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Reader Interactions

97Comments

  2. 2.

    karen

    I don’t think his nomination will be defeated BUT I do think he’ll have to give in to the neo-cons to get that confirmation.

  3. 3.

    flukebucket

    If it was up to McCain I think not only would he not be confirmed he would probably be shot at sunrise.

  7. 7.

    Punchy

    Unless they can filly Hags, there’ll be > 50 Dems voting him in. If they need 60, then who the hell knows.

  8. 8.

    ding dong

    Do not think he won’t get confirmed but he’s gonna remember this and there’s gonna be payback. Mccain is truly an asshoul.

  9. 9.

    Valdivia

    thanks for putting this thread up. I was out running around all day and I checked in now and apparently (according to the CW) he was a disaster and even lost a bunch of dems on it. I saw that @The Hill. They make it seem like all the assholes saying they won’t vote for him were going to vote for him. Really? McCain and Graham and Rubio were going to vote for Hagel before today.
    Love how they are setting the narrative for the GOP that Hagel ‘lost’ them today. Ugh.

  10. 10.

    danimal

    @redshirt: He’s rapidly becoming my most hated congress-critter.

    And he’s only been on the job for a few days. Reprehensible chickenhawk a$$hole.

  11. 11.

    MikeInSewickley

    After his stand on the Iraq War debacle, by all that is right in the world, he had better be nominated.

    I get concerned when any republican runs the Defense Department but at the very least he is dead on sticking to his principles that Iraq was the biggest FUBAR this country has seen in decades.

  12. 12.

    ? Martin

    No.

    Just because some kid is on your lawn doesn’t mean you get to shoot them – but you are free to scream at them hysterically.

  14. 14.

    The Dangerman

    Wasn’t part of the Reid-McConnell Reach Around Package that nominations don’t get fillibustered? If yes, it’s a shitshow for no reason. If no, there’s a problem.

  15. 15.

    ranchandsyrup

    My facebook feed is blowing up with wingers salivating over Deb Fischer’s remarks to Hagel. “You’re to the left of the administration”. So brave. So very brave.

  16. 16.

    JPL

    Vitter is questioning Hagel now trying to paint him as a flip-flopper.. Hagel mentioned that he misspoke and at times wished he would have phrased things differently.. (paraphrasing) I was so hoping that he would say something to Vitter indicating that he should understand that.
    Hagel can get rattled easily which concerns me.

  21. 21.

    Corner Stone

    If they vote him down it will be about the biggest larf I’ve had in a while.
    Not expecting that.

  24. 24.

    Corner Stone

    Personally I would love it if we as a nation had the balls to install a SecDef who believed and could articulate the fact that the US is the world’s “bully”.
    Fuck you Slimy Ted Cruz.

  26. 26.

    Hill Dweller

    The President will win either way. If Hagel is confirmed, there will be hell to pay for the people attacking him. If Hagel is defeated, the wingnuts will prove once again they are willing to tear down the country in pursuit of their ideological goals.

  28. 28.

    Grumpy Code Monkey

    @ranchandsyrup:

    Hey Cole, ATM is a loaded acronym…………..especially in a post with “shit show” in the title.

    Because I am not hip…what? At the moment, automated teller machine, what am I missing?

  30. 30.

    redshirt

    I love that they are so viciously attacking a Republican. For what? Because he said the phrase “Jewish Lobby”? Because he thought the Iraq War was poorly managed? Incredible!

    Drip drip drip – any remaining sane Republicans, take note!

  31. 31.

    Jeremy

    @MikeInSewickley: The problem is that too many judge a person just because of title or party. You need to look at the record and Hagel is more of an old school republican in the mold of Eisenhower when it comes to foreign policy. Just like some progressives were complaining about Ray Lahood at Transportation when he was more progressive than previous democratic transportation secretaries. Hagel I think will make a great defense secretary.

  32. 32.

    JPL

    Hagel’s biggest mistake is not to pass the buck to the state department… Several of the attacks this morning was outside defense’s departments realm.

  34. 34.

    Todd

    Obama could name Don Rumsfeld as Secretary of Defense, and the goobers would be up in arms. Hell, they’d have grave concerns if he named Cheney, Bolton or Wolfowitz to the post.

    There is simply no person that he could name that would be acceptable.

  38. 38.

