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Former Sen. Chuck Hagel, President Obama's choice to lead the Defense Department, has generated some controversy, but is nevertheless well positioned to earn Senate confirmation. There's been some chatter about an unprecedented Republican filibuster -- no modern cabinet nominee has ever faced such obstructionism -- but there are more than enough votes to overcome the opposition.
So, it's over? With Hagel set to clear the Senate Armed Services Committee today, it's only a matter of time before the Nebraska Republican is sworn in, right? As Ali Gharib reported late last night, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) has put a new roadblock between Hagel and confirmation -- and it's a doozy.
The problem is that the "committee's review of the nomination" will never be completed to the liking of Hagel's Republican opponents, because they've set an impossible bar for the nominee to clear. A Democratic official working on Hagel's confirmation told me: "What they're asking is unprecedented, and it's clear that it's information that he's unable to provide." The official noted that the U.S. had myriad national security concerns on its plate, not least of which was the 66,000 American troops deployed in Afghanistan right now.
Norman Ornstein, an expert on Congressional procedures with the American Enterprise Institute, called the requests "unprecedented." "I think it's a pretty ridiculous and outrageous thing to ask," he said. "You could say that there's been requests for detailed information [in the past], but this goes even beyond the intrusive questionnaires candidates fill out during the vetting process."
Though it appeared the review process, and the scrutiny of Hagel's background, was complete, Cruz launched a new salvo, asking for financial information about private companies he was affiliated with but does not control. Hagel's already provided as much information as he has access to, including everything from his own personal holdings and investment portfolio, but he found some of Cruz' inquiries literally impossible to answer.
For the right-wing Texan and 24 of his Senate GOP allies, this means Hagel is being uncooperative and secretive.
Indeed, the accusations are arguably worse than that -- since Hagel served on some corporate boards, and some of those companies do international business, Republicans have begun arguing that unless the Senate has access to those companies' private business disclosures, then there may be reason to believe Hagel was "unduly influenced by foreign governments."
Making matters slightly worse, Cruz has demanded written transcripts of speeches Hagel delivered for which there was no prepared text and no recordings.
It's unlikely these ridiculous requests for unavailable information will derail Hagel's nomination, but for reasons that are unclear, Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich.) has agreed to delay the confirmation process while far-right senators demand more -- and by any fair measure, unreasonable -- disclosure.
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Unless the Republicans are conceding that they will never again hold the Presidency or control the Senate, they need to remember what goes around, comes around.
Too many DLC/DINO/Repuke-Lite dumbocrap senators (and a Harry 'spineless' Reid) for this to ever happen to a repuke president or repuke controlled senate.
They're counting on the fact that the Democrats simply won't be as dickish as they're being, since it's in their nature to be more reasonable. Democrats believe in running government, the right wing of the GOP only cares about blowing things up. They know the Democrats won't be able to come down to their level -- and if they do, things still blow up, so it's all good.
And again thanks must go to the ever "reasonable" Harry Reid and his dickweed Republican-enabling filibuster reform and the other "reasonable" Democrats like Levin for putting up with the transparent nonsense in the name of "bipartisanship." Instead of squashing this shhit, these idiots enable it.
All anyone needs to do to understand Cruz and his ilk is understand his Tea Party looniness and look at the things he's said in the past. He's only just beginning his rampage of gumming up the gears and shhitting all over the Senate. To put up with it in the very beginning is only going to embolden him. Way to go, Levin.
Dis: Apples and oranges... No aspect of fillibuster reform covered this. You are simply making crap up trying to blame Democrats for Republican insanity. Cruz has no leg to stand on here, you try to give him credit just to whine about Democrats in the Senate. Thats OK, but just be aware you are once again wrong.
Problem is, it doesn't. Democrats don't behave the way Republicans do. So if the shoe is on the other foot, don't expect any payback.
Aw..., the forum's Dependably Useless Democrat, Lebowsky Dud, had to chime in with his penetrating insight of the obvious instead of seeing the big picture. He's so cute and cuddly when he does that. Why the country keeps moving right is because the political fight is between DUD's like him whose Prime Objective is being "reasonable" and "getting a deal" and "bipartisan" instead of winning and unmovable asswholes on the right. Guess who wins? That's right. The asswholes on the right.
And Cruz will, despite not being able to do anything substantive over Hagel, feel even more emboldened to pull the same stunts. Way to tell the good ol' Tea Pottier how to behave himself, Levin. You gotta love the wussy Democrats. They just keep enabling in the name of being "reasonable."
Discombobulated: Interesting tidbit about the "big picture", you are actually on to something. Levin likely delayed the vote because Brennan is going before the same committee today. Levin is a seasoned professional politician with decades of service, which is a nice contrast to you, a fella on the internet who makes crap up and complains alot. I trust him alot more than I do you, he has to govern, he has to do more than throw grenades. You are a gut-level person, someone who looks to instant gratification over deep thought, someone who has alot in common with Ted Cruz...
Yes, I saw you gaming out the situation below in your typical hypothetical making-crap-up way, then come back here to accuse others of making crap up in your Dependably Useless Democrat way. Good job, Mr. Self Unaware DUD.
