The Kabuki Dance of Chuck Hagel
The Valentine's Day vote in the United States Senate speaks not to the qualifications of Chuck Hagel to serve as secretary of defense, but instead to the insane theatrical performance that the branch of government created under Article 1 of the Constitution has mutated into.
The Kabuki Dance of Chuck Hagel
Ari Rabin-Havt
The Valentine’s Day vote in the United States Senate speaks not to the qualifications of Chuck Hagel to serve as secretary of defense, but instead to the insane theatrical performance that the branch of government created under Article 1 of the Constitution has mutated into.
By a single vote -- Harry Reid had to cast a procedural vote against the nomination to reserve the right to bring it to the floor again -- Republicans chose to delay Chuck Hagel’s nomination.
After the Presidents’ Day recess, Chuck Hagel will be confirmed when 59 votes magically become 61. Both Lindsey Graham and Lamar Alexander have stated they will then vote to move the nomination to the floor, and it is likely that many more Republicans will follow their lead.
But the tantrum around Chuck Hagel’s nomination was never about substance, as evidenced by GOP goal posts that float freely, unmoored to reason. This afternoon, Barack Obama answered questions about Benghazi in a letter to the Committee on Armed Services, giving the answers demanded by John McCain, Lindsay Graham and Kelly Ayotte. Both Hillary Clinton and Leon Panetta testified before the relevant committees on the matter, and Hagel’s 2008 mystery speech that right-wing blogs had been obsessing about has been released. Of course nothing on the tape will impact the nomination.
Back in 2005, while working for Harry Reid, I spent far too much time listening to Republicans self-righteously proclaim the moral necessity of up-or-down votes. In this case, there are at least 57 members of the Senate who favor the nomination of Chuck Hagel.
ThinkProgress.org dug up some of those statements. They reveal the ultimate hypocrisy of the GOP:
Mitch McConnell: “I think the President is entitled to an up-or-down — that is simple majority — vote on nominations, both to his cabinet and to the executive branch and also to the judiciary.”
John Cornyn: “Senators have a right to vote for or against any nominee—but blocking votes on nominations is unacceptable.”
Jeff Sessions: “The vote, historically, since the founding of this Republic, is a majority vote. Lets [sic] look at that. The Constitution says that the Congress shall advise and consent on treaties, provided two-thirds agree, and shall advise and consent on judges and other nominees.”
All three have proven themselves either liars, hypocrites or wimps. As Harry Reid pointed out on the Senate floor today:
“People are worried about primary elections. We know how the Tea Party goes after Republicans when they aren’t conservative enough. Is that something they need to have on their resume? ‘I filibustered one of the president’s nominees.’ Is that what they want?”
Republicans did not cast these votes today because Chuck Hagel was unfit for the position of secretary of defense. Do these same senators believe he will magically attain the necessary qualifications over the next week, when their votes will suddenly change?
Republicans proved nothing about Chuck Hagel today. They did reveal their belief that their job in the Senate is not statesmanship, but playacting. Their play is more akin to the WWE than Shakespeare. The end of the match is pre-scripted, and they are just making the final moments more exciting for a select group, primarily in the Beltway, who care about their shenanigans. (Some on the right hold out hope of a last-minute revelation that will sink the nomination. That is highly unlikely, but expect the kitchen sink to be thrown at Hagel next week.)
Ultimately, this game is bad for the Republican Party, as it shows the American people they are not to be taken seriously. But sadly, it’s worse for our democracy.
- What about when Bush nominated John Bolton for Ambassador to the U.N.? The Democrat minority blocked the appointment.
— Falls Ed - Just go back a few years in the Congressional Record and check out the Democrats' use of the filibuster. It's only a problem when someone's doing it to you.— Bede19025
- Look Hagel will be confirmed. Butters is just playing politics because he's up for reelection in 2014 and wants to appear "conservative." he more concerned about being reelected than ensuring our troops are equipped with leadership.
But on the bright side, the GOP continues to make themselves look foolish, partisan and quite frankly......CRAZY!— The Fundamentals of the Economy are Fine - Why is the author insulting the fine Japanese tradition of Kabuki dancing?— pic man
- No insult possible. Kabuki is theater, not a dance. It's just the Inky writers flaunting their ignorance in an inane mataphor. — DonQ
- Obviously, Republicans hate government, so why would they want to see it work? Moreover, the last thing they would ever want is for Obama to succeed. Therefore, they are doing everything in their power to obstruct governance and deny Obama and Democrats the chance to pass meaningful legislation during his two terms.— Mr_Cool
- "Meaningful" legislation? Obamacare wasn't meaningful? After a few more years, you will be on expanded Medicaid and going to a clinic instead of your family doctor. — Falls Ed
- In general the president deserves his nominee, even Bork. That said, Hagel was ill prepped and had to give his supporters heartburn.— Rahjr
- Caqrl and sons you couldn't have said it better!— steveacts
- Theere is a new book that tries to explain why people ignore facts in forming opinions. Thus, Holocaust deniers, truthers, UFO believers and others form an opinion and then look for information that would support their views. Contradictory facts are ignored and some of the writers here don't even need ANY factual information to form opinions. For example, the writer of this so-called journalism article writes for a leftwing Democratic organization called Media Matters. He ignores the inept appearance by Hagel during the confirmation hearings, ignores the questionable financial dealings of the nominee, and ignores the disgusting and bigoted pronouncements against gays and Jews. He ignores the almost unbelievable declaration that the Obama's policy towards Iran was containment (after they became a nuclear power) rather than preventing Iran from having nuclear weapons, and accuses the Republicans of being hypocritical meanies. Incredibly, some of the responders have done the same thing. They have ignored legitimate concerns about Hagel and instead blame everything on the Republican meanies. No wonder our country is going downhill. All well-informed citizens should get their news from different perspectives. If one reads the NY Times, they shouldalso read the Wall Street Journal. If they watch MSNBC, they should also watch Fox News. Unfortunately, people only watch and read what they agree with.— Drumgoole
- The Knuckleheads in Philadelphia did the Kabuki dance last November and voted Odumdum back in.— Faadoogled
