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.
Hypocrisy of the GOP? That's what you are going for in this article? The left's hypocrisy would fill volumes if it weren't always explained away....— Wiseman6- Ah, the Pee Wee Herman argument: "I know you are but what am I?"
Brilliantly played, Wiseman6, brilliantly played.— carl and sons - just look at the hypocrite-in-chief. he voted against raising the debt ceiling when Bush was president, yet expects the GOP to rubber-stamp his ruinous, profligate agenda
— hannibal barca - You want this man to head our national defense?? That's as scary a though as knowing Biden is a heartbeat away from the Presidency. Can't be any worse. When Iran endorses Hagel, you know he's bad news.— dogman5
- Petulant little sh*ts. All they do is make Obama look more and more like a statesman in comparison.— carl and sons
- Barry is the gold standard when it comes to petulant little boys. — MisterMajestyk
- who wrote this piece? what?— Sam Pillegi
- @carl and sons- Thanks!— Wiseman6
- give me a break! instead of bashing r's you should be bashing the d's.
typical main stream media bs— rich brunetti 
Wow, this is a real good article on the state of the Republican and Tea party as they stand today. There awful and they don't seem to care how awful they are. Tomarrow is another day and they will be worse.
The amazing thing is they just don't seem to care.- There should be they're
- I moved to the Philadelphia area in 1987. I recognized the Inquirer as a powerhouse newspaper. I read it, front to back, every day. As time went on I saw a clear liberal bias develop. I dropped my subscription but would buy it most of the time anyway.I discovered philly.com around the turn of the century. It was perfect; I could read about the city and the area without financially supporting an arm of the Democratic party. Lately they've been posting this type of pure propaganda. Who do they think will pay to read this stuff??!! Good bye irrelevant carcass of a good newspaper!!!— buggpop
- Sure, Republicans are hateful and obstructionist but the solution lies in the Senate. Harry Reid had the chance to get rid of the filibuster last month and compromised on minor adjustments. The supermajority requirement to stop a filibuster has ground progress to a halt in the Senate.
And the representation of two senators per state, regardless of size and population is another problem. Why should a state with a half million people have the same voting power in the Upper Chamber as a state like California or New York with populations of 37 million and 19 million (census 2010)? Why should a state like Alaska, which has one House seat, get 2 representatives in the Senate? It's crazy and it's become a way for rural, sparsely populated, extremely conservative States to thwart the will of the majority of Americans.
— wokmaster - wok, senators represent THE STATES in the congress. Each state is sovereign, and has to have the same number of senators. Originally, senators were chosen by each state's legislature. However, the 17th Amendment changed that to election by the people. Of course that defeats the states' representation. Oh, well. — Falls Ed
- I understand full well why the States each got equal representation. It was to protect the minority states. Problem is that in 2012 a voter who lives in Wyoming has 72 times the representation as someone who lives in California. This is patently unfair and UNDEMOCRATIC.
The filibuster has been abused by both parties but it's being used by Republicans so often that nothing gets done anymore. A simple majority used to be all that was required to pass legislation and confirm nominations. Look at the data. Look at how many times it was wielded to stymie a bill or nomination over the last 4 years and compare that to the amount it was used in the 4 years prior to Obama. The Senators should give Chuck Hagel an up or down vote and you know it.— wokmaster - Ed, senators are only voted for by the people in those particular states, so how does election by the people defeat the states representation?
- West and wok, the states are sovereign. Therefore, the interests of a state can only be represented by senators chosen by the state government. That is not the same as senators chosen by the people of the state. The people are represented in the House of Representatives based on population. When the people choose the state's U.S. Senators, the state government is not truly represented. When states are not represented, they lose the power to protect their citizens from an overreaching federal government. That has resulted in an out-of-control federal government. — Falls Ed
- Wokmaster...once again you have proven yourself to be a very loyal, anti- American communist. Well done. The system is fine, the candidate is the problem. The end.— kelprod2-freemarket
- Thank you, Joe McCarthy. — carl and sons
- Kelprod - the candidate is fine. He's done more for this country in one day in uniform than you or Ted Cruz have done in your lifetime. By the way, do you even know what a communist is? I know you think the word 'communist' sounds cool but...— wokmaster
- Say nothing else, other then you worked for Harry Reid. Explains the entire story,— broad113
- So Ari, the senate hearings, which exposed Hagel as inadequate for Secretary of Defense, didn't really matter. Obama nominated Hagel, and the senate should just go along with it. Advise and consent? That's overrated, right Ari?— Falls Ed
- Ed, how is Hagel "inadequate" for Secretary of Defense? — wokmaster
- He Doesn't use "Old Spice" After shave !
— oldsog67 - Hagel, during senate hearings, did not understand the dangers posed by a nuclear Iran and a nuclear North Korea. He also thought that American support for Israel is not warranted. — Falls Ed
- FOX told me not to like Chuck Hagel so I don't. sheep.
- I Do not see why The Senate would have a problem with a NO Vote , especially since Most Jewish Voters are registered Democrat's , and His Stand on The Support of Israel is Unclear , or He just Won't answer for some "Hidden" reason , but His "Understanding" of The Iranian "Problem" is Very Clear , and Spoken of many times .— oldsog67
- "His Stand on The Support of Israel is Unclear"
His support of Israel is clear. What he does not support is Likud Party doctrine. Look at his actual voting record - he voted for any and all aid for Israel. His comments about the Jewish lobby are ringing true.
Do you get all your information from Fox??— wokmaster - First time in the history of America the filibuster has been used to block the vote on a Cabinet level nominee. I just love how the GOP continues their meltdown mode completely oblivious to the precedents they are creating, and worse, how poorly their party is viewed by a majority of Americans.
I'm sure our troops feel great knowing they are once again being used as a political football. Disgusting!— The Fundamentals of the Economy are Fine - 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