Another Lebowsky Dud post, another dud defending lameassery.
Disjointed: Blaming Democrats for Republican insanity is your schtick, and it is getting old with forward thinking folks on this blog. You have become a One Trick Pony, blaming Harry Reid for everything, and insulting those who dare to point out facts that refute your narrow focus. Have you ever considered using something called strategy, or do you feel fighting tooth and nail is the right thing to do in all cases? Cruz would love a bitter and protracted fight, it would make him a hero with the goombahs. I realize this is way over your head, so I tried to use basic terms and words...
Levin is such an idiot when it comes to dealing with these scum. How he has the reputation he does is beyond me. What a tool.
Poor ol' Lebowsky Dud. His species, isolated away in a part of the country that makes his particular brand of cluelessness about the country he lives in possible defines himself as "forward looking" and is completely unaware he is exactly the kind of Dependably Useless Democrat that makes it impossible to stand up to the people who keep moving the country back to the pre-Enlightenment.
What a frickin' DUD, you are, Lebowsky Dud. Might as well be a Tea Potty boy. The result is the same.
Where's the comity Cruz? Ready yet Mr. Reid to rethink yours regarding the filibuster? -Kevo
Does anyone know what Levin's reason is?
I was thinking along the lines of "giv'em enough rope" .
This is a travesty. The GOP will do anything to block what the president wants. Why bother with elections if the GOP house still obstructs everything the president does?
I am sick and tired of the right-wing people holding our government hostage for purely political and ideological reasons, 99.9% of which are trumped up nonsense.
"Why bother with elections if the GOP house still obstructs everything the president does?"
Perhaps the (R)s are hoping many will think this and sit out the 2014 and 2016 elections - allowing them to take over once more...
Did ANY Liberals see his performance in his Nomination hearings? Wow....this idiot would be in charge of gutting the US military in such turbulent,troubling times? Just as in the case of the current Failure-in-Chief...I suppose his performance just doesn't matter......
Scott the only idiot here is you. And the only people performing is your party. Because the simple truth is, they're acting like spoiled children who are determined to get their way.
Non of this has ANY thing to do with Hagel, but rather who nominated him. Secondly our military needs to be gutted. We spend 10x's as much on our military as the next 7 countries combined. Trimming a couple 100 Billion of the Defense budget wont kill them, or our Countries Security. We as a country can be pretty damn safe if we only spent 7 or 8 times as much as the next 7 countries combined or roughly 40% of the worlds population.
Calvin my friend,how are you today? You didn't comment on the guy's performance...that alone speaks volumes.And as far as the military is concerned, I have no problems with the military being cut..as long as it is in Sequestration. That way...the REAL useless programs take the haircut as well. Sacrifice for the greater good as I see it.
Scott,
Definitely wasn't a spectacular performance. However, that's what rational people look like when bombarded with irrational questions and innuendo.
What did you want him to do Scott, get mad at Mc Cranky and his bff Ms Lindsay?The three of them are old friends. Hell, Hegal was McCranky's co-chair.
McCranky and Ms Lindsay were trying to provoke Hegal into lashing back. After all Hegal has a reputation for not suffering fools. Nobody knows that better than McCranky and Ms Lindsay. That is one of the reasons he was nominated. Instead he kept his composure in the face of a full on assault of the most foolish kind. Under the circumstances I think Hegal did OK.
Remember this about Cruz, he was born in Canada and has never spent a second in uniform!
Yet the repukes 'know' that this person of Cuban heritage will get the wild and widespread support of all the Mexican-Americans.
Cruz proves Castro was right about his kind of Cuban when they were labeled "Gusanos" (worms).
And, of course, the dumbocraps will surrender! After all, anyone that the n!gger nominates will never be acceptable to the teabaggers & their puppet McConnell.
You got it backwards, the repukes will surrender, McCain already has.
Wow. While I respect your service to our country, Sad ... that bigoted language is ridiculously 18th Century. Stop showing how ignorant you are ... you're embarrassing yourself.
Hey Lion Queen, he was using the language of the Enemy to remind us of where they're really at. Please remember to engage brain before touching keyboard.
Executive order; IQ testing of Teabaggers. Post the results on line.
A pox on the House of GOP! Mere obstructionism has evolved into complete @$$holery.
Maybe Mr. Cruz should require the same information from his GOTP colleagues to "let the American People" know exactly whose side they are on!!
Maybe then the American sheeple will realize who's really selling US down the river!
Actually...You have American diplomats that BEGGED for more protection BEFORE being murdered due to this Administrations utter incompetence..so WHO is "selling American's down the river"? A more incompetent if not blatantly criminal administration i cannot remember.
Where were you when George W./Darth Chaney were in charge? You forget - it's Congress that votes the purse, so those diplomats that BEGGED, got nothing because the GOTP said NO.
Try again without the talking points!
re #8.1
Yes there was , it is called 9/11 , and Beirut 1986 , which made Libya look like a stubbed toe
I think we can all agree that the republicans in congress are experts on being secretive and uncooperative. Of course they would choose to rephrase those observations when they are the ones being accused. When the right is uncooperative it means they are being decisive, when being secretive they are being protective of security or some such drivel.
