Chuck Hagel

MSNBC's 'Cycle' Gives Daschle Platform to Bash Hagel Filibuster; No Mention Daschle Killed Bush's Estrada Nomination Same Way
By Ken Shepherd | February 19, 2013 | 8:12 PM EST

Ten years ago,  then-Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) held together a Democratic filibuster of President Bush's nomination of Miguel Estrada to the Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. Tom Curry of NBCNews.com notes that Republicans tried to end debate and proceed to an up-or-down vote seven times before eventually giving up. Frustrated with Daschle's obstructionism, President Bush called for filibuster reform, which Daschle dismissed out of hand, insisting,"The Senate is always going to be the Senate."

Fast forward to February 19, 2013. Appearing on MSNBC's The Cycle in part to promote his new book about the U.S. Senate, co-host Krystal Ball dutifully read back to Daschle a line from his new tome about the filibuster being abused. At no point, however, did Ball or anyone else on the panel, including token conservative S.E. Cupp, point out the Center for American Progress fellow’s hypocrisy.

NBC’s David Gregory Thinks Republicans Are ‘Just Trying to Jam the President Up’
By Paul Bremmer | February 19, 2013 | 9:55 AM EST

NBC continues to lead the way in belittling any and all Republican attempts to stand up to President Obama. On Sunday’s Today, David Gregory rehashed the common left-wing talking point that Republicans are opposing Obama at every turn merely for the sake of being obstructionist. 

Commenting on Republican opposition to the Chuck Hagel nomination, Gregory said, “There’s no question that this looks to be similar to what people are criticizing Republicans for doing on the economy or on spending, on these various battles they’ve had over the debt, which is just trying to jam the president up.”

 
Angry PBS Anchor Judy Woodruff on Hagel Delay: 'Does Someone Pay the Price for All This?'
By Tim Graham | February 17, 2013 | 4:51 PM EST

PBS NewsHour anchor Judy Woodruff had a rough night on Friday, putting her outrage at Republicans ahead of the facts. In her "Shields and Brooks" segment with liberal Mark Shields and former Bush speechwriter Michael Gerson (subbing for David Brooks), she guessed "The Republicans, I gather, we're told, it is unprecedented, blocking the nomination -- or the confirmation so far of the man President Obama wants to be his defense secretary."

Did Woodruff completely forget Sen. John Tower's nomination for defense secretary, voted down by Democrats in 1989? The name never came up. Hagel's confirmation is only delayed, not defeated. But Woodruff expressed the need for GOP suffering: "Does somebody pay the price, though, for all this?" Naturally, the liberal expert agreed:

Newt Gingrich Smacks Down WaPo's Ruth Marcus: 'This Is Just Such Washington Nonsense'
By Noel Sheppard | February 17, 2013 | 1:56 PM EST

Newt Gingrich had a fabulous exchange with the Washington Post's Ruth Marcus on ABC's This Week Sunday that really speaks volumes about the media's reaction to Republican Senators filibustering Chuck Hagel's confirmation as Defense Secretary.

When Marcus spouted the typical liberal commentator line "Republicans just want to make themselves look even more obstructionist with a country that’s frustrated with that," Gingrich struck back saying, "This is just such Washington nonsense" (video follows with transcript and commentary):

Rachel Maddow Hyperbolic in Deceit About GOP Filibustering Hagel
By Jack Coleman | February 15, 2013 | 7:40 PM EST

The Republican filibuster of Chuck Hagel for defense secretary is utterly unprecedented, claims an insistent Rachel Maddow -- providing that you ignore previous examples of filibusters aimed at cabinet nominees.

On her MSNBC show last night, Maddow described GOP use of the filibuster to block Hagel's nomination as seismic in significance and astronomically rare in frequency. Not surprisingly, Maddow got it wrong as she's inclined to do. (video and audio clips after page break)

Networks Accuse GOP of 'Partisan Standoff' After 'Rare Move' to Block Hagel Nomination
By Kyle Drennen | February 15, 2013 | 5:00 PM EST

Following the failure of former Senator Chuck Hagel to receive enough votes in the Senate on Thursday to be confirmed as defense secretary, NBC, ABC, and CBS all immediately turned their ire on Republicans for daring to object to President Obama's appointment.

On Friday's NBC Today, news reader Natalie Morales fretted over the "partisan standoff." In the report that followed, chief White House correspondent Chuck Todd mentioned Republican reasons for blocking the nomination, but brushed them aside as he concluded: "Ultimately, Hagel's issues with his former GOP colleagues are personal."

