Politi writes: "Senators voted to hold up Hagel's confirmation vote last week, but now McCain says he fully expects the vote to proceed soon after they return from break on Feb. 25."

Former Sen. Chuck Hagel. (photo: Junko Kimura/AFP/Getty Images)

Hagel Confirmation Appears Imminent

By Daniel Politi, Slate Magazine

17 February 13

en. John McCain says that while he doesn't believe former Sen. Chuck Hagel is the right man to lead the Pentagon, Republican senators will stop using tactics to delay the vote. "No, I don't believe he's qualified, but I don't believe we should hold up his nomination any further," McCain said on NBC. "I think it's [been] a reasonable amount of time to have questions answered." (Watch video after the jump.)

Senators voted to hold up Hagel's confirmation vote last week, but now McCain says he fully expects the vote to proceed soon after they return from break on Feb. 25. "We will have a vote when we get back, and I am confident that Senator Hagel will probably have the votes necessary to be confirmed as the secretary of defense," McCain said. Democrats have scheduled a vote for Feb. 26.

In another sign of how Republicans are relenting on their opposition to Hagel, Sen. Lindsey Graham said on Fox News he is willing to accept the former senator's denials about alleged anti-Israel remarks. "If it's true, that's the end of it," Graham said. Still, Graham defended the delay in confirmation saying Hagel is "one of the most unqualified, radical choices for secretary of defense in a very long time." But when it comes down to it, "this is the president's decision," he added.

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Comments

We are concerned about a recent drift towards vitriol in the RSN Reader comments section. There is a fine line between moderation and censorship. No one likes a harsh or confrontational forum atmosphere. At the same time everyone wants to be able to express themselves freely. We'll start by encouraging good judgment. If that doesn't work we'll have to ramp up the moderation.

General guidelines: Avoid personal attacks on other forum members; Avoid remarks that are ethnically derogatory; Do not advocate violence, or any illegal activity.

Remember that making the world better begins with responsible action.

- The RSN Team

+59 # Barbara K 2013-02-17 14:12

It's pure politics from the Nasty Club that kept him from being confirmed in the first place.

..

+23 # kelly 2013-02-17 15:10

Okay. I am no cutter and paster I know there are those who are infinitely better at it than I. But for those who are wondering about the ongoing witch hunt with Mr. Hagel, I challenge you to go to google and look up a picture of Joe McCarthy and then look up a picture of Senator Cruz. The resmblance is frightening.
Also, remember that while McCarthy came from Wisconsin, Cruz was born in Canada, not Texas. Is it possible????

+23 # Junius 2013-02-17 15:11

In all fairness, he did obsequiously apologize for suggesting that he might be more loyal to his country than to Israel.

+19 # Tazio 2013-02-17 15:21

Obama, "Call."

Republicans, "Fold."

Sometimes nothing is NOT a cool hand.

+28 # giraffee2012 2013-02-17 15:26

Rumor has it McCain ain't running again. He's a MOUTH for BaggerGOP creeps

+45 # roger paul 2013-02-17 15:40

I hope that Congress passes a bill for more research on altzhimers.... at the very least short term memory loss. Apparently Linsy Graham would be a canidate for treatment....ho w could he forget Sec of Defense Rumsfeld?

+2 # bmiluski 2013-02-19 09:57

Everything about the GOP is short-termed. Ergo the economic and environmental policies.

+24 # patmonk 2013-02-17 15:41

Cut a fresh switch and take 'em all out behind the outhouse.

+38 # Muzzi 2013-02-17 15:48

John McCain is senile and jealous that Chuck Hagel has 2 Medals of Honor for his valor in the Vietnam War while John McCain wrecked 7 airplanes and was captured and held prisoner. Lindsay Graham is just senile and jealous.
Who votes for these jerks?

+24 # bigcatguy 2013-02-17 16:32

Doesn't take too many when they hack the voting machines.
Now that Lieberman is gone, praise God, McCain is more testy than usual since he only has one butt boy left in Ms. Lindsey.

+18 # cymricmorty 2013-02-17 17:34

The answer to who votes for McCain:
I live in AZ and McCain's army of senile seniors is responsible for his tenure, a large number of whom are our beloved winter visitors and may be voting twice, for all I know. But hey, who's checking? They're white republicans. And who's checking the number of republican votes cast by adult care home residents who can't otherwise function? As for who keeps electing the Red Queen Graham, I can't say. Too bad he didn't have his startling moment of lucidity sooner, i.e., that Hagel was, after all, the president's choice.

+4 # DarthEVaderCheney 2013-02-18 11:50

Look at the states these jokers represent and the answer to your question can't be much clearer, right? Especially Brewer, Pearce, Arpaio/Arpiefac e, and the rest of the AZ Neandrathals.

+10 # garyhouston 2013-02-17 16:05

Yes? Is the word "imminent" so soon back in the news?

+27 # Billsy 2013-02-17 16:33

i suspect this is McCain's way of grandstanding and keeping his name in the news. I lost all respect for him years ago when he sold out his values and integrity to obtain the GOP nomination for presidential candidate. That and the fact that he uses his former POW status like a badge of honor, never mind that he was imprisoned for dropping bombs on his captors. A nation with severe problems and these tools are playing political games.