I think Levin gave them this delay because Brennan is going before the committee. These goombahs would have thrown a rod and taken it out on Brennan if the vote was not delayed. They will not fillibuster Hagel, and Hagel will end up with around seventy votes.
It's amazing how Hussein ran on an Anti-Bush platform and yet, has followed Bush lock-step in Military strategy..(sans the results)
Scott: Even by troll standards, this post is below board. Obama ran on ending the Iraq War, and expanding the Afghanistan War and taking it directly to the terrorists. He has done exactly that. You get confused because you trust right wing media that tell you Obama is a radical marxist, when the truth is he is a centrist.
Why are people here so cruel as to engage in an "intellectual fight" with little Scotty? It's unfair to fight an unarmed opponent.
So to sum up: Republicans believe it is perfectly OK for candidates for president and vice president to refuse to release tax returns, but refusal (or inability) by a nominee for a cabinet post to produce financial data on companies they do not control is disqualifying. Just another day in the right wing neighborhood.
That sounded idiotic. You do not understand PERSONAL household finances as compared to finances of publicly traded Companies?
Yes. The baseline assumption is that anyone nominated to a position by this particular President is a traitor until he has proved otherwise.
The company you keep defines you...I have no problems with that assumption.
That would make romney and ryan CHAIRMAN MAO , brilliant lol
Cruz is apparently running (hard) for the seat recently vacated by Jim DeMented...the craziest man in the Senate? Texas politics continues to provide the shame of the nation. And I wouldn't be surprised to see Hagel confirmed after all this time-wasting. The War on Obama continues...thanks, GOP! It's not like we need any laws passed or government business attended to...@!$%#s.
Cruz has become the Joe McCarthy of the Senate in a very short time. They'd better be careful or the American Public will be sending copies of The Front to all Senate members. 'Fellas... I don’t recognize the right of this committee to ask me these kind of questions. And furthermore, you can all go @!$%# yourselves.'
Cruz has become the Joe McCarthy of the Senate in a very short time. They'd better be careful or the American Public will be sending copies of The Front to all Senate members. 'Fellas... I don’t recognize the right of this committee to ask me these kind of questions. And furthermore, you can all go F* yourselves.'
Cruz has become the Joe McCarthy of the Senate in a very short time. They'd better be careful or the American Public will be sending copies of The Front to all Senate members. 'Fellas... I don’t recognize the right of this committee to ask me these kind of questions. And furthermore, you can all go F* yourselves.'
That was dumb enough the first time.and HARDLY worth repeating. I wish he would have actually said something along those lines to save the American people the trouble of dealing with an Anti-Semitic individual that would go along with the appeasement strategy of this incompetent administration.
Sorry for repeating...the editor didn't like f*. As for you, it's nice you think you KNOW Hagel by his 'performance'. Not his history, not what he has accomplished. His 'performance' and the talking points from FOX have 'formed' your opinion. The entire HEARING was a performance. There was nothing there to question his ability to be Defense Secretary but as shallow as you are, you evidently think this is all a play.
I knew this would happen after Dirty Harry turned into a pumpkin on us. Isn't there some way to show him the door, there has to be a way to get rid of this slimy, ineffectual quisling.
The eight Dems who were against the Filibuster Rule Changes we wanted were according to The Daily Beast on 1/27 and listed by seniority were as follow: Leahy/75, Baucus/78, Levin/79, Reid/87, Feinstein/92, Boxer/93, Pryor/03, Manchin/10...all other Democratic Senators were in favor of the rule changes. So, Disgusted, and SOV, and Mike - what names will you call these other senators who ought to have voted for America this time for sure? Are they DINOs, too? Will you slander all the others, too?
I hope when Hagel gets confirmed, he opens up a can of whip a$$ on the repub...
For a guy who never served this country a day of his life as a member of any of our military branches, why does Ted Cruz even have a voice about people who did. People that served loyally, bravely and honorably. Who served under withering enemy fire, were wounded, won citations for bravery, came home and continued to serve this country in it’s highest levels of government.
But Ted Cruz? Who’s he trying to kid? In relation to the who he’s critisizing and whose integrity he’s questioning, former Senator Chuck Hagel... Cruz is a rank amatuer. Glaringly so... in more ways than one.
OK, he WAS in some pretty intense debates early in his career, but still...The only fire this guy has ever been under is listening to Supreme Court Justices belittle his opinions from time to time. No live fire, no blood, no guts. Go home every night, have a glass of wine, a nice dinner, and enjoy the family,
Let’s see.. he wants to see the original transcripts from unwritten speeches, you want to see personal holdings and financial records... can he do it the way your Republican Presidential candidate did it? Just tell a bold-faced lie... you also want access to private business disclosures of corporations on which he sat on boards because he may be under “undue influence?”... Cruz must have been scared as a child by the ghost of Joe McCarthy...
WOW... What a guy. Leave the big guy alone, Teddy. Let him do his job. He’ll do it well, and do us proud. Some day when you can act all grown up, you’ll understand.