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President Barack Obama's choice to lead the Pentagon, former GOP Sen. Chuck Hagel, will likely be confirmed next week, one of his most dogged opponents said Sunday.
"I'm confident that Sen. Hagel will probably have the votes necessary to be confirmed as secretary of defense," Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press."
After Senate Republicans voted to sustain a filibuster and block the former Nebraska senator's nomination from advancing toward confirmation, McCain acknowledged that Hagel will likely win confirmation once the chamber returns from its recess.
Arizona Sen. John McCain visits Meet the Press to discuss the ongoing battles in Washington over Chuck Hagel's defense secretary nomination, the sequester and government spending, and the Benghazi incident investigation.
"I think it's a reasonable amount of time to have questions answered," McCain said of the week-and-a-half-long window which Senate Republicans demanded to pore more thoroughly over their former colleague's records.
Democrats and the Obama administration have complained that a filibuster for a defense secretary nominee is without precedent. Moreover, they argue that filling the defense post is particularly urgent given outgoing Secretary Leon Panetta's plans to leave the Pentagon, and the looming "sequester" of automatic spending cuts, which fall heavily upon the defense budget.
The administration publicly shrugged off, though, the notion that the delay had damaged Hagel's ability to serve effectively.
"No, he's not going to be a weaker defense secretary," said Denis McDonough, the president's new chief of staff, "he's going to be a great defense secretary."
Wrapped up into the GOP's objections are the desire to ding the administration, a demand for fuller answers to the Sept. 11, 2012 attacks on the diplomatic post in Benghazi, Libya, and personal quarrels with Hagel over his criticism of President George W. Bush and the handling of the war in Iraq. McCain denied, though, that Republicans' attacks on Hagel were personal in nature.
"99 percent of it has to do with the positions Sen. Hagel has taken," he said.
The Hagel fight has consumed Congress in recent weeks, threatening to expend Obama's political capital as he enters a second term. It's yet to be seen whether this fight, and the looming fight to replace the sequester with other equivalent savings, would affect other elements of the Obama agenda — including gun control, and immigration.
Amid a New York Times report that suggested the White House had pushed ahead with its own immigration bill, McDonough said it was consistent with Obama's promise to simply be prepared with his own alternative plan. Obama, McDonough said, was still hoping that a bipartisan Senate group would be able to produce its own comprehensive immigration reform proposal.
"I believe we're making progress on a bipartisan basis," said McCain, a member of the eight-member, bipartisan Senate group working on the immigration proposal. The Arizona senator said, though, that Obama had had no communications with the Senate group.
"Does the president really want a result?" asked McCain, reflecting Republicans' concerns on the politics of immigration. "Or does he want another cudgel so he can beat up Republicans to get an advantage in the next election?"
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"I'm confident that Sen. Hagel will probably have the votes necessary to be confirmed as secretary of defense," Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press."
Get it done then, stop stalling. Once this is done and you get voted out, you can go back to Puerto Rico where you were born and run for King.
Does this mean that McCain's personal vendetta really hasn't had an effect on the more thoughtful. Actually McCain has made an ass of himself in front of the nation with his outbursts and indignant attitude. If he truly believes the confirmation will still go through, then what was his point?
I really do not see the issue..of them stopping the first vote does anyone know there strategy of why
did they do this to see..if Americans were behind them on this??..this is one thing that has me scratching my head about
So have Govs Brewer and Perry finished planning with John how to merge their new country/republic? Will they try to connect through New Mexico or steal more land from Mexico to make AZ and TX link up (kind of what the Mexican-American War was about 170 years ago, guess the historians call that a land grab and not a boundary dispute war)?
losers of the past should stay in the past,like mcain,palin,romney,bush,ect
did they have someone in mind they do not want to say the name.. or what
Mr. Cocksuxer said he ok! we now can go home now. What a bitter old FART.
McCains a bitter old man. Hes one of the most partisan backstabbers in there. Make no mistake.
What a joke this old man has become. Questions answered? All he wanted was his pound of flesh because he felt Hagel betrayed the republican party. He admitted as much on Fox after the last vote. And the funny thing is, he considered himself a "maverick". Yet when a true maverick stood up, McCain pooped in his pants and started whining. He and Graham, that illustrious child senator from South Carolina need to go through puberty and let their balls drop. Then maybe they can deal with situations like adults.
hahahaha..i think ones a secret homo..just look how he talks and walks
I watched a vote taking place the other day where Rubio ran into the senate voted, then turned around to some of his redumdlican colleagues to make sure he voted like they wanted .
Let's see. So that makes it Obama (99). Republicans (0). Ok who is up next at bat.
McCains next investigation will be "Who stole the Strawberries".
Capt Queeg lol
yep
That's funny...a credible liberal...hahahahaha
There are very few liberals in the Dem party. Mostly Moderates. It seems that the Dems gave you Repubs the Conservatives back in the '60s / '70s (Dixiecrats) after The northern liberal arm of the party (with help from some key Repubs) gave blacks equal rights. You guys returned the favor by kicking the moderates out of your party in the '80s / '90s. Now you call everybody that does not agree with your extreme views "liberals". The Dem party is the party of inclusion.The Repub party is the party of EXclusion. Until you change that, you will become more and more irrelevent.
