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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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Wow! That list of Republicans is a real band of yo=yos. They probably would have preferred Don Rumsfeld's portfolio. Vitter? Inhofe? Does anyone take these maroons seriously anymore? And don't get me started on Lindsey Graham. The party of stupid.
Our new DNC anthem will be the following:
♫ GOP, You keep saying you've got something for US.
♫ something you call love, but confess.
♫ You've been messin' where you shouldn't have been a messin'
♫ and now someone else is gettin' all your best.
♫ These boots are made for walking, and that's just what they'll do
♫ the day have come and these boots are walking all over you.
♫ GOP, You keep lying, when you oughta be truthin'
♫ and you keep losin' when you oughta not bet.
♫ You keep samin' when you oughta be changin'.
♫ Now what's right is right, but you ain't been right yet.
♫ These boots are made for walking, and that's just what they'll do
♫ the day has come and these boots are walking all over you.
♫ GOP, You keep playin' where you shouldn't be playin
♫ and you keep thinkin' that you´ll never get burnt.
♫ Ha! We just found US a brand new box of matches yeah
♫ and what Liberals know you ain't HAD time to learn.
♫ Are you ready boots? START WALKING.
love it love it - thanks
thanks -- made me laugh -- and I need that after a day of reading the news...
The GOP is such an unpatriotic, deplorable and frankly ridiculous group at this point, that I'll just pop some more popcorn and watch the implosion continue.
Nothing like these gop old hacks eating their own dying breed...
If the Republican Party can't either control or remove the T.P. from their group I think that they should consider calling themselves another name and move to center stage in the political arena,leaving the T.P. as a lunatic fringe in our political system. That would allow the voters to decide if they truly wish for a far right wing group to have power in our country. I.M.O. that would be the death of this aberration and we could go back to being one of the more progressive nations in the Democratic World.
Does anyone think that if a company, who may employee you keep spending and spending would last. Hell no. The bank would take everything they owned and shut down. Why does the government think they can keep spending. Lets get a balanced budget and stop wasting resources bickering. It's not who has the highest approval rating or what people think. It' taking responsibility to make sure our debt = revenue. We can't keep raising taxes, which I am taxed to death as many of you are. Cuts are necessary to get this country back on track. I have worked since I was 15 and have at no time asked the government for anything. It's time people start taking care of themselves instead of letting the government do it. Smaller government = less debt = people starting companies and producing revenue = making this country good again.
spoken like a True Republican - do you know the history of the financial crisis, do you understand Government spending and the need to do so in a time of crisis. I beg to differ with you, you have taken from the Government you just don't realize how. and if you apparently sound finances change, my guess is that you would ask the Government for something, but my guess is that you have no idea of what it means to be homeless, hungry, out of work, sick without health insurance.
and btw you can keep raising taxes, closing tax loopholes and then cut some spending
Feistygirl, after the spelling and grammar eff ups in sentence 1, I gave your post all the attention it deserved. I stopped reading it. You need some serious remedial work and a lobotomy.
You've never driven on a road, (built with government money) mailed a letter, (used the US postal service), had a medical treatment, (most medical treatments are either directly developed at NIH, or vetted by them) been to a National Park (government funded) gone to a public school, or a state university, driven in a snowfall (plow drivers are government employees, except on toll roads) or gotten a driver's license or passport? (government documents issues by government agencies) If you've done any of these things, you've asked the government for something.
when the Republican Tea Party has their collective foot in their collective mouths why don't they just shut up and why oh why would they invite Palin and West to Cpac and why would faux news hired some of the same documented fools to replace the old fools
my God, even if some of us Democrats wanted to help them get it together for the good of our country - they are obviously to far gone to help
I would like to issue an invitation to any Republican who would like to leave the party of stupid and join us - we would support you in every way possible - think about it
Both parties are stupid
no they are not both stupid
Seriously. One really *is* stupid, and it's not the Dems.
"Third Republican comes out..."
I'm just waiting for Lindsay Graham to come out.
In favor of Hagel! What did you think I meant?
you know what we were thinking when you said come out lol
"It's not who has the highest approval rating or what people think."
Uhm Reistygirl, I think it is
I call for the withdrawal of the right wingnut, wacko, looney tuners, posing to be in the best interest of the republican party. The war mongering, supporters of the super rich, bride takers, American tax payer money stealing, Paul Ryan hair piece wearing, cool-aide out of a tea cup drinking, idiots. And I'm only just beginning to express my true feelings.
