We do not have, at 12 o’clock today, a Secretary of Defense.Harry Reid, revealing today that Senate Republicans have rounded up the 41 votes necessary to block the nomination of Chuck Hagel to the Defense Department. Today is outgoing Defense Secretary Leon Panetta’s last day on the job; if Republicans make good on their threats during Hagel’s confirmation vote tomorrow—and this is certainly a big “if”—it will be the first time a nominee for Secretary of Defense has been filibustered, and the country will be left without a Defense Secretary. A couple of Republican senators have threatened to block Hagel’s nomination unless the Obama Administration releases more information about the attack last year on the American consulate in Benghazi, an incident with which Hagel was wholly uninvolved. A Hagel spokesman said today that despite the threats of his former colleagues, the Nebraska Republican is not withdrawing his nomination. source
Former Senator Chuck Hagel is likely to be nominated for Secretary of Defense next week, according to congressional and administration sources, reports The New York Times. Hagel, 66, has been the rumored pick for weeks now, but has weathered a lot of criticism in the intervening time — specifically regarding his denouncement of openly-gay ambassador James Hormel in the 90s, as well as whether his support for the state of Israel is sufficiently rigid enough for congressional conservatives to confirm him. (Photo from Secretary of Defense) source
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