What makes republicans so DESPERATE to hold up Hagel? At the least, THEY think he's the real deal

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from Think Progress: http://thinkprogress.org/security/2013/02/06/1547631/national-security-brief-republicans-desperate-hagel/

Foreign Policy magazine reported on Tuesday that Republicans on the Senate Armed Services Committee are looking for ways to hold up the committee’s vote on Chuck Hagel’s nomination to be the next Secretary of Defense. Committee member Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) said they want more information on the contents of Hagel’s private speeches he gave in recent years and who paid for them. The committee Republicans also seem to think they see an issue regarding an alleged sexual harassment incident between two former Hagel staffers during his time in the Senate. A former top Hagel staffer said the matter was handled internally and was not brought to the senator’s attention but Sessions says he wants to know more. “It should be analyzed and we should find out what happened,” Sessions said. “I know the staff is looking at it. Pretty soon we’ll get a final report on what the facts are.”

While CNN reported on Tuesday that “there are now at least five Republican senators who would oppose a filibuster of former Sen. Chuck Hagel to be secretary of defense, all but ensuring the embattled nominee will be confirmed in the coming days,” other desperate Republicans are calling on President Obama to withdraw Hagel’s nomination.

If you read the FP report, you can see the desperation of republicans like Sessions and Graham who are hoping to fish through whatever speeches they can get Hagel to cough up so they can troll through them and whip up some sort of scandal.

Interesting, to me, is the ferocity and zeal behind the opposition to Hagel. I don't think Hagel is their polar opposite, but, I do expect they know he's about to do the President's bidding on Defense matters.

I'm not a fan of republicans in Democratic cabinets - and certainly not in the Pentagon - but this nomination is in line with most of the other recent ones, in that the President's prerogative on policy looks to be the order for the next term.

I think that's what's eating at these republican senators; they know the President is going to get his way on Defense -- and Hagel's cool and measured way that he's responded to their taunts and attacks tells them they're not likely to get theirs anytime in the near future.

[TwilightGardener]

1. I read that the Senate Armed Services committee had received all the info

that had been requested (speeches) yesterday. Obviously, they hope there is some sort of grainy footage out there of Hagel with a swastika armband saying how much he hates gay people and Jews, or something. Sounds like they want to delay everything until they finally find something to hurt him with. Nothing else has worked.

[bigtree]

2. you just know

. . . something abhorrent and divisive like that would normally be just fine with them . . . Like they'd ever actually care about slurs against 'Jews and gays,' lol. A lot of their opposition to Hagel is like that; looking to establish a wedge in his Democratic support.

[TwilightGardener]

4. The Repubs sent Hagel the letter demanding all his speeches over the last five years

and all his financial info related to them LESS THAN TWO DAYS before his hearing. The timing had to be a deliberate decision, either to distract him from his hearing, or to make him turn over materials without a chance to go through them and prepare an explanation--or both. The sexual harassment allegations--if it wasn't him personally, and nobody involved even filed a report, then what is there? They have done everything they could to trip him up and stop him, because they have their marching orders to do so.

[Bluenorthwest]

5. To be blunt, bt, t

Hagel already has done the 'hate speech against gays' thing, and his supporters already did not care, they instantly wanted it forgotten, they did not even want it discussed.
And they did that for a Republican who voted for every war he was ever asked to vote for, and against every human right he was ever asked to oppose.
If he'd said about any other minority what he said about gay people, none of you would excuse it. You know that. You know that.

I never support Republicans for any office, much less the far right hate speaking kind. I understand some of you see the Vote Suppression Party as a source of great wisdom and talent, I do not agree with you on that. To me, once a person goes to the press and trashes my community or any minority group, I have no use for that person.

[bigtree]

8. that's not hard at all to understand and agree with

Last edited Wed Feb 6, 2013, 12:54 PM - Edit history (1)

. . . up and to the point that we're talking about regarding Hagel's performance (or any other republican in the cabinet) as if it's all an extension of that slur. Notwithstanding the fact that Hagel has made an attempt to recant his comments and has had mixed reviews on that, the President has made his choice and I think he's going to be confirmed.

I'm at the same place as you are with absolutely hating any notion of needing to place republicans in Democratic cabinets. It's almost always a waste if they're thinking of swaying opinions of their dense following. On defense, it's especially exasperating. I don't know what the calculation is by the president, but the way he's allowed his military contingent in his administration to be dominated by hawks and outright republican holdovers from the worst of the Bush regime's military madness betrays, at the least, an insecurity with whatever liberal instincts and expressions he's familiar or acquainted with.

There's enough, just on Defense matters, to keep me occupied opposing the military actions and intentions of this administration. I don't need to dwell on what Hagel said years ago to stay focused on his ascension to the post and to try and fathom just what the President is trying to accomplish and how Hagel is going to affect all of that. Almost none of that can be measured through a narrow lens of that controversy; no matter how important that issue may be to you or me.

I hope you understand.




Mike O'Brien ?@mpoindc
RT @frankthorpNBC: House Armed Services Cmte Chair Buck McKeon talks with Gen Odierno off the House floor http://instagr.am/p/VZX2RwEzgM/

[uponit7771]

3. The more cons are against him the more I'm for him. US con culture has gotten to be rotten to core

[politicaljunkie41910]

6. Sessions and his ilk are just pure evil.

[Ganja Ninja]

7. Once they start something they can't let it go.

No matter how insane or ridiculous it becomes once the heard of lemmings known as GOP voters gets their little pea brains set on something they can't let them down. The lemmings hate to lose. For the lemmings all loses are attributed to being too liberal. So if they don't finish what they start they look weak. They just aren't extreme enough and need to be replace. Every battle is their political life & death.

[LondonReign2]

9. The "what" that makes them so desperate is

the Defense budget. Hagel has said it should be reduced. That's like garlic to a vampire or reasonable, moderate gun control suggestions to the gun nuts.

All that precious money that won't be flowing into Republican coffers-- the horror!