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Subscribe to RSSThe committee vote for Chuck Hagel to be defense secretary is set for tomorrow.
Top Republicans on the committee are threatening a walk out, but John McCain (R-AZ) isn't one of them.
“I will not participate in any walkout of tomorrow’s Committee vote – an action that would be disrespectful to Chairman [Carl] Levin and at odds with the best traditions of the Senate Armed Services Committee," said McCain, who previously served as ranking member of the committee.
McCain and Hagel, who both served in Vietnam, were Senate allies until Hagel split with McCain over his criticism of the surge in Iraq, which McCain proposed.
McCain gave Hagel a hard time for that stance during his confirmation hearing, demanding a yes or no answer to whether he was right or wrong about the surge. Hagel refused, and instead said Iraq may have been the worst foreign policy decision since Vietnam.
But, despite that tension, in the days since that uneven testimony, McCain, who says he's leaning against Hagel's nomination, has come to Hagel's defense, arguing against the outright blockage of Hagel's nomination.
Days after Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) left open the possibility of filibustering Hagel's nomination, McCain came out against that.
Then, after Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and James Inhofe (R-OK), the current ranking member of Armed Services, said they would try to block Hagel, McCain is saying those efforts go too far.
For Hagel's part, NBC's Michael Isikoff talked to Chuck Hagel’s brother Tom, who says Chuck Hagel will not withdraw. In fact, he’s going to “fight harder.” Tom Hagel says the only way he’d withdraw is if the White House wanted him to, and the White House is sticking by him.
Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) said he would hold a full Senate vote on Hagel either Wednesday or Thursday, reports NBC's Mike Viqueira.
EDITOR'S NOTE: A previous version of this post reported that McCain was going to vote against Hagel, but McCain has not made a final decision. He is, instead "leaning against" Hagel.
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Vote him in or vote him out. Quit playing games and do the business of this country.
Nancy Pelosi says that the government DOESN'T have a spending problem......what planet is this _unt from?
Where did she say "the government doesn't have a spending problem"?
In an interview with the biased media, thats where she said it.
"House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) claim this weekend that the government doesn’t have a spending problem..."
http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2013/02/12/1580111/three-charts-that-show-america-doesnt-have-a-spending-problem/
I hope that amnesia doesn't strike when we become the united states of greece
I heard the dictionary companies are changing the definition of the word " STUPID " . The new definition will just be " REPUBLICAN ".
no dumber...dumb for dems
So, the Republicans on the committee that will vote on Mr. Hagel might walk out? That only shows the GOP is determined to sabotage everything Obama is trying to do to set up the government of this country. The GOP is offended by every Democrat in office, and the nation should be outraged that our own Congress cannot get along. It is time to clean house! Get rid of every Congressman that refuses to work toward straightening out this country's problems and refuse to pay Congress until the start doing their job. If Congressmen got paid by the number of hours they actually spent in session and voting on things, we could take all that money we'd save and put it toward paying down Americans' mortgages or helping them recover from natural disasters. Congress itself is just one contrived disaster after another.
Mules brother. And you look like a certified d-k head. Must be related to seeking 'but never finding" sanity.
I wonder where Lindsay Graham and his Republican bigot buddies get their KKK uniforms cleaned.
This has nothing to do with Hagel and everything to do with rank racism.
same place i get mine cleaned. no place, the democrats uses the same procedure to get what they want, if the white house will answer the questions, stop skirting the questions, like thier leader obama, and for once just give an answer relevant to the question, this issue could have been avoided, but he didn't answer, so steps were taken, and omg=== the liberal socialist democrats and the white house cry foul. oh boo hoo. just answer the questions. or were the 4 deaths in benghazi not worth an honest answer.
I am watching the live stream of the hearing and the Right is trying to turn it into a witch hunt.
Can't they just stand in the corner and hold their breath until they turn blue? (And then go for another 10 minutes.)
The threat to walk out, not vote, filibuster, or whatever other nonsense they're planning, isn't the result of racism. I'd guess about 10% of the hatred towards Obama has a racist element.
There's been a building anger on the right since the Soviet Union collapsed and deprived us of our chief enemy. Now, the more extreme conservatives must find a substitute and, if none exists, they'll invent one.
The incandescent hatred from the right began before anyone heard of Obama. Hillary Clinton's hair ribbon was so vilified in 1992 that she finally stopped wearing it. Whitewater was a symptom of the growing hatred. And then, of course, the special investigator charged with investigating Whitewater managed to uncover a back-room bj in the White House which, we might remember, led to an impeachment.
They don't hate Obama because he's black. They hate him because they believe that liberals are immoral.
I am so tired of the Dems did this and the Repubs did that. What a bunch of crap this government has turned into. I am so tired of voting for who will do the less harm than actually having someone i could vote for that will do the most good.. How many people here voted for someone that they actually thought could do the country some good. Or did you just vote political lines because there wasnt a good choice.. Not just the president, but congress as well. Its time to wake up America and find someone that can do what is right in this country. Stop the madness.. This is the first year i ever went to the poles and voted strictly against every incumbent. Both State wide and national... We need to find someone to lead us up and out of this mess, and neither the Dems or Repubs have a person to do that. We need to find someone to help us before its to late.
Its for sure that regardless of what the issue is, the msnbc staffers are present in numbers to bash, slam, or shame, and ridicule any and all who so ever speaks against obama, or any of obamas cronies. it can be reassuring that the socialist liberal democrats will hang together regardless of how stupid the president acts, or again, his cronies. One day when the country is broke, officially, cause its already broke, but the democrats don't want to say it, maybe the sheep will awake. would be nice if it was before the slaughter, but none the less, they will continue to shame and blame, with the support of the biased media, of anyone who doesn't agree with his imperial hindass Obama.
So according to your ranting here justifies the Republicans to walk out? Thats asinine!!!!
The Repukes have hit an all time low! Children on the floor kicking their feet cause they did not get what they want. How can they continually damage the Republican name???
When they walk out they need to do America a favour and keep walking till they get all the way home and stay there and submit their resignations by E-Mail and hopefully they will take every other Republicon in the Senate with them.
"WALK OUT" so childish. They were elected to participate in congress not walk out like spoiled children, "talk my ball and go home"
What does walking out accomplish?
http://thegrio.com/2012/06/28/democrats-walk-out-on-holder-contempt-vote/
McBitter just need to retire, get over himself, and become the drunk his father,grandfather were. MISS GRAHAM needs to come outta closet,get laid!!
No one should forget when a SC newspaper forced Ms. Graham to stop wearing the Vietnam Service ribbon he put himself in for, after they researched Lindsey's service records and found out that he'd never left Charleston, SC once during the Vietnam War. His excuse that he was "in a support role" was not good enough cover for his cowardice. Hagel served, Lindsey pretended to serve. That's the comparison and the reason Lindsey hates Hagel.
Obama + Kerry + Hagel = bringing a knife to a gunfight ...McCain proves that he is in O's pocket...thank God for the French!
History shows that weakness invites conflict...Korea, Middle East, South China Seas, Africa, Egypt, Libya...btw where was Hillary at 3:00 am and where was POTUS after the 5:00pm briefing on the terrorist attack in Benghazi...hiding?