Fox News host Sean Hannity on Thursday congratulated Republicans for successfully using a filibuster to temporarily block a president’s nominee for secretary of defense — former Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE) — for the first time in the history of the U.S. Senate. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on Wednesday said Republicans should feel “shame” for the unprecedented obstruction, but Hannity called the outcome a “major win for the GOP.”…. “Republicans say it is premature to close the debate over the nominee and say that before that any confirmation vote will take place, they want answers from Hagel and the White House about what exactly President Obama was doing the night of the Benghazi terror attack that killed a U.S. ambassador and three other Americans,” Hannity noted on Thursday.
Throughout the history of our Republic, nominees for Presidential Cabinet positions have traditionally been granted a rapid up-or-down vote. While not all appointees have been confirmed (see Tower, John), Senators on both sides of the aisle historically have recognized the importance of making quick decisions on the President’s team.
Now, after more than 230 years, Senate Republicans have chose to blow up tradition in yet another desperate attempt to embarrass President Obama. And Sean Hannity is singing the praises of the obstructionists for their unprecedented “win” over the Black guy in the White House the President. That’s right; Hannity is tossing hosannas at Republicans for once again offering nothing but obstruction. Way to lead there, Sean….
When everything is a zero-sum game, I suppose this sort of hyper-partisan, brain-dead “analysis” is about the best one could hope for:
“Republicans say it is premature to close the debate over the nominee and say that before that any confirmation vote will take place, they want answers from Hagel and the White House about what exactly President Obama was doing the night of the Benghazi terror attack that killed a U.S. ambassador and three other Americans,” Hannity noted on Thursday.
“It’s the first time a filibuster of a cabinet nominee has been used,” he added. “And needless to say, this marks a major win for the GOP, and pretty embarrassing defeat for the president.”
Needless to say? After saying that they wouldn’t filibuster Hagel and then going back on their word, Republicans have demonstrated just how desperate they are to find something- ANYTHING- that they can use to create a scandal and embarrass the President. As Hannity’s colleague Juan Williams said, “What we’re really seeing here is a political game.” Really? Whodathunkit??
Country First, eh? I’d say that Senate Republicans should be ashamed of themselves, but that would presume they actually grasp the concept of shame.
Oh, and before I go, how is it that the Senate so easily and quickly approved a Democrat (Sen. John Kerry as Secretary of State), but Republicans are obstructing the approval of one of their own? Anyone care to ‘splain that bit of partisan hypocrisy?
