We talked yesterday that the latest Republican efforts to derail former Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel's nomination to be Defense Secretary, which Rachel covered in more detail last night, including an informative interview with Norm Ornstein. Today, there's been some movement on the issue.
To briefly recap, Hagel's far-right critics, led by freshman Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), have delayed the confirmation process by making demands for information that no cabinet nominee has ever been asked to provide, including transcripts of speeches that don't exist, and confidential financial information for private companies Hagel has been associated with.
As of late Wednesday, Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich.) was willing to indulge Cruz and his allies as they made unreasonable demands. As of this morning, Levin has apparently grown tired of Republican obstructionist tactics.
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich.) on Friday rejected Republican calls for Defense nominee Chuck Hagel to provide more financial information, arguing the demands went "far beyond" what had been required of previous nominees.
Levin said that the Senate Armed Services Committee would vote on Hagel's nomination for secretary of Defense "as soon as possible," which suggests a vote on the former Nebraska senator could come as early as next week.
The chairman was probably overly gracious in delaying the vote in the first place, but I suppose he wanted to go out of his way to be fair. If one-fourth of the Senate wants to explore additional areas of inquiry involving a cabinet nominee, Levin was willing to hear them out.
But now that their demands have exposed as absurd, the game appears to be just about up.
Leave a Comment:
Thanks Sen. Levin! Next time don't entertain the trolls, they've already done enough damage.
If only there were a wee instructive meme concerning egoist exhibitionists . As concerned with how they preen , than of the consequence of dilation , they expand , expound , and exterminate .
Where is Dr Who ?
If we are not careful we may be saying , "Oh , those darn Daleks" .
From now on, the policy in the Senate should be that whatever that Gusano-Canadian Cruz has to say, the answer is no. The guy is further proof we should have never let these Gusanos in to begin with.
I think he did it well enough. He showed he was being fair and above partisanship even though he's a Dem and they are Reps.
Because he did that the nation can see a Dem being fair while Reps are exposed once again, as creatures who put party before country.
This GOP nonsense never ends. Anything they can do to obstruct President Obama is fair game.
The American people are not being served well by Republicans and they will pay a price for their BS. Their favourite activity seems to be to hurt the economy and the American people. Well, we've had enough.
Get this over with, you jerks. Hegel is perfect for this position. Of course, you know this, don't you. You just can't stop playing your hateful little games. Anything to aggravate the president, no matter the cost.
Good for Levin. It's about time these people took some serious punches in the mouth. It's the only way to handle these nihilist Neo-Confederate bullies.
This must be some kind of left wing conspiracy, therefor impeach Obama.
,
snark
Luz..........U little worthless coward remind me of Hitler.
Guess what............the LEFT won and will winn again and again because of trash like YOU........... I take it you'r a Cuban Illegal.
See the little word down in the corner of Luz's comment? SNARK!
Anyone want to bet me McCain is a yes vote?
Depends...I am not sure which McCain would find more politically profitable and advantageous.
If Hagel is going to be confirmed anyway he might vote no as a symbolic gesture, but then he will have to deal with the fallout of genuinely having pissed off the Secretary of Defense.
If he votes yes he looks like he is wishy-washy and his harsh tone during the questioning looks like a political stunt (which of course it was)
I am predicting a yes solely because of the way he poo pooed a fillibuster. That tells me this was indeed a stunt, and that he feels crappy for treating a friend like crap. But I realize I am giving him credit for being a man, so my logic could easily be faulty...
Betting on McCain is a little like betting on professional wrestling .
McCain is a political survivalist and he would change his course in a heartbeat if he thought it would make him points.
Whats the old adage "If you want a friend in Washington get a dog"
As the other guy said, which McCain? There seem to be more john McCains than Mitt Romney's. I don't suppose the McCain who had Hagel as his campaign manager will have the grace to turn up.
When I think of the sheer arrogance of the Bush mode that the collective country endured, I find it difficult to swallow graciousness on "my side" of the aisle these days. Get the message Democrats? I didn't think so..
An arrogance steeped in the wisdom of the schoolyard bully , and the filigreed finesse of a little scooter .
you know that's part of the problem...Simply by our general collective philosophical nature we are more tolerant, egalitarian, and fair-minded than is sometimes prudent or good for us.
take it as strategy. As the committee leader, the Dem looks fair and above the fray while the Reps are exposed for their shallow and partisan motives that put party before country.
Right now, right here in United States, disproportionate Israeli/Jewish media, financial and political control is rampant. Our country, not just Palestine, has been occupied by Israel. The Wall Street felons remaining unpunished and AIPAC actually writing congressional legislation attest to the depth of the occupation.
Once great America has been bankrupted by: 1. Our Mideast wars instigated by Israel. 2. Our support for the Jewish state's Mideast conquests. 3. The Great Recession felonies of Wall Street's ethnic Israel Firsters and their traitorous ethnic Israel Firster government enablers.
