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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.
Leave a Comment:
I'm so tired of these whining, do-nothing Repubs who keep screaming "the sky is falling" at every opportunity!
We all know that these two dumb-sh#ts and their political muse will do ALL that they can to make sure Susan Rice is found guilty of planning and implementing and covering up the Benghazi killings.
I hope old man McCain is reading the postings all over the web that say he's too old and too angry to be making any important decisions. Lindsey Graham is simply a tag-along!
Where was the outrage when over 5,000 American's died between 2001-2012?!
ANY and ALL foreign service people KNOW that taking these jobs could be dangerous - it's not like the people in embassies around the world don't know this! But, why would people going to work in NYC not be warned that simply going to work would KILL THEM?
Put blame where it belongs!
President Obama exhibits sheer genius in his ability to bring the rottenness of the GOP out into the open by the mere suggestion of what he might do in any given situation. Hate to ask Kerry to sit in the Senate for a while longer, but we have no choice. Can't let the Senate go to Republican control.
Who really cares what McCain, Graham and whats her name Ayotte think? McCain couldn't even pick a proper running mate for the highest office in the land. Graham is up for election in 2014 and is trying to ward off a tea party challenger. But who ever heard of Kelly Ayotte? What does she know about foreign affairs? The three of them need to go back to school and learn that the losing team fades into the background never to be heard from again. Of course with these poison apples, anything is possible and they could wind up voted out of office completely.
NBC and Brain Williams are covering up this story for Michelle Ferraro (Levesque) and the show 'To Catch a Predator' which got involved in a 'plot' which started in Spokane, Washington in late 2011.
Later, all of them would find out that the guy later referred to as 'The Man' was not a Predator but Michelle Ferraro was. SO............ that left the show 'To Catch a Predator' in a weird situation where one of the producers was now involved with the entrapment of an innocent individual.
Later 'again' they would become aware that 'The Man' was telling the truth and the show which was later canceled for that episode was in a legal mess.
THEN – the entire mess went 'non-linear' when 'The Man' walked out of Spokane in the Winter to get away from the show 'To Catch a Predator' which he was not and Michelle Ferraro who tried to frame him. Then Michelle Ferraro 'left' NBC and went to another News Agency (FOX) and is trying to correct the 'entire situation' BUT.............
NBC doesn't want to let go of the show which could be the 'lead story' to the 'Big Story' of the Year.
SO........................................................... NBC's Lawyers are holding everyone 'At Bay' including 'The Man' who is about to spend his 2nd Christmas away from his Children all because the investigation is ongoing into the Untimely Death Dismemberment and Torture of Jacob Tate in the Sangin Region of Afghanistan on January 2nd, 2011.
And it is 'Truly' an example of Abuse of Power to reduce the Liability for NBC …............. TRUTH
And at this point, 'The Man' really doesn't give a hoot anymore about anyone......... because they 'all' have shown him who 'They Really Are'............................................ Think About It............ TRUTH
Merry Christmas -
TRUTHABOUTTHECIA.ORG
And this information applies to what?
I'm familiar with the area you're speaking of and didn't hear anything about this person. Nor are there any records supporting your claims.
I don't live far from Spokane and also have never heard of this. Please give us a source or is it just more B.S.
The GOP has become a Disease to our Nation, if we don't stop them they will destroy our Country !!!!!
Remember what they are doing in 2014 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yes! Dump the Teapublicans!
McCain feels if you are asked a question you should answer it in detail....
Just like he did as "Songbird" while at the Hanoi Hilton!
Old Looney John spilled all the beans at the Hanoi Hilton, now he hates the word Rice !!!!!
We STILL HAVE huge problems caused by the GOP and they STILL focus their attention on a WITCH HUNT? If They think 2008 and 2012 was bad, wait until 2014 and 2016. Clinton//Warren 2016-2024.
talk stupid would be one thing
How about Colin Powell coming in and dressing down these repubnuts, let the last repub SoS straighten them out since he has a lot of personal experience with getting bad information to be set up as the Messenger on...like Iraq! Let's bring out a bunch of folks that have been hosed by bad info to be the messenger on and wash the dirty laundry if these repubnuts really want to clean up government.
The 3 phonies ride again. The only question is where is Mitch McConnell .
It should be the 4 phonies.
It is amazing to me that so many people think that we should get all the information about what happened immediately, like the do on TV. I will surmise that maybe there was an investigation going on at the time Ms. Rice appeared on the news programs. Further, that there might be clandestine operations going on that the Intelligence community did not want blown by information being disseminated about what was actually known. There are all kinds of possibilities, including that much of this may be ongoing.
It appears that Mr. McCain and his cohorts are grabbing for publicity or straws by pulling these stunts. What is really amazing is that the President has not even made an appointment for them to get their knickers in a twist about.
AWWW Mc Cain the Last of any one ES and DIE you Nicer individual . You sir gave Up any and all info so your little self did not hurt . Fork you .
@!$%# boat coming to a town near you puss .
I have always liked and respected John McCain until he selected Sarah Palin as his running mate and now it seems as if he is making another bad choice, maybe it is time for him to retire.
What lets see , That idiot crashed planes , BEFore he ever got to be a prisioner ?????????
6 to be exact
only in arizona would this man be a hero
He sold secrets for medical attention . Forget you
Just like Nixon lied and covered up the whole sorted affair, so did Obama. And just like Nixon, Obama should be forced out of office.
He KNEW before the election what the real story was and is and he has lied, lied, and then covered up and lied some more with Rice right by his side.
As always it was just a matter of time before Obama's lilly, white, would never do anything and lie and cover up anything would show up.
Obama should be put though the same legal and ruining of his presidancy as Nixon. At least Nixon didn't cover up the killing of his own people.
Hey Steve . Nothing you just saiud changed my mind . Mccain is a traitor . carry that to your grave .
mccain what a joke...
Steve is obviously correct . i apoligize .
I guess the gop didnt get the message of the election! Go ahead, keep up your obstruction and hell raising lies!! WE DARE YOU! It will only speed up the time of your repudiation at the polls.
Americans are sick and tired of the lies, the obstruction, the catering to the moneyed and corporate elite while giving Joe America the finger! Americans are tired of your foot on the neck of the economic recovery so that you can hand over SS and Medicare to the very same people who crash the economy!
I comment on many stories on many news media sites and newspapers! There has been a noticeable uptick in anti-gop comments--sometimes rage! So, keep it up, pull us over the cliff, cause another recession, keep making millions of America suffer with your obstinacy! I guess that your wish is to go down in a conflagration of the United States. It's like--- if we cant continue to have it, we take it down with us. Recently, republican officials in FL admitted that their pre-election laws and rules WERE meant to suppress the DEM vote. That is a CLEAR attack on freedom by a party that now admits to impose tyranny!
Go away! We dont need more attacks on the very foundations of these United States by this version of the Republican Party that besmirches its history! The dropoff from Everett Dirksen and Ike , both great Americans, to the slime of Boehner , McCain, Cantor and their ilk is HUGE! And therein lies their shameless attack on America freedom for the sake of the moneyed and corporate elite!!
The GOP hate and illness continues at every turn. Mr President, stand firm against the GOP sickness. Get the people business done. This will be your legacy.
OBAMA - YES!!!!!!
Rice is part of the Obama inner circle. She lies upon command.
FILIBUSTER......Now just what are the RACIST DEMOCRATS cutting and how much?