Scarborough Parrots Harry Reid's Faulty Claim ‘We Don’t Have a Secretary of Defense in Place’
By Paul Bremmer | February 15, 2013 | 4:31 PM EST

On today’s Morning Joe, host Joe Scarborough repeated the fib that our country is currently operating without a secretary of defense. After playing a clip of Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) explaining the Republican ill will toward nominee Chuck Hagel, Scarborough unleashed his venom:

You know... for the 66,000 troops currently serving in Afghanistan and for the families all across America this morning, I'm sure they're glad to know that we don't have a secretary of defense in place and we're not going to because of a seven-year-old political grudge.

CNN Incredulous Over GOP 'Fixation' on Benghazi, Opposition to Hagel
By Matt Hadro | February 15, 2013 | 12:32 PM EST

The same network that wondered if Sen. Rubio's sip of water was a "big deal" is now asking just why Republicans are "so fixated on Benghazi" when they asked Defense Secretary nominee Chuck Hagel about the Libya fiasco.

"This, despite testimony on Benghazi from General Petraeus, Hillary Clinton, Admiral Mike Mullen, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, General Martin Dempsey, among others. But it's not enough," an obviously flustered Carol Costello huffed. The CNN headline later flashed, "Why are Republicans so fixated on Benghazi?"

Krauthammer: 'Perhaps Harry Reid Needs an Antidepressant. I'd Be Happy to Give Him One'
By Noel Sheppard | February 14, 2013 | 7:06 PM EST

Syndicated columnist Charles Krauthammer didn't have much sympathy for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's (D-Nev.) claim that Thursday's failed cloture vote on the Chuck Hagel Defense Secretary nomination "is one of the saddest spectacles I have witnessed in my 27 years in the Senate."

Appearing on Fox News's Special Report, Krauthammer said, "Perhaps he needs an antidepressant. I'd be happy to give him one."

Chris Matthews Snarls That Ted Cruz Is the New 'Joe McCarthy'
By Scott Whitlock | February 14, 2013 | 6:09 PM EST

For daring to oppose Chuck Hagel's nomination to be Secretary of Defense, Chris Matthews on Thursday snarled that Ted Cruz is the new Joe McCarthy. Comparing the Republican senator from Texas to liberalism's highest villain, Matthews ranted, "You know, I don't often say it, and I rarely say it, but there was echoes of Joe McCarthy there. Really strong echoes." [See video below. MP3 audio here.]

The Hardball anchor came to this conclusion after playing a clip of Cruz pointing out that the "government of Iran [is] formally and publicly praising" Hagel's nomination. Matthews's guest, Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill, unsurprisingly agreed: "It was absolutely McCarthy-like!" Matthews's claim that he "rarely" compares people to McCarthy is just wrong. He's done it a number of times. 

Martin Bashir Makes a Fool of Himself Surprisingly With NBCer Kelly O’Donnell’s Help
By Noel Sheppard | February 14, 2013 | 5:57 PM EST

MSNBC's Martin Bashir made a bit of a fool of himself Thursday surprisingly with the assistance of NBC News's Kelly O'Donnell.

When Bashir claimed the just-ended failed cloture vote on Chuck Hagel for Defense Secretary was "an example of the fractures in the Republican Party because at the beginning of the day we didn't think that Harry Reid would get any Republican votes," O'Donnell responded, "Actually, not a surprise, not a surprise" (video follows with transcript and commentary):

New York Times Again Defends Chuck Hagel From Mean GOP; Plus Do Only Conservatives Feel 'Ire'?
By Clay Waters | February 14, 2013 | 4:20 PM EST

From the day President Obama nominated him, the New York Times has oozed sympathy for the plight of Chuck Hagel, Obama's nominee for secretary of Defense. Times reporters have warned darkly of the disappearance of congressional "comity" and "courtesy" (as if the clubbiness and glad-handing endemic to the U.S. Senate represents some shining exemplar of good government) among Republicans, who dare suggest Hagel came off grossly uninformed and confused on foreign policy issues in his congressional hearings.

Wagons were being circled in Thursday's "Senate Democrats, Accusing G.O.P. of Obstruction, Try to Force Hagel Vote," with reporters Jeremy Peters and Mark Mazzetti portraying the battle from the Democratic Party's point of view, with concerns about Benghazi reduced to "a point of conservative ire."