+23 # cymricmorty 2013-02-17 17:42

I lost all respect for him with the Keating Five scandal.

+18 # angelfish 2013-02-17 17:20

The hypocrisy from the Hard Right would be funny if it weren't so sad. I wonder how much, in REAL dollars, this delay of the vote has cost the American Tax payer? It OUGHT to come directly out of the salaries of the flaming anal termini that caused it! I wonder if there is ANY hope of, not only financial, but Congressional Reform in the not too distant future? Maybe after the Mid-term Elections Sane, Sensible people will take the place of these ruinous ME Firsters and Tea Bagging scum who only do the bidding of their Mega-Wealthy Owners. Hope springs eternal!

+28 # The Oracle 2013-02-17 18:46

The Senate does not have the Constitutional authority to approve or reject the president's appointments. Appointments are a Presidential power prescribed in Article II. The Senate is to give their advice and consent. Senatorial powers are prescribed in Article I.

This was sorted out in the impeachment of President Andrew Johnson which unfortunately was matter of firing, not hiring, a cabinet minister. But the verdict was: The president decides who serves and nobody has the authority to say no.
In addition the idea of a filibuster being Constitutional is laughable and flies in the face of democracy. The Founding Fathers intended no such power to cripple the government be in the hands of the minority. It's so utterly ridiculous the FF's never even thought to say that the Senate cannot make unconstitutiona l procedural rules.

+26 # Robert Cohen 2013-02-17 19:06

In my estimation, the reason so many Republican senators object to Hagel's confirmation is that they regard him as disloyal to the Republican party. In reaching that conclusion, they are valuing loyalty to their party as being more important than loyalty to the nation, and party loyalty above loyalty to their own oaths of office.

They've got it backwards, and they are probably engaging in seditious behavior.!

+6 # bmiluski 2013-02-19 10:02

Please, wasn't that made very clear when Mitch Mcconnell declared that the number one priority for the GOP was to make President Obama a one term president. NOT THE HEALTH AND CARE OF OUR COUNTRY. That my dears is treason.

+24 # smartrussian 2013-02-17 20:37

The Republicans don't want a veteran with first hand knowledge of the horrors of war as SecDef. Heavens! They may have a tougher time selling the next bs war to us! If there is any justice in the universe then there is an extra special place in Hell for the chicken hawks that sent my brothers and sisters in uniform to kill and die just to make them richer. There are no words to express my extreme disgust for that bunch.

+18 # Pancho 2013-02-18 00:55

Donald Rumsfeld is the guy who sucked up to both the Iranians and Saddam, pushed hard for the illegal invasion and occupation, and told reporters that we would be out in "6 weeks, 6 months at the most."

So Hagel is more "radical" than that?

+11 # SMoonz 2013-02-18 01:40

Finally the charade will end. It was all smoke and mirrors. Did anyone really think that Hagel would be denied a position? The reason so much has been made around the Hagel confirmation is to deflect attention from the truly controversial nomination of John Brennan. While the media focused so much on the Hagel charade Brennan will be going in with flying colors.
Hope everyone enjoyed the circus.

+16 # Ilovethiscountry 2013-02-18 02:58

These Republicans would be against anybody the President picked. McCain is a bitter that he lost the election and won't let go. Graham is McCain's lap dog follows in lock step. As far as Cruz, how dare that he tried to disgrace a Veteran that came from the enlisted ranks and became a officer. He worked hard to become an officer and he will work hard as Secretary of Defense. Look who these idiot Republicans voted for the Secretary of Defense under Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job, Bush, Donald Rumsfeld. And they want to stop Hagel?

+11 # reiverpacific 2013-02-18 08:43

Why anybody chooses to refer to ANYTHING cast on Fix News -especially in interviewing Lindsey Graham, as evidence of authenticity or anything but pickled-paranoi a-prattle from the slime vaults is simply helping to perpetrate myths.
And it's about time somebody gave Israel Hell!
As usual, the Resmugulars have no ideas of their own except block, lie, stifle and obfuscate.
I hope that even the somnambulistic US electorate are beginning to notice this and will act accordingly in future elections.

+1 # mjc 2013-02-21 08:52

The real conundrum for these Senators, GOP and Tea Party as well, is that Iraq war was a dismal failure in foreign policy with the war and occupation of Afghanistan devasting to our young men and women with no real success. They chose not to recognize that...as Chuck Hagel did. The Bush wars of choice were wars they not only allowed but supported in full. So it is tough for them to have to allow the president that followed to credit for ending this tragic set of wars and to allow Obama to chose a couple of Cabinet members who recognized those failures and in fact openly spoke against them.

Refresh comments list
RSS feed for comments to this post

THE NEW STREAMLINED RSN LOGIN PROCESS: Register once, then login and you are ready to comment. All you need is a Username and a Password of your choosing and you are free to comment whenever you like! Welcome to the Reader Supported News community.