President Obama will nominate former Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE) to be the next secretary of defense, but many predict a tough confirmation fight as he has vocal critics on both the left and the right.
The Week has a good summary of the issues.
Jon Karl: “Senate Democrats tell me there is no guarantee Hagel will win confirmation and that, as of right now, there are enough Democratic Senators with serious concerns about Hagel to put him below 50 votes. The bottom line: He may ultimately win confirmation, but not before a bloody fight in the Senate.”
Mark Halperin: “If Hagel has a good confirmation sherpa and performs well in his courtesy calls and at his hearings, he will likely be confirmed. But/and at a pretty high cost. Expect a LOT of people to want to testify against him. And don’t rule out a filibuster of this nomination, which would, obviously, change the math.”
First Read: “What message would it send if Hagel — a decorated war hero, a Vietnam
vet, a two-term senator who served in office without scandal — doesn’t
get confirmed?”
