John McCain To Republicans: Don’t Filibuster Hagel

John McCain was among the most aggressive questioners during Chuck Hagel’s confirmation hearing last week, but he’s telling his fellow Republicans to let the nomination go to a full vote rather than filibustering:

Sen. John McCain appears to have cleared the way Monday for Chuck Hagel to be the next secretary of defense.

The Arizona Republican, who has been a prominent voice in the debate over Hagel, said Monday he would oppose any attempt to filibuster the nomination, likely dooming any attempt by Senate conservatives to sustain a protracted procedural fight to delay Hagel’s confirmation.

“I do not believe that we should filibuster,” McCain told POLITICO. “To vote against is entirely the judgment of each individual senator, but a filibuster I think would be inappropriate.”

Asked if he would vote for cloture if a filibuster were mounted, McCain answered, “Yes.”

This makes it virtually inevitable that Hagel will be confirmed.

 

FILED UNDER: Congress, Military Affairs, National Security, US Politics, , , , ,
Doug Mataconis
About Doug Mataconis
Doug Mataconis held a B.A. in Political Science from Rutgers University and J.D. from George Mason University School of Law. He joined the staff of OTB in May 2010 and contributed a staggering 16,483 posts before his retirement in January 2020. He passed far too young in July 2021.

Comments

  1. Just 'nutha ig'rant cracker says:

    I do not believe that we should filibuster We’ve beat up this worthless RINO and embarrassed the President as much as we can. Our job is done, so let’s get on with the next thing on our pointless obstructionist agenda.

    Fixed it for him.

  2. Tsar Nicholas says:

    When you’re already in a hole you don’t keep digging and when you’re already a worldwide laughingstock at a certain point you have to cut losses. Filibustering Hagel would prolong the agony and send even a worse message to our friends and foes than Obama’s message in nominating him in the first instance.

    Henry Stimson already is rolling over in his grave, but the reality is that elections have conseqences and as we continue the big slide towards banana republic we might as well accept the brutal realities of it all. Besides, what’s really scary is that if Hagel did withdraw the next nominee could be worse. Obama doesn’t have to worry about another election.

    Concerning Hagel, personally, the man already showed his true colors and they truly are ugly, but perhaps he’ll get mugged by reality into being sentient. Smart is out of the question, obviously, but sentient still is a faint possibilty. Stranger things have happened. Look at Obama. If you listen to his speeches circa 2007-2008 the man comes across as a bad acid flashback of McGovern. But within months of taking office, if not weeks, Obama was jarred by reality at various levels into morphing into George W. Bush II. With luck Hagel at least will have a similar rash of ephiphanies. We only can hope.

  3. michael reynolds says:

    @Tsar Nicholas:

    A brain-damaged creep like you trashing Chuck Hagel. Lovely.

  4. edmondo says:

    @michael reynolds:

    A brain-damaged creep like you trashing Chuck Hagel. Lovely.

    The same comment could be addressed to Sen. McCain.

  5. al-Ameda says:

    @Tsar Nicholas:

    Concerning Hagel, personally, the man already showed his true colors and they truly are ugly, but perhaps he’ll get mugged by reality into being sentient.

    Really?

  6. anjin-san says:

    @ Tsar

    When you’re already in a hole you don’t keep digging and when you’re already a worldwide laughingstock at a certain point you have to cut losses.

    I guess you just don’t see the irony that you should be making this comment…

  7. anjin-san says:

    Look – Hagel is a decorated combat vet. He is hard working and intelligent. He is a self made multi-millionaire. His foreign policy and national security judgments are based on facts, not the party line. He is a natural leader, not a chinless weasel boy.

    Any one of these is enough to make him hated on the right.

  8. Montanareddog says:

    Does anybody remember the end of the movie “Angels with Dirty Faces” – where Jimmy Cagney goes to the chair pretending to be a coward so that he won’t die a hero to impressionable kids? Hollywood sentimentality, I know, but if real would actually have been a courageous act. it was recognition by an individual that the collective good can be more important than one’s personal goals.

    If what we are hearing is true – that Hagel was advised in advance not to challenge any grandstanding by bloviating Senators, and just to take his licks – and that his consequent, somewhat cringe-worthy performance was just that (a performance), then that could also be seen in retrospect as quite brave, too: willing to risk his (short-term) public image for the greater good and also willing to listen to difficult advice and make painful choices.

    Perhaps, that is just a stretch, but it seems to fit the profile of an enlisted infantryman prepared to make personal sacrifices for the good of the nation. The proof will be in the pudding on this one.

  9. Rob in CT says:

    I have no doubt Hagel was coached to take his lumps, not say anything controversial, and just get through it. I don’t think it was an act of courage so much as a distasteful thing one must do to get on with one’s new job.

  10. Gromitt Gunn says:

    @anjin-san: If Tsar were a stock, I’d be selling him short.