Right now, United States needs Senator Chuck Hagel, an America Firster Secretary of Defense.
John: Your bigotry makes me miss and appreciate our regular trolls...
Her's only saying what is plainly true. Look at the Israel-Uber-Alles bunch and that's what you see: Wall Street scum who crashed the planetary economy, and Washington scum who keep the politicians cowed. The days when Israel was any sort of "moral compass" to the world are long gone. Look at the Jewish Nazis who run the place. Having a Secretary of Defense who isn't wagged by AIPAC is just what we need.
TCinLA, You're right on!
Dr. Goebbels would be proud of you, JohnWV. You'd fit right in at a second Wannsee Convention.
The Jews want to take over the world, right? (RE" Israeli/Jewish media)
You are confounding, as so many seem to, old fashioned antiSemetic steryotypical complaints with the truth that the Right Wing Israel Lobby has too much power.
Reminder: 70% of American Jews are DEMOCRATS and voted overwhelmingly for Obama over Romney.
THe richest and powerful are prominant as they always are...and those people are right wingers (mine mine mine) like many wealthy people.
You are a bigot and I wonder if you can tell. Don't forget that predudice is often sub or semi concious
you are confounding historical antisemetic canards with some stuff that is really happening now.
it's not Jews. It's the ISrael lobby. They overlap
Just as all Muslims are of course not Terrorists, it's wrong to call the Israel Lobby the Jewish lobby when the majority of Jews don't support it. Like the majority of Muslims aren't terrorists.
Methinks that John WV may be reading too much into Hagel once saying "Jewish" when Hagel meant to say "Israeli". And, when I first read John WV's post, I thought that he had called Hagel an "American Fister". Yikes! Anyway, the Breitbart website is currently running a headline that gives Hagel a 50-50 chance of withdrawing. Dream on, Breitbartians!
Enough of ground Chuck.
The fact that Ted Cruz can hold this up shows that there is no testicular fortitude at the top of the Congressional Republicans. McConnell and Boehner are empty suits and the inmates run the asylum.
FINALLY, THE DEMS ARE SHOWING BACKBONE TO THE GOP CRAP MONOLOGUE
Between Turd-Blossom Rove and the Hegel hearing, I hope self-identified Republicans are taking note of just who is attacking whom here. Seems the biggest threat to a Republican's political career is... other Republicans. Oops. They've come a long way from Reagan's first rule.
..
I will always have great respect for Senator Levin. When I was graduating from High School and looking for Colleges, I considered the Air Force Academy that required two letters of endorsement. I wrote him and asked him and had it within a month. Even though I ended up deciding on Michigan State, I always respected the promptness in addressing my letter, let alone endorsing me. I tend to agree with a general consensus that every politician, regardless of party, serves their own agenda, even so Senator Levin is probably one of the better ones.
I think some props to Rachel Maddow for covering this in depth are in order. I think that her coverage on this may have had some influence.
Also, for the record, I wouldn't mind if she promoted Drift on the show when appropriate (ie in discussion of transparency/ drones/ policy etc.)
John McCain has just announced that he can't support Hagel's nomination until he finds out one more thing........boxers or briefs?
TCinLa, could you, please, explain what a Gusano-Canadian is? Because if he is Canadian, what is he doing in the AMERICAN Senate? As for Gusano=worm, he may qualify for that. Most Republicans do.
As if a Republican is somehow a "great choice" for Secretary of Defense that is being blocked by other "mean" Republicans who won't let us "good liberals" have the wonderful benefit of yet another Washington political hack at the helm of one of the most bloated, wasteful and violent institutions in the history of man.
Come on Rachel, give us on the (real) left a break with the Obama-boosterism already. At least your better than Rev Sharpton but not by much.
Oh your so right ladies, nothing to see here.Hagel is a bad liar and was exposed as so by the GOP senators.Futhamore, you don't have to be good at what you do to work for this president.No brain, no problem.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) is the worse embarrassment any state could have. I hear he has an IQ in just a little over 90? So I guess he is the best money can buy?
So Mag Belle, seems you'd fit right in.
If you read the transcript from the hearing, instead of relying on Fox or MSNBC news, a reasonable personal could see that it is proper and perhaps should be mandatory for an oversight committee to request this type of information, regardless if its unprecedented. The request was ... "the degree to which any of those funding sources have come from foreign countries, foreign nationals, foreign sovereign debt funds."
You ever notice how Cruz looks a lot like old commie fighter Sen. Joe McCarthy? His fanaticism destroyed innocent lives. A Little Power certainly hit Cruz in the head early.
He's nominated Sec. of Defense of USA for crying out loud. Supposed he has $500 Billion in undisclosed funds invested in Yemen. You think that might influence his decision on any potential military issue involving that country?
Why, that would be as bad as a vice president having ties with a military contractor.