For those following at home, today's developments:
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- 58 Senators, from states representing roughly two-thirds of the nation's population, voted in favor of acting on Chuck Hagel's nomination as Secretary of Defense. At least 55 of those Senators would have voted to confirm Hagel.
- Nominations for this job have never before been subject to filibuster, or other than a simple majority vote.
- Nonetheless, the 40 Senators who oppose Hagel, from states representing about one-third of the U.S. population, are blocking, for the first time ever, a President's ability to fill this role in his Cabinet.
- The 40 Senators forcing this blockage don't want what they're doing to be called a "filibuster," because late in the game (after six years of filibustering everything) they have become nervous about this term. But it is the only honest description of what a minority that includes Senators John McCain and Lindsay Graham, each of whom has said he wouldn't "filibuster" this nomination, is doing now.
To look on the bright side, here are the four Republicans who broke with their party in this obstructionist move: Senators Cochran of Mississippi, Collins of Maine, Johanns of Nebraska, and Murkowski of Alaska all voted against a filibuster.
Today's installment of double-speak, as reported in the WaPo:
Sure, that makes sense.Republicans denied that their actions constituted a filibuster because they expect Hagel to be confirmed, and they insisted they will allow a simple-majority vote on the nomination later this month.
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