    Suffern ACE

    @Todd: No. He could name someone who thought that the crowning achievement of the past ten years was Iraq or hadn’t said so. Also someone who thinks not only that israel is our ally, but that it is our greatest ally. Maybe someone who thinks that we should be the junior partner in the alliance because after decades of mucking around in the mideast we still don’t know jack shit about it.

  42. 42.

    redshirt

    This all falls under the “Where there’s smoke there’s fire” school of Republican tactics, by the by. Wherein by screaming about something – even without cause or fact – Republicans ensure there’s some form of controversy about whatever topic they’re screaming about that day. And in a large percentage of people, this will stick. Such that Wingnuts will be uttering Hagel’s name in the same company as Pelosi and Soros. Or that’s the goal, at least.

  43. 43.

    Calouste

    @ding dong:

    We know that McCain is an asshole since about forever. Johnny “I would never have finished the Naval Academy and become and officer if my dad and granddad weren’t admirals” is just terribly upset that an Army grunt is going to be in charge of the military. He’d prefer a serial draft dodger.

  44. 44.

    JPL

    The democratic members obviously met during the recess and they are now in unison over Hagel’s strengths.
    That great statesman Session from Alabama is up now.

  46. 46.

    Waynski

    @Valdivia: Chris Cillizza was pushing that nonsense on MSNBC. I just saw the McCain bit and some other sort clips, which of course, Hagel treated it as it was , a bitter old man venting. All these guys were clearly baiting him and being jerks, and wasn’t biting. I guess the Villagers real job is to keep an increasingly batshit and soon to be irrelevant political party relevant.

  48. 48.

    eclecticbrotha

    Defeated, no. I believe the GOP shitshow is designed to justify their intent to filibuster.

  49. 49.

    Valdivia

    @Waynski:

    exactly. This am the meme was that he had a temperament problem. He acts cool and now they are criticizing him for that. But I could tell the Village was out in force when Luke Russert said he was worse than Obama in the first debate. Just assholes. I hate our media.

  53. 53.

    soopertrooper

    As long as wrong way Cole thinks there is a chance Hagel won’t be nominated then I am positive he will!

    This coming from the same guy who yesterday posted the most ridiculous “my animals understand me” post.

    Yea, Cole, you are the dog whisperer and your animals understand you….[cuckoo..cuckoo]

  54. 54.

    Paul

    Intrade is showing a 92.1% chance of him being confirmed.

    BTW – Mccain’s and Graham’s behavior was just despicable. The senate’s role is supposed to be advise and consent. Hell, they aren’t even allowing Hagel to respond to their stupid questions.

  55. 55.

    redshirt

    Rank the stupidest/most terrible Senators, worst to least:

    1. Inhofe
    2. Sessions
    3. Coryn
    4. Vitter
    5. Cruz – climbing the charts on a rocket!
    6. Coburn
    7. Graham
    8. McCain
    9. Ron Johnson – climbing!
    10. Grassley

  58. 58.

    JPL

    Ayotte has been chumming with McCain to long and it won’t help her future goals, imo.

    @redshirt: When Grassley is a ten, we are screwed.

  59. 59.

    Suffern ACE

    Thank goodness he didn’t show up drunk and in a superman costume. At the same time, I’m thinking McCain could show up drunk and in a superman costume and that would be the most professionally he’s behaved in five years.

  60. 60.

    Turgidson

    @JPL:

    If he still thinks that after having been a member of that cesspool of hate and ignorance, politely referred to as the GOP Senate caucus, then maybe he’s not up to the job after all.

  61. 61.

    redshirt

    @JPL: I kinda like Grassley entirely for his stupid Tweets. Shallow, I know. I’d never vote for him, mind you, if given the chance, but I do chuckle.

  62. 62.

    PeakVT

    @JPL: Maybe, or maybe he just realizes he has to pretend his questioners are rational while he’s sitting before them.

  63. 63.

    FlipYrWhig

    @redshirt: Coburn is an odd duck, but he doesn’t belong that high. Johnson is far worse than Coburn, Graham, or McCain. Rand Paul slots in ahead of Coburn, I think. And Mike Lee is WAY up there.

    I think Grassley, Graham, and McCain are more “embarrassing” than “stupid.” And we haven’t even mentioned goofs like Richard Shelby and Pat Toomey; and you know that someone like Barrasso or Crapo is a total nincompoop too, just one who mercifully stays out of the headlines. Maybe, ultimately, that’s just a different meaning of terrible.

