involved in this mess, she was a good solider and read what she was handed. THAT person is responsible. This is politics-duh it happens on both sides so liberals need to get a grip and realize they do exactly the same thing. What is a disappointment is the venom attacking these three Republicans..disagree fine, name calling why? Calling Graham a queer? really on a liberal web site,? that is akin to me calling Barney Frank a Fa# which I would not do. Always referring to them as old white men, and attacking McCain,viciously this Man who endured 5 years of beatings and torturing much in solitary confinment for his country with no bitterness to his enemy- who among us here could take ONE DAY of that ? Let's exchange ideas, thoughts, debate yes, but leave all this pettiness and simplistic name calling to others. What say you?
CELTIC.....you are on MSN......hello! ........Attacking the "messenger" is what liberals do!
As I said WHAT DIFFERENCE does it make NOW? Romney and the Republicans ALLOWED this attack to be swept under the carpet, by the Obama campaign and the liberal media.
OBAMA GOT RE-ELECTED. Story over........PERIOD. And America VOTED to keep INCOMPETENCE in the White House.........so the entitlement checks would keep getting SIGNED.
And not ONE of these liberals posting here gives a rats azz.........who dropped the ball in Lybia
al Qaeda is FIRMLY ENTRENCHED in Libya, thanks in part to Obamas "Arab Spring", and more deaths will be the result...........
but the entitlements checks will still get signed.
Celt it's because Mccain is sounding like a lunatic exactly like he did during the debates to end don't ask don't tell. HE IS TOO OLD for office. He has no business being involved in politics anymore, nor does any social conservative of any stripe.
These disgusting GOP politicians are holding America hostage with their extreme rightwing political agenda. McCain is suffering from demensia no doubt. 2014 will be another slaughter for the extremists in the GOP. Party before country every time!
David Duke is a extremest, McCain is Conservative let's be clear.
6 years ago McCain was the darling of the left because he was a moderate. The sheeple on the left were able to be convinced by the media and Obama that he was Bush III and since the sheeple have hated him. And now think he is an extremist