If people can't start a business and keep,it going they need to fail,,,,losers will lose winners will win
This is not about Hagel. This is all about obstructing President Obama.
This is not about Hagel. This is about retribution toward any Republican who chooses integrity over party, who chooses independence over obedience, who chooses honesty over party propaganda.
This is not about Hagel. This is about adolescent if not childish reassertion of power after an ultimately embarrassing Nov '12 election where the GOP not only failed to capture a Senate majority but lost two seats.
This is not about Hagel. This is about trying to resurrect a failed Bush-Cheney, neoconservative foreign policy of belligerence, of pre-emptive strikes, of sacrificing American lives and Middle Eastern lives to pursue an imperialist dream of world domination.*
This is not about Hagel. This is about Republican Senators appeasing extremely wealthy but extremely conservative, oligarchic, plutocratic political doners.
This is not about Hagel.
*see Project for a New American Century (PNAC)
I think everyone outside of a booby hatch can agree that it's not about Hagel. He's nothing much more than a tool being used to attack Obama through the only "issue" still viable -- Benghazi, about which, like the birth certificate, no information will really be enough.
But, though your reasons seem sound, I wonder what they look like from the inside of Graham's and Inhofe's heads. Do they know why they're doing it? Do they realize the political consequences? Do they know how idiotic they look to most of the country?
That is, they appear to realize the benefits -- embarrass Obama -- but do they grasp the consequences?
The 3 GOP/TEA Senators that are now going to vote for Chuck Hagel, must have decided to take a break from the "STUPID PARTY, CLOWN CAR" of taking this Country down on IDEOLOGY and Hate of a President who only tried to use their Ideas to Govern the Country when they were A SANE PARTY at one time.
I am URGING the President to STAND BY Chuck Hagel, AND DO NOT withdraw this Nomination and MAKE THE CLOWN CAR, which now passes as the GOP Congress, Vote on this so that the Public can see WHAT A SHAM of a Once Respected Political Party has become and how far they are WILLING TO GO TO BRING THE COUNTRY DOWN to Spite a President.
Did NBC actually place an exclamation point in the headline? Oh my, if anyone really still believes they are nothing but a propaganda tool.... wow.
Of course the left media wants to turn this into a Republican/Dem thing... but in reality I think people are now missing the point that a lot of Senators and Congressmen just simply have a huge problem with this guy not being either qualified or stable enough for the position, and all they really want from the president is another nominee... he/she can still be all up with the president... just not crazy and goofy.
Then put it a vote. Right?
Pretty simple.
Were Obama to cave in on the Hagel nomination, he might as well figuratively piss on the fire and call in the dogs, for his second term "hunt" would be over. Hagel will ultimately get far more votes to confirm than is currently expected. All these dissenters with huge defense contractors in their states and districts might want to consider a fact ~ Hagel will run the DoD and reprisals are not prohibited in this game. I'd imagine the sane among GOPers will come to understand that prior to the vote ~ and vote accordingly. Quite frankly, I hope his confirmation is strictly a party-line vote and Chuck acts accordingly.
Ironic that only two of the 15 senators asking for Army veteran Hagel's withdrawal are veterans themselves.
Super
Ronald Reagan's "Eleventh Commandment" comes to mind:
Thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican.
Plenty of sinners now under the sparsely-populated "big tent." Great job, guys.
The GOP is so immersed in blocking everything on the table that I am starting to doubt that they will do anything over the next two years but create major issues out of non-issues. The party of NO still lives in DC and the only way to get things moving is to vote them all out in the 2014 elections. If they think that isn't possible they better take another look at their current popularlity and the giant loses they suffered in 2012. Republicans in Congress remind me of the spoiled brats wanting to take over the playground in elementary school. I don't believe they care about the country as a whole and it shows.
How does a Republican take a pee? From the top of his head. Oops, except for Lindsay Graham, he has to sit on a toilet.
OK...while I never post on these things, I could not NOT pass up on this. I am both Republican AND Democrat. I vote on issues, not just on party affiliation alone. What I do NOT understand, is that I thought our elected officials are sent to Congress to do the business of the PEOPLE(the country and constituents). When you have a Senator like Graham(who at one time I believed did some good), now does a "180" on a guy (Hagel), who is/was part of his own party, I have to wonder, what is HIS(Graham's) agenda. It seems to me that when you are weakened, as Graham is, he is trying to find SOMETHING to take a stand on(even when its wrong/misguided) as to only keep his seat/job.
