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BREAKING

Senate Breaks Filibuster and Moves Toward Hagel Confirmation

The Defense Secretary nominee has faced a contentious process

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by Lisa Fine

Staff Writer t

Image: AP

Former Sen. Chuck Hagel has moved closer to winning confirmation as the next Defense Secretary. The Senate voted 71 to 27 to end debate and move to a final vote, which is expected to happen later Tuesday or Wednesday.

The process has been contentious for Hagel, a Republican former senator from Nebraska. Almost two weeks ago, members of his own party launched a filibuster to try and block the nomination. Opponents raised questions about his previous comments and positions on the Iraq War, dealings with Iran, and support of Israel.

Hagel's confirmation appears likely, as Democrats control the Senate and none have said they plan to oppose him.

Via USA TODAY
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Do you think the Hagel confirmation process has been too contentious?

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Comments (view in Forum)

  • martydotcom
    !
    I'm sure you'd prefer that the Israeli Lobby run state
    I'll take a decorated vet like Hagel controlling the military, when viewed in light the all the boondoggles, crimes and recklessness of draft-dodging George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and former Air Force pilot, Donald Rumsfeld, together with their draft-dodging Neo-con associates imposed on our military
  • No_Bama
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    @martydotcom Why don't you tell us all about Obama's millitary record while you're at it? And don't forget to mention that draft-dodging coward Joe Biden when you're calling out draft-dodgers!

    "Biden received five student draft deferments during this period, with the first coming in late 1963 and the last in early 1968, at the peak of the Vietnam War. In April 1968, he was reclassified by the Selective Service System as not available for service due to having had asthma as a teenager."
  • u
    BossTweed
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    We must surrender to the whims of Obama's handlers no matter how devastating the out come for the American people. We don't measure up to previous generations. Most feel we just don't have the emotional connection to our kids or our Country that kept our parents from electing the likes of Obama.
  • martydotcom
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    @No_Bama Refresh my memory which wars boondoggles ripoffs did Obama Biden start, Hmmm Iraq? Ten years of Afghanistan nation building failure. Total cost unfunded 3.7 trillion and still counting (who knows what VA costs will be in our life times) Reuters.com
    Obama & Biden tried to extract us for their deficit busting stupidity.
  • View all 31 replies >
  • AlexMIA
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    If this guy gets confirmed as secretary of defense with all his anti-military views, and his misalignment with our allies, it will serve to show just how screwed up the country and its politics are at this momment and time.
  • AlexMIA
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    @AlexMIA Come on man, do you really think being mal-aligned with our allies and soft on our enemies will do us any good in our present global environment? We got people that don't like us, that want to kill us. Even if you are anti-war, you should not be anti-military. I can say I want all the boys back home and that still doesn't mean we shouldn't maintain the best military on the planet. I'll go as far as saying we should pull them all back and keep building them up, we should pull all aid from non-legitamate allies that are actually in fact covert enemies, and finally we should restock our nuclear stockpile and let our enemies decide their own fate. We should have at the most enough nukes to crystallize any given dessert in the middle east and atleast enough to make china or russia think twice about getting screwy with us. Doesn't mean you have to use them, but it helps to have them. I don't know about you, but I don't appreciate cyber attacks from china while they smile and look at us with contempt.
  • PoliticalSpice
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    Pay better attention. The entire mid east is already at war. Iraq, Syria, Israel-hamas, Libya, Yemen, are all in various states of war.
  • PoliticalSpice
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    @Neo_NtheMatrix I don't know, Neo, I think the world is pretty messed up, still, you deserve the award. Just give a thank you speech and post your next outrageous claim.
  • Neo_NtheMatrix
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    @PoliticalSpice - You support obama's nominations? Really? Our current Sec. of State is in a foreign country right now telling them that Americans have a right to be stupid. This is what you support? Our top Ambassador going to a foreign country to tell another nation that Americans are stupid. Then you wonder why I am against any nomination from obama.
  • PoliticalSpice
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    @Neo_NtheMatrix Who said I support obamas nominations? I just said you deserve the hyperbole of the month award. You do. The nominations are not much better or worse then others. I opposed u.s. military and foriegn policy so I usually am opposed to any secretaries in defense or state. The only thing to like here was the sequester will cut enough from defense, that whoever hets in will need to focus on cancelling wasteful spending and paing down the military.
  • u
    BossTweed
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    They were just trying to stand up the the American people but we are only Obamites now and nobody cares about positive out comes.
  • Dan_Tien
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    Isn't it ironic how conservatives criticize liberals for "drinking the Kool-aid", being "sheeple" and walking in lockstep together, only to rush to crucify one of their own who veers off of his approved programming?
  • Tralee
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    LOL - Get off the DNC web site and try to recall, Hagel was never much more than a RINO and was never one of the mainstay conservatives. He's always been just a tad dumb, must have looked good in the uniform. My husband is a Vietnam decorated ex-service man (lots of them), pretty much anyone who served during Vietnam is decorated, many with several medals.
  • o
    Sonny
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    I don't particularly care for Hagel. I don't really think he is the best person for that position. But I do think that the Republicans are (and have done) nothing but become obstructionist to this administration. They will filibuster anything, so long as its something proposed by Prs. Obama...They need to simply get out of the way, on this and many other issues.
  • Tralee
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    No, Obama's self pity is showing in your post. They had questions, they asked them and until he answered them there was no vote. Big deal. Get off pity party - poor widdle Obama, no body wants him to get his way on anything, poor baby, he's supposed to make his wishes known and the rest of the world is supposed to jump up and fulfill his wishes, no matter what.
  • o
    Sonny
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    @Tralee Last time I checked it was Hagel who was at the hearing table, not Obama. If you are talking about Benghazi---then I would say that he did answer the "questions" to which the answers are known, thus far. And several of his cabinet members have done so as well. And again, last time I checked. Hagel was NOT a part of the Administration during the Benghazi incident...So holding him hostage for some unknown reason is being obstructionist. Seems to me that "poor widdle" Obama is doing just fine holding his own against them---You see, just like the ultimate vote (and confirmation) of Hagel---all the Republican obstructionist can do is merely slow things down....Pres. Obama has still beaten them every step of the way...All they are doing is just wasting the nations time, and nothing more.
  • Tralee
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    @Sonny No, Brennan was asked about Benghazi, Hagel was asked about his various speeches and statements that he had made concerning Israel and defense. He's a bit of a, what's the opposite of Hawk? Dove?, well we'll use it, Dove and several of the committee had questions about how he would operate as Secty. of Defense, but as he said himself, he doesn't know much about it and will have to learn and besides he will just be following the Obama police of appeasement with no input as to a better way to do things. A lap dog as they say. So, now that I have set you straight as to the real questions people of the defense committee had, perhaps you will apologize for your tone, tee hee hee, yeah, right. LOL
  • o
    Sonny
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    @Tralee As I have said before, I am no fan of Chuck Hagel...If you don't like him...OK...but that,s just too bad---because he will be confirmed anyway. And as to your ridiculous statement about the "questions" that some Senate had....As I recall he was thrown some rather dumb and unfounded questions by our newest McCarthy-like Senator...(Cruz) that even fellow Republican said were way out of line---Your silly comment about "appeasement" is ----well..."silly".. .LOL...Just who is Prs. Obama "appeasing"....(see how ridiculous that sounds)....

