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Subscribe to RSSEven as one of their members, Richard Shelby of Alabama, now says he will vote in favor of not only cloture for Chuck Hagel to be defense secretary but for the Hagel nomination itself, 15 other Senate Republicans are calling for President Obama to withdraw his nomination.
"While we respect Senator Hagel's honorable military service, in the interest of national security, we respectfully request that you withdraw his nomination," the Republicans wrote to Obama and announced in a press release from Sen. John Cornyn's office. "It would be unprecedented for a Secretary of Defense to take office without the broad base of bipartisan support and confidence needed to serve effectively in this critical position. Senator Hagel's performance at his confirmation hearing was deeply concerning, leading to serious doubts about his basic competence to meet the substantial demands of the office. While Senator Hagel's erratic record and myriad conversions on key national security issues are troubling enough, his statements regarding Iran were disconcerting."
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Members of the Senate Armed Services Committee engage in a sharp discussion regarding Chuck Hagel's nomination as defense secretary and his disclosure of personal income.
Cornyn of Texas is up for reelection this cycle and has a Lone Star State freshman, Ted Cruz, rising as the new darling of the right. The signers of the letter include Cruz, James Inhofe (R-OK), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Roger Wicker (R-MS), David Vitter (R-LA), Mike Lee (R-UT), Pat Toomey (R-PA), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Dan Coats (R-IN), Ron Johnson (R - WI), Jim Risch (R-ID), John Barrasso (R-WY), Tom Coburn (R-OK), and Tim Scott (R-SC).
Notably not signing on, however, were Sens. John McCain (R-AZ) and Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), two-thirds of the Graham-McCain-Ayotte grouping.
Shelby becomes the third Republican to voice public support for Hagel, giving him 58 public yes votes. The other two Republicans to come out in support of Hagel are Thad Cochran of Mississippi and Mike Johanns of Nebraska, who filled Hagel's seat in the Senate. (Johanns announced Monday that he would be retiring when his term ends in 2014.)
Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images file photo
Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL)
"Sen. Shelby intends to support the Hagel nomination barring any unforeseen disqualifications that come to light before the vote," Hagel spokesman Jonathan Graffeo told NBC. "That is not a change of heart. He has always been inclined to support Hagel, but he voted against cloture as a courtesy to members who said they needed more time to examine Hagel's record."
Several Republicans have indicated they would likely support at least cloture after the Senate gets back from its break next week.
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Now if someone like Dick Cheney was nominated for Secretary of Defense these Rightwingers would support him 100%. Yes Dick was a real war hero they would say no doubt. Ignore those five deferments,they were just a Liberal conspiracy.
i wonder how many of these fifteen senators served in the military?
Cruz - No
Inhofe - Army, 1957-58 (zero combat)
Graham - Air Force, 1982-88 (zero combat)
Wicker - Air Force, 1976-80 (zero combat)
Vitter - No
Lee - No
Toomey - No
Rubio - No
Coats - Army 1966-68 (zero combat)
Johnson - No
Risch - No
Barrasso - No
Coburn - No
Scott - No
The only drawback Hagel has is that he is not a war monger, so that anathema does not go with the lunatics of the GOP/TP crowd.
He will be nominated and the Repugnicans will have to live with it. What a bunch of scumbags.
The republicans are the gang that couldn't shoot straight...they're weak and that's why they have become irrelevant...the dems got all 55 votes...the republicans have 5 defectors...i don't know what's worse, not knowing and being unified or knowing what's right and not having spine...it's harder to be an independent these days.
The GOP has made it's bed before Obama was sworn into office. There is all kinds of vacant positions and the GOP won't vote on the people nominated for that position. Been that way since day one. What Obama hasn't done, but can do, and be legal about it, is to appoint, without Senate approval, a temporary care taker to any position.
Then the Senate has a choice to make, put up or shut up about the temporary caretaker. They can get rid of that person by voting in Obama's choice, or just live with the temporary. Either way, Obama is NOT violating the Constitution. But man, I can hear the low informed base screaming their heads off.
The problem with the GOP these days is that they have obstructed for so long NO MATTER WHAT THEY DO I think they are obstructing. That is what happens when you do nothing but obstruct because you don't like someone or a party. They need to get a life and a new party.
The only reason that the Republicans are against Hagel is that Obama nominated him. Had the tables been turned around and Romney was President {thank GOD he isn't] and he had nominated Hagel then the Republicans would have ALL voted for him. These damn Republican senators & congressmen are all worried that they won't be reelected. I hope that is true, I hope they all get beat and maybe we can get some real work done without obstructionism as being practiced by the REPUKES.
These PITA "signers of the letter" do not realize they are PITA to many of us. Some more than others.
What a bunch of retards. What do McCain and Graham have against him? He opposed the Iraq war and he's not a warmonger. Well guess what Goofy Old Pricks, AMERICA thinks the Iraq war was a bad idea, and AMERICA is sick of being warmongers. If you don't like what AMERICA wants then get the hell OUT!
McCain isn't on the list. And Rand Paul is missing too. Rand Paul is against everything so I'm guessing he will vote no on Hagel. Harry really screwed up by not changing the filibuster rules.
I figure that Reid has already told McConnell that if the Republicans don't stop the nonsense, he won't be able to put the brakes on filibuster reform next time.
I love the last line of the story, the most important detail is in it. They are all on vacation! They'll get around to addressing time sensitive matters next week, when they feel like it.
well thefifteen senators got 15 more minutes of fame lets carry on now
These guys are not serious people. It's amazing the way the Republicans always find a deeper bottom of the barrel, although considering the likes of these clowns, no one should be surprised.
You gotta love the democrats....Shelby just proved what a bunch of simpletons are on the left side of the isle. And on top of that Hagel is a Republican, wow can you imagine that. So in the whole democratic party not one of them is qualified to be SECDEF.
No, Shelby just proved what everyone posting here knows, except that is the low informed base of the GOP, that the GOP is not working to help the USA.
From day one, before any policy was decided by Obama, the GOP was saying he was going to be a one term President. Guess what, the GOP LIED back then, and they are LYING now.
And if they are all on vaction, like they say they are, start the recess appointments. Otherwise the D's should stay convened, and pass bills without the GOP. It would force those tard's to get back to work on their obstruction of helping our country.