This kind of reminds me of Strom Thurmond. I did not agree with his politics, but I do applaud him for serving as long as he did, but much like Thurmond, who at the end, had to have someone hold his head up FOR him. You have to ask, WHO are you serving at the point where you are no longer an advocate for the people, and you are no longer relevant, but desperately trying to keep your job?
Graham is up for re-election in 2014 and he is doing his damnedest to prevent drawing a Tea Party opponent in the primaries next year. So long as he can keep up the hardline conservative image, he can very likely succeed in that effort. But make no mistake, its all window dressing with Graham; very little substance. James Inhofe is simply a gold-plated @!$%# from birth who occasionally finds the need to shine his sphincter at any cost.
It all points to the reality of the drastic need for getting career politicians out of politics. They establish their support, their loyalty and their focus on serving their own interests as well as just those of their strong supporters, while feeling invincible and totally able to con the people and manipulate public opinion. Get money out of politics, establish term limits, have better oversight and stronger regulations to control lobbyists, their actions and their movement in and out of government, then maybe our representatives would concentrate on honestly and responsibly serving the people.
Its impossible to be both anymore. I have Never voted a party line, EVER. I always voted for the candidate that I thought would do a better job. I may have been wrong on occasion but, I did my best not to be closed minded.
I can no longer sit and watch as the Republicans block and obstruct our government. They are purposefully doing everything they can to ruin this country. For what? to say oh look the Democrats plan didn't work for the last 8 years? This isn't about them trying to block and obstruct everything to get Obama to be a one term president any more. That ship has sailed. So why are they still doing it?
The only thing that comes to mind is they are racists, bigots, or are just doing what the corporations want, or a combination of all three. I am none of, nor subscribe to, any of those things Republicans now represent. Republicans need to go into a meeting behind closed doors and throw out, one by one, all of the obstructionists. Or they will continue to lose public support. 2014 is coming and if they don't stop, and do some serious soul searching, they are going to find themselves out in the cold.
We need the Republican Party. We need both parties, we need to move forward as a nation. We have to compete with other countries that are surging past us in everything from education to exports, we are losing the battle on independence from Oil. Losing on the Science and Technical front. Jobs are leaving the country at a record pace. We need both of our parties. Democrats and Republicans to work together to succeed. The old saying holds true. "United We Stand, Divided We Fall"
The GOP self destructing.
Not fast enough for me.
@Rev J. Wright
Outstanding!
This is great...talk about bias!!! Look at the headline does all of the breathless announcing and exclamation marks note a strong bias? OF COURSE! Maybe try this one next time "They're in! Thank the LORD Obama was able to get his questionable candidate in over evil doers asking questions that aren't being answered!"
What's really hilarious about the "questionable candidate" is that Hagel was going to be Romney's first choice to head DoD and without question he would have nominated him for the post. Good luck with the faux indignation, GOPers. You wanted transparency? Well, the entire world can see right through this objection being tossed around by Graham, Inhofe & Company. You might want to consider a fig leaf.
so cool being a lib as you can make stuff up and say it with a straight face. The other side is so busy fact checking and you move on! Jim Talent was Romney's likely pick. Want to try another lie as that one, as typical, fell through.
When the Republicans stop playing politics with everything and start responsibly and honestly representing the people instead of just their political ambitions and the interests of their strong supporters and masters, "the money", then they will once again deserve the people's honest consideration.
Republicans haven't raised any real objections to Hagel. They just want to derail any nominations that Obama wants.
These highly contrived objections are good enough for Cornyn, whose excuse for objecting to Hagel is that he doesn't have widespread bipartisan support.
The GOP-manufactured Washington quagmire continues.
Well Hell ~ neither does Obama. But that is the system we have in place. Seems to work fairly well for GOPers when they hold the White House and congress but it immediately becomes suspect when they don't. Cornyn, the Texas SENIOR senator, has to make a few waves. He has a Tea Party plant in Ted Cruz, the freshman, that is ambitous, ruthless, and will do anything for attention in his quest for a loftier perch. All of the little GOPers are scurrying around for headlines.
Mr. President don't back down on your nomination of a good man. If you withdraw Hagel they win and for no justifiable reason but to score points against you. Stand firm, sir, and maybe more Republicans will see the light and enough will support his nomination so he will be confirmed. Mr. Hagel's perseverance is admirable. Most people wouldn't stand for all the brow beating and utter bs that has been heaped on him. Because of this true grit I would suggest that Hagel is an even stronger candidate for Defence Secretary and that is, after all, what we need in a S of Defence posititon.