Monday, February 11, 2013

Senator Inhofe (R-OK) Also Anti-Hagel - Wants 60 Votes to Confirm or He Filibusters


Lost on Senators Inhofe and Graham that the Senate has NEVER filibustered a Cabinet nominee

Filibustering Presidential nominees has not been used a lot according to Sen Inhofe - nine times in nine years and NEVER for a cabinet nominee?  The President should have leeway to appoint who they want, but Inhofe says he doesn't trust the President to make the right appointment.  Note to Senator Inhofe -- GOP lost in November and you don't get to pick and choose who you want and neither does the Defense Industry.  The Republicans in Congress have gone over the edge:
Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) on Sunday threatened to filibuster former Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.)'s nomination for Defense secretary, if necessary to prevent his confirmation.
“I want a 60-vote margin and you don’t have to filibuster to get that,” said Inhofe in an interview on Fox News. “I would threaten to cause a 60-vote margin. If it took a filibuster, I’d do it that way.” 
Inhofe, the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said that requiring 60 votes to confirm nominees was common and dismissed suggestions that GOP colleagues would be reluctant to back him. They are predicating it on the assumption that we haven’t been doing it. In the last nine years we’ve done it nine times; some of them have been confirmed some have not. I don’t see anything wrong with 60-vote margin with any of the two most significant jobs, appointments that the president has,” said Inhofe. 
The Senate has never filibustered a Cabinet nominee. 
“I don’t trust this president to make the right appointment, I don’t think that Hagel is the right appointment,” Inhofe added.

Read more:  The Hill
Senator McCain said he will not filibuster which makes him the reasonable one on the GOP side of the Armed Services Committee.  Inhofe said he won't stop the nomination from clearing Committee but will go after it on the floor of the Senate.  With McCain not on their side, think Inhofe and Graham are going to have trouble blocking the nomination.

Senator Inhofe needs to retire at the end of this session and allow someone else from Oklahoma to serve who puts the Country over Party.


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