That is very true, Phillie. The current Democratic Party is extremely diverse in ideology right now. Many members of our caucus I would consider more conservative than liberal. We are able to caucus together, though, and unite on a common agenda. The Dems ideological diversity caused problems during the Bush years, they were unable to be an effective opposition party because too many Dems sided with Bush. Yet, somehow our party is stronger and liked by the people more than the current Republican party. The current Republicans are demanding their party members to assimilate to an extreme conservative/ borderline Nationalist ideology. Liberal is not a bad word, anyway, we shouldn't need to defend it. It literally means to have an open mind.
This has been a great jobs party...jobs jobs jobs...funny stuff
I respect Hagel's military service however I have allot of reservations especially after the deplorable performance during his confirmation hearing. He just doesn't seem to be the right/properly qualified individual for the job in my opinion.
who would you like Glenn beck..a man who does not think first
Of course not Elvis the guy has no military service record, Hagel does however that in itself shouldn't automatically qualify him either, he seems incompetent and failed to answer questions. Why do you guys always have to make this a partisan issue? Give me a break, what you should want is the most qualified individual for the job regardless of politics.
TJ
He answered the questions, he just didn't say what you wanted to hear.
You prove my point so well starbuck49 that head up the ass sydrome is alive and well.
TJ
Wouldn't the gopers vote him down if they thought the answers were still wrong? You just can't seem to believe the answers he gave, but the rest of the committee did.
I think that the only people who believe that there are still "questions" to be answered from Hagel are the lowbrow Neanderthals like Cruz who want to engage in groundless and cynical innuendo like Joe McCarthy. As to McCain, why did you support filibuster if you knew Hagel has the votes?
The GOP repeatedly criticizes the Administration for not offering it own plan, and when the White House has a plan option for immigration reform, the same silly GOP mouthpieces criticize the President for developing a plan.
Regardless of where one stands on the substance of the issues, the GOP tactics seem stupid and juvenile.
McCain: you belong in a nursing home, not the Senate. You are a two faced hypocrite....... By the way how's that bitch sarah palin doing.........I haven't read about her lately on the web???????????
A GOP Senator critical of some of his own parties past polices? Sounds like the kind of person to serve with all Americans in mind.
The the Commander in Chief and military leaders run the department of Defense, the Secretary only think they do. It doesn't matter what boble-head they have in place.
John McCain is a senile, drooling, smelly old coot and a disgrace. What is the matter with the people of Arizona? Don't they have any young people? Our geriatric government looks like something out the the Soviet Era. Shoot (pardon), Gabby Giffords has more going on upstairs than McCain, and she was shot in the face. We need term limits and a mandatory retirement age of 65 for professional politicians.
Typical old school republican response, Give In To The liberal democrats and their agenda to Destroy America. Your to old to serve us so get the hell out of office or you might as well join the democratic party. You McCain like boehner and the rest of the old school republicans are a FK'n Joke. Ass Holesssssssss.
McCain is a disgrace.
"Need to pour more throughly over (Hagel's) words" Give me a break. The R's have all but eaten each word. Just huffed up and puffed up crap by Republicans. How many words did they "go over" before entering Iraq on false grounds?
Obama 1-----Lucas McCain & Lindsay Graham Kracker 0
Obama .. that is the bastard that was born to his unwed bytch mother from a father who had 4 wives at once and none were his mother Obama ... right ?
ISLENSKUR, You have anger issues. Please get some help.
Karl ... i stated known Facts ... anger has nothing to do with it at all.
A person is a bastard if born to an unwed mother, who then is a bytch .. and his father did have 4 wives at once .... and none were obama's mother ... it is what it is.
I suggest you address the racist term 60's called a person, thats anger .... again, i only stated known facts
Poor sad islenskur. What's it like to be so filled with hate?
Poor Poor Liberals .. you guys just cant handle facts .. so like always you ignore them and just insult.
Amazing also how you clowns dont call the guy using the term Kracker as having anger or hate ... then again .. typical. Your Boy 60's is a racist.
BTW 60s it is spelled with a C
Your facts are facts from FAUX NEWS,thereby everyone else knows them as lies. You Repukes wouldn't know truth if it hit you in the face because the Republican Party is nothing but LIES and Deceit. Islenskur does that name mean stupid A$$HOLE? If not, well you are one anyway.
60's ... what i wrote doesnt come from FOX or any other news .. comes from Obama's own words in his book ... and from his birth-certificate ...
Let me guess .. you adore obama, but you never read his own book now did you.
a fatherless child grows up as president..wow..
elvis - So your statement means what? That a person who grows up without a father isn't as good as one who has a father? That a person who grows up without a father can't be an intelligent and wise person? Wow, are you showing your insecurity! Some of the most incredible people have faced problems in their lives.
What makes you so "special"? Oh, nothing, that's what I thought!