    If you think that all of your rhetoric has "set anyone straight"....you are really wayyyyyy "out there" my friend.----I don't know what "tone" you are referring to...But I"ll tell you what...You might not want to "hold your breath" while waiting on me to "apologize" to you.......LOL!----
  • Tralee
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    @Sonny You've been on the DNC website way too much, you are throwing out all the latest talking points. Nice to see you are sooooo well read. LOL
  • View all 7 replies >
  • PoliticalSpice
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    What will bring sanity to the position is the sequester. Less money means he will have to focus on cutting bad projects and wasteful spending!
  • Tralee
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    Questions needed to be asked and answered. As it is, by his own words, we now have the most clueless Secty. of Defense in all history. But, he will be a good lap dog for Obama, doing what he is told and saying what he's told to say. God help us - Iran is laughing so hard they may not be able to make a bomb for months.
  • u
    SAS86
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    Hagel is just another Oboma cronie who will create chaos in the DOD. He admitted he didn't know anything about the DOD during his senate hearings and said he "had to learn." Apparently the senate didn't learn anything from his wishy washy testomony.
  • u
    BelinKS
    !
    We need to be cautious of a Defense Secretary who values our country's relationships with Muslim countries above our relationship to Israel. Non of the Muslim countries are TRUE allies to us. There has been a long standing relationship with Isreal. Our only true ally in those near and middle eastern countries! We should never turn our backs on Israel! Hagel, by his own words stated that we should never allow our relationship with Israel to interfere with our relationships with the Muslim countries. Very bad move!
  • jessejaymes
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    This is such BS. The secretary of Defense makes NO bottom line decisions. His job is to implement the policies of the President. You or I could do that same job. Hagel or Bagel. A chimp could do the job.
  • jessejaymes
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    @PoliticalSpice Exactly. What does the Secretary of Defense actually do? He doesn't make the decision on when to go to war. He doesn't decide if we are spending too much money on tanks or hammers. he doesn't have an real authority over the Pentagon or the Joint chiefs of staff since they can be fired only by the President and not the SOD. A frigging bagel could do this job.
  • PoliticalSpice
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    @jessejaymes Ahh, but what he will do if sequester goes forth is cut, cut, cut spending. And why spend money taking care of a chimp when we could just put the bagel in his office and lock the done for the remained of obamas term. Hagel or Bagel. To bad he's not running for office, its a shame to waste such a catchy opposition slogan!
  • Keyjo
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    How ironic, almost laughingly so, that Hagel is a Republican and opposed by Republicans. Yet he was nominated and supported by Democrats.
    Do you suppose he will now be classified as a RINO?
  • PNWest
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    Creeeeeeeak. Can you hear it? That's the sound of the Senate republicans folding like a cheap lawn chair ...... AGAIN! You'll hear that sound again a few weeks after the sequester kicks in.