The Senate failed to overcome a Republican filibuster of Chuck Hagel’s confirmation to be Secretary of Defense this afternoon. The vote was 58-40, with Sen. Vitter not voting, Sen. Hatch voting ‘present,’ and Harry Reid changing his vote from ‘yes’ to ‘no’ for procedural reasons. In other words, there were 59 votes to end the filibuster, but 60 were needed. Sen. John McCain, who had previously promised not to support a filibuster, explained to Fox News that he voted against cloture because Hagel called Bush the worst president since Herbert Hoover and he opposed the surge in Iraq.
Supposedly, the Republicans will agree to end the filibuster after the holiday recess, or about ten days from now. Why the wait? Do they just want to make current Defense Secretary Leon Panetta miserable by postponing his return to California for the beginning of his well-earned retirement?
Fred Kaplan says that the Republicans can no longer be trusted with our national security because their leaders have become “shallow, ignorant, and totally unserious.”
Not to sound like a Golden Age nostalgic, but there once was a time when the members of the Senate Armed Services Committee prided themselves on having an understanding of military matters. They disagreed in their conclusions and sometimes their premises. But most of them worked to educate themselves, at least to the point where they could debate the issues, or ask questions of a general without coming off like complete idiots. The sad thing about this new crop of senators—especially on the Republican side—is they don’t even try to learn anything; they don’t care if they look like complete idiots, in part because their core constituents don’t care if they do either.
After Tuesday’s vote, Sen. Levin adjourned the session, saying, “We thank you all, and we look forward to another wonderful year together.” The other senators laughed, but it really wasn’t funny.
Most people won’t know or care that anything weird happened in the Senate this week. But people who actually work on national security issues in this country are feeling pretty shocked at the spectacle the Republicans have put on. The GOP has never been less trusted to safeguard the country’s security or lead its armed forces. Maybe Obama makes them crazy, but they’re doing this to themselves.