  65. 65.

    General Stuck

    @eclecticbrotha:

    Defeated, no. I believe the GOP shitshow is designed to justify their intent to filibuster.

    That would be just one more shark they jump on the way to work at the bullshit factory. Republicans filibustering a republican. It doesn’t get any more tribal than that. As in one of theirs joining the rabble Army of Black Merlin.

  66. 66.

    FlipYrWhig

    @redshirt: I forgot Deb Fischer, who’s sure to become a noteworthy nutbar in the next few years.

    What’s amazing is that someone like Orrin Hatch has become almost reasonable by comparison with his colleagues.

  68. 68.

    SatanicPanic

    @redshirt: FlipYrWhig reminded me of the guy you left off- Rand Paul. I can’t stand that silly little man. What an ass. I put him at #2. In all of Congress I think only his father, Inhofe, Steve King, Louie Goehmert, Virginia Fox and Ol Crazy Eyes are worse.

  69. 69.

    redshirt

    Yeah, Rand Paul should be in the top ten. Bumping… Graham? out. Tough choices.

    McCain belongs on the list because of his influence. Some nutbars don’t have anywhere near the same pull. Same with Graham. I’d probably swap Ron Johnson for Paul, I guess.

  70. 70.

    AxelFoley

    @redshirt:

    Rank the stupidest/most terrible Senators, worst to least:

    1. Inhofe
    2. Sessions
    3. Coryn
    4. Vitter
    5. Cruz – climbing the charts on a rocket!
    6. Coburn
    7. Graham
    8. McCain
    9. Ron Johnson – climbing!
    10. Grassley

    ROFL!

  71. 71.

    Hal

    Why do I care what Hagel’s opinion on the surge was? McCain is beating a completely dead horse, and it amazes me how fucking personal his attacks seemed.

    Watching Andrea Mitchell today, she mentioned Hagel and McCain were BFF’s but that has long since ended. McCain came across as a scorned ex with a ax to grind.

  73. 73.

    FlipYrWhig

    @redshirt: I agree that McCain and Graham have influence, but I think that they actually uphold the notion that the point of being a senator is to help make the laws of the land. Lamentably, that now qualifies as reasonable. Hatch goes in that group too. Also Grassley.

    But there are a fair number of people even much worse than that, like Johnson and Lee, and Cruz goes with them, and I expect Fischer will get there too.

  74. 74.

    Frankensteinbeck

    @redshirt:
    I disagree. Republicans won’t hear ‘There must be something wrong with him if there’s all this fuss.’ They will hear ‘Our side hates Hagel, so I hate Hagel!’ Damn near everyone else will hear ‘I AM JOHN MCCAIN I HATE CLOUDS’ and be turned off just a little more. A very small portion of people will go ‘Ooh, there must actually be something controversial about this guy!’ Those people almost all work in the media.

  75. 75.

    karen

    McCain (and through him his shadow Graham) can’t say “You N lover.” But you know that’s what it’s really about.

  76. 76.

    General Stuck

    @Hal:

    and it amazes me how fucking personal his attacks seemed.

    THIS, and I have a theory why only the batshit washed up already disgraced wingnuts plus Rino Huntsman, and of course the wind up whackjob Mitt Romney, ran for prez in 2012. They saw what it did to John McCain losing to Obama, and wanted nothing to do with that.

  78. 78.

    General Stuck

    @FlipYrWhig:

    I think what we are seeing are the gold plated whackjobs take their places with old school whackjobs, and they are that, but with a limit switch. It is a kneejerk reaction by the conservative right wing of the party to be ever more pure on the main tenants of so called conservative ideology, rather than view the ideal right wing idea as more of a political tool to navigate the sausage factory and the GOP base.

    What they have yet to come to grips with, is that the country has seen enough of that and is moving on. Even if some of it they agree with. More and more every day, and more and more, the more cracked in the head folks like Cruz get.

    And I personally see Cruz as not stupid, but more an entertainer/panderer tuned in to the right wing purists that still have the wheel of the GOP. He has some political talent, but the brand he is embracing is dying, so that should neuter him for higher office some day.

  80. 80.

