Posted on 02/13/2013 6:14:28 AM PST by chessplayer
Major news from Major “Shirty Business” Garrett:
Major Garrett ✔ @MajorCBS
I am reliably informed Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, will soon announce backing Chuck Hage. WH and Hagel backers believe they have 60 votes.
Remember, to date, not a single Senate Democrat has said he/she will oppose Hagel. That’s 55 votes in the bank. Thad Cochran is 56 and Collins would be 57. Murkowski’s a safe bet in situations like this to err on the side of bipartisanship, so that’s 58. All O needs is two more to bust the filibuster and he’s got a variety of centrist Republicans who can give it to him — Coats, Chambliss, Corker, Heller, Kirk, and so forth. Even the hardline anti-Hagel crew is sounding more fatalistic about his nomination. Two days ago, Lindsey Graham threatened to hold up the confirmation vote until he gets more info on Benghazi from the White House.
The hope last week was that by delaying the vote, the GOP might force Obama or Carl Levin or Hagel himself to reflect on the fact that a guy who can’t state the White House’s Iran policy without help, after weeks of preparation, might be out of his depth leading the world’s greatest military. No dice: Hagel’s brother claimed yesterday he’s more resolved than ever to stick with this while a White House spokesman said, “We are absolutely committed to the Hagel nomination.” This guy’s not going to be shamed into quitting; if he had any shame to start with, he wouldn’t have lied his ass off at the hearing about his true feelings on the “Jewish lobby” in hopes of getting confirmed. And lest you doubt that the Democrats mean business in pushing him through, here’s the latest from Reid:
Alexis Levinson @alexis_levinson
Reid says he will not honor any holds placed on Hagel's nomination
Democrats control the Armed Services Committee, which is planning to vote on the nomination today, so Hagel’s bound to pass that without a hitch. That means it’s all down to a GOP filibuster, with Jim Inhofe promising to delay a floor vote for as long as it takes — which might not be long, if in fact those 60 votes are already there. As a gloss on what happens when you nominate a guy who’s not well regarded inside the Pentagon, read Walter Pincus’s memoir of Les Aspin’s debut as SecDef in 1993. The respect of one’s subordinates, especially in a hierarchy like the military’s, is important needless to say. What kind of respect will Hagel have going in there transparently as a Republican catspaw for Obama’s defense-cutting agenda?
Update: On to the floor vote. The Armed Services Committee approved him, 14-11, as expected. Party-line vote.
Susan Collins? Is that a joke? Of course she will vote for anyone Barry sends up.
I’d be surprised if he got less than 90/
Crap floats to the top in this administration. Just look at the top of the heap.
If only a fraction of the reports about Mr. Hagel are correct, he does not belong in any position of trust in our government. We need to start campaigning to remove any senator who votes to confirm this gentleman (and we need to start letting the senators know we are doing this, now).
PS: Isn’t this the same US Senate which has refused to even pass a da** budget for the entire Obama administration, so we could see where all our money is being used (or wasted, or stolen)?
Color me SHOCKED/s
I thought Johanns was voting for smeHagel as well.
Hotair Poster Allahpundent is a major Rhino and is full of theccrap spin from his pals in the Obama media .
He pushes there spin as fact !
So that idiot is there water carrier !
Still the same old same old fascist pig she’s always been.
Not any more
Surprise, surprise that Catherine Hepburn is supporting her fellow RINO senator.
I contacted Senator Cochran’s office and asked him to not support Hagel, I’m not sure he’s ever voted the way I’ve asked any time I’ve called his office. I believe it’s time for him to come home to Mississippi, he’s lost his way.
The Republican’s only difficulty is in selecting which Republicans are to vote to support Hagel, so that the rest can safely vote no and get cover for the next election.
Once again, after all the talk, the vote to approve will be sufficient, and the Republicans will nash their teeth in faux angst at having “just missed” blocking the appointment.
Darn, just lost another one. Let’s go have a beer. Harry, you coming?
I have been saying 89-10 for days, and have taken a lot of FR s*** for it.
There are still many here who believe in the GOP fantasy.
I would say you are right. The GOPe might talk a good game and the MSM give them ink for “putting up a fight” but the vote for John Kerry shows the way in real life.
you’re lucky. i’d have to contact Warner and Kaine and frankly that’s just not worth it. The one is the stupidest senator that Virginia has ever sent to the Senate. The other is there simply to protect the telecom industry one way or the other.
Well, John Kerry got immunity for being a sitting Senator - but only 3 Republicans voted against Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a completely unqualified life-long leftist agitator, and that was only 5 years after Reagan's last term.
The truth about the GOP is hard, but it's the truth.
AIRHEAD IS AS AIRHEAD DOES...
(With apols to Forrest)
Jus' say'n
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