Senate Votes To End Debate On Hagel Nomination

[flpoljunkie]

Source: Talkingpointsmemo Livewire

The Senate voted to end debate on the nomination of former Sen. Chuck Hagel as U.S. Secretary of Defense on Tuesday, ultimately paving the way for his confirmation. The cloture vote to end the GOP filibuster succeeded by a margin of 71 - 27, with numerous Republicans changing their votes from initial opposition just a few weeks ago.

The final confirmation vote is expected at 4:30pm ET later today.

Read more: http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/senate-votes-to-end-debate-on-hagel-nomination

[Coolest Ranger]

1. Que McCain and Ghraham's head exploding in five, four, three, two, and......

[TwilightGardener]

2. Nah, they voted for cloture. They were just stalling for time and dicking around

to get concessions on...something.

[annabanana]

3. yup . . . n/t

[Berlum]

4. Retrograde city

I'm just sayin...the USA gets a retrograde Sec. of Defense, and the planet will get a retrograde Pope. Chalk it all up to Retrograde Republican hate, fear, greed, general negativity, and ongoing efforts to drag everyone down to their degenerate level...

[freshwest]

5. Obama and Reid, but especially Obama, weren't going to give up. I think Hagel will be best choice,

whether or not the Sequestration goes forward without mitigation.

Stonewalling occurs when Senators are trying to protect their states from taking an economic hit. The figures released by the White House with the state by state cuts made the rounds and the GOP saw the writing on the wall.

[alsame]

6. From Roll Call:

snip

Chuck Hagel cleared a 60-vote procedural hurdle to confirmation Tuesday, setting up a final vote on his nomination as Defense secretary at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday.

The Senate voted 71-27 in favor of invoking cloture on the nomination of former Sen. Hagel, R-Neb., to be the next Pentagon chief. Eighteen Republicans voted in favor of the motion, which required a three-fifths majority.

Fourteen Republicans voted for cloture Tuesday but not Feb. 14 including: Hatch, Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker of Tennessee, Jeff Flake and John McCain of Arizona, Roy Blunt of Missouri, Saxby Chambliss of Georgia, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Richard C. Shelby and Jeff Sessions of Alabama, Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, Richard M. Burr of North Carolina, John Thune of South Dakota and Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire.

During Tuesday’s cloture vote, Sen. Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., looked at the clerk’s tally sheet and said, “Seventy-one?” sounding pleased, then went over and shook the hand of Armed Services Chairman Carl Levin, D-Mich.

http://www.rollcall.com/news/senate_set_to_confirm_hagel-222643-1.html?pos=hln

[Myrina]

15. 98? Are we missing 2 Senators or did 2 abstain from voting/take the day off?

I'll never figure that place out.

[alsame]

16. I heard that Udall (CO) and

Lautenberg (NJ) did not vote, not sure why. They are both Dems.

We'll see if they are present during the final vote this afternoon.

[DallasNE]

7. So What Did The Republicans Accomplish

With this first ever filibuster of a Secretary of Defense nominee? It ended up a complete failure and made them look like rotten people, especially John McCain who in 2000 singled out Hagel as an example of someone who would make a good Secretary of Defense. Is shooting themselves in the foot the only thing the Republicans are good at?

[FailureToCommunicate]

8. Republicans shooting themselves in the foot may be the ONLY reasonable

argument for 'high capacity magazines'

[eggplant]

9. No, they're good with shooting everyone else as well. n/t

[TwilightGardener]

11. Guess they proved that Hagel was about the cleanest Repub Senator ever--

Lord knows they were digging like hell for a reason to deny his confirmation. Beyond that, I don't know.

[Marje]

10. Pitiful and sad.

After a lifetime of failures, McCain is still desperately trying to appear relevant.

Pitiful and sad.

[Fearless]

12. See what happens when you stand up to filibusters?

Paging Congress.

[gtar100]

13. IOW... Senate votes to stop embarrassing itself.

Of course, that is something McCain does all by himself.

[mpcamb]

14. It's sad that no one will rub people noses in this.

Important issues all around us and they take weeks to arrive at where this was going anyway.
Remind people whose dollar it was that they used to grandstand and pontificate and halt progress for no reason at all.
OUR representatives; I include Dems in that too for not forcing it through when they had the votes.

[davidpdx]

17. It's about time!