    Shrillhouse

    I don’t think President McCain was very impressed with Hagel. I’ve heard he might even take the unusual step of appearing on Meet the Press this Sunday to voice his displeasure.

  81. 81.

    FlipYrWhig

    @General Stuck:

    And I personally see Cruz as not stupid, but more an entertainer/panderer tuned in to the right wing purists that still have the wheel of the GOP.

    No, he’s not an entertainer (a la Ann Coulter), he’s a gen-you-whine creepy nut. Which I know because one of my good friends from high school was his freshman roommate at Princeton in 1988-89.

  82. 82.

    General Stuck

    @FlipYrWhig:

    Yea, he is a creepy nut. You are correct there. I don’t think he is stupid though, and probly a better word would be salesman with the gift of bullshit gab. I think he is going to be a right wing star soon, though his timing is off I think, as we are entering a new era of politics where the white supremacy laced wingnut christianist hero will come up shy of votes for prez. likely. thankfully.

  83. 83.

    JPL

    @FlipYrWhig: Cruz was unhinged during the second round. NBC.com has already called him out on hsi Al Jazeera stunt for taking it out of context. Cruz read something about Hagel traveling with someone who gave anti-Israel statements. Hagel did not travel with the person and that seemed to confuse Cruz cuz he read it. I’m sure that Cruz gets his info from world net daily…

  84. 84.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    and as I click around the internets, I see a lot “liberals” are helpfully piling on by suggesting Hagel was weak instead of “Hagel was confronted by a shitstorm of insanity and petulant vindictiveness that no sane person could have expected or responded to”

  85. 85.

    karen

    Do you think the truth about all those people who just love Israel will ever be told in the media? That except for the AIPAC/Sheldon Adelson/Bill Kristols in the wing, the so called lovers of Israel just love Israel and not Jews? That they hate Muslims but don’t love Jews? That
    in Texas and in the Texas textbooks they teach that Judaism is a “flawed religion” and that’s just the nice way of putting it? That the only purpose they have for Jews is for them to be slaughtered to bring on the end of days?

    Nope, I don’t either.

  86. 86.

    General Stuck

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    Not surprising. From what I watched, I was impressed by Hagel’s world weary calm fending off attacks by his former buds, as being some kind of liberal water carrier. It was irony on acid. And the only way they can block him is to filibuster, and that in itself would put a cherry on top the loonatics they have become. Hagel is pure right wing on everything but war and peace, and he is apolitical and experienced on the topic that the chickenhawks have no clue of.

  90. 90.

    liberal

    @Suffern ACE:

    Also someone who thinks not only that israel is our ally, but that it is our greatest ally.

    Though let us all note for the record that Israel is not an ally in the formal sense that there is no treaty behind our “alliance” (thank god).

  91. 91.

    liberal

    @FlipYrWhig:

    What’s amazing is that someone like Orrin Hatch has become almost reasonable by comparison with his colleagues.

    That’s the thing. The Republicans who are being outflanked on the right by the Tea Party And Friends are themselves already extremely right-wing.

  92. 92.

    liberal

    @SatanicPanic:

    In all of Congress I think only his father, Inhofe, Steve King, Louie Goehmert, Virginia Fox and Ol Crazy Eyes are worse.

    Paul Sr. is an idiot propertarian on economic issues, and his excuses about the racist newsletter in his name don’t wash, but his views on foreign policy are pretty reasonable.

  94. 94.

    centerfielddj

    @Shrillhouse:

    Don’t forget Huckleberry Graham on Face The Nation, and Kelly Ayotte on This Week. The Bitter Caucus in action, answering every call from Sunday Show producers’ speed dials.

  95. 95.

    FlipYrWhig

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: what a shock. A bunch of lifelong nerds, dorks, and dweebs working through their psychosexual development by becoming fixated on how politicians have failed to signal “toughness.” See also every discussion of Obama as negotiator on every liberal-leaning blog, 2008-2012, passim.

  96. 96.

    Corner Stone

    @FlipYrWhig:

    See also every discussion of Obama as negotiator on every liberal-leaning blog, 2008-2012, passim.

    You probably should have stopped one sentence ago.

  97. 97.

    LAC

    @Waynski: Yeah, seeing a little too much of Chris Cil-lisp-za on my TV these days. How this dweeb is considered any sort of journalist is yet another sign of its decline.

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