Tag Archives: Lindsey Graham

HUFFPOST HILL – World Learns ‘Royal Baby’ Isn’t A Line Of Velour Tracksuits

By The Huffington Post News Editors

People everywhere congratulated the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on the birth of their son, while Republicans vowed to rescue the child from Britain’s socialist health care system. The media’s coverage was a bit breathless, but thankfully the New York Post didn’t report the baby’s name as “Dick Gephardt.” And Mitch McConnell greeted his likely primary challenger by calling him “an East Coast con man” but stopped short of demanding he take his stagecoach full of elixirs back home. This is HUFFPOST HILL for Monday, July 22nd, 2013:

GOP ESTABLISHMENT RALLYING AROUND ENZI – Beleaguered folk hero Mike Enzi is getting some help from the little guy: Koch Industries. Politico: “Sen. Mike Enzi’s fundraising efforts have gotten off to a sluggish start this year, but he’s received support from Republican establishment and heavyweight political action committees ahead of his primary fight against Liz Cheney. The Wyoming Republican received $7,500 from Koch Industries PAC, the committee affiliated with the company owned by megadonors Charles and David Koch, according to a POLITICO review of Enzi’s second quarter campaign finance reports filed with the Federal Election Commission. Other PACs affiliated with major politically active companies and trade associations who gave to Enzi between April and June include: Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Time Warner Cable, Pfizer and National Retail Federation. The three-term incumbent also received support from the leadership PACs of establishment Republicans such as Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and Sens. Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina.” [Politico]

CELEBS PROMOTING OBAMACARE – Oprah’s boldly going where the NFL wouldn’t dare. Sarah Kliff: “What do Oprah, Funny or Die and the Grammys have in common? All three, it turns out, have volunteered to promote Obamacare. Senior advisor Valerie Jarrett hosted a meeting Monday with a star-studded group of actors, musicians, writers and producers who have ‘expressed a personal interest in educating young people about the Affordable Care Act,’ according to a White House official.” [WashPost]

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at Huffington Post

Senators' Personal Wants Buried in Immigration Bill

By Matt Cantor The Senate’s immigration reform bill could make sweeping changes for some 11 million undocumented workers, but not all its measures are so expansive. In fact, a number of senators have inserted legislation that offers a special boost to their home states, the Wall Street Journal reports. Lindsey Graham of South…

From: http://www.newser.com/story/166607/senators-personal-wants-buried-in-immigration-bill.html

'We got him!' But now authorities want answers in Boston Marathon bombing

Now that police have secured the second of two suspects in Monday’s Boston Marathon bombing — who as of Saturday night lay hospitalized in serious condition under heavy guard and apparently in no shape to be interrogated — the long and meticulous process of examining motives, methods and possible links begins.

There was no immediate word on when Tsarnaev might be charged and what those charges would be. The twin bombings killed three people and wounded more than 180.

The most serious charge available to federal prosecutors would be the use of a weapon of mass destruction to kill people, which carries a possible death sentence. Massachusetts does not have the death penalty.

A Justice Department official said Friday the government is invoking a seldom-used public safety exception permitting officials to engage in a limited and focused unwarned interrogation of a suspect — in this case Dzhokhar Tsarnaev — without first reading him his typically assured Miranda rights. That official, as well as a second, both of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity, says Tsarnaev will be questioned by a special interrogation team for high-value suspects.

The public safety exception not only permits the unwarned questioning of a suspect, but also allows the government to introduce any statement yielded by such interrogation as evidence in court. The exception is triggered when authorities have an objectively reasonable need to protect themselves or the public from a clear and present danger.

However, the exception lasts only 48 hours and should be extended by declaring Tsarnaev a potential enemy combatant, under the Law of War, Republican Sens. Lindsey Graham, South Carolina; John McCain, Arizona; and Kelly Ayotte, New Hampshire, said in a statement Saturday. They were joined by New York Republican Rep. Peter King.

According to media accounts, Tsarnaev and his brother, Tamerlan, were Muslims who recently gravitated to a radical strain of Islam, going so far as to post Anti-American, jihadist videos on social-media sites. Both are thought to have as-yet-unprobed ties to a radical Muslim cleric hellbent on the destruction of the American way of life.

A day-long dragnet for Tsarnaev ended Friday, with police capturing the suspect covered in blood and hiding in a boat in the backyard of a man who called 911 after becoming suspicious of activity on his property.

“We got him,” Boston Mayor Tom Menino tweeted moments later, as neighbors gathered to form a gauntlet of cheers while a phalanx of police cars departed the scene.

Police moved in on Dzhokhar Tsarnaev Friday evening after a tip led them to the home on Franklin Street, where he apparently had been hiding in the back yard.

Neighbors said they heard more than 30 shots likened to “a roll of firecrackers shooting off.” Police swarmed the scene, and several explosions, possibly police concussion grenades, were heard after a robot moved in on the boat. Less than two hours later, at about 9 p.m., the suspect, believed to have been injured in a wild shootout that spanned Thursday night to Friday morning, was being taken to

From: http://feeds.foxnews.com/~r/foxnews/national/~3/H7qGJg1lgBI/

An Open Letter To RNC Chair Reince Priebus

By Tim Powers

PLEASE FORWARD THIS TO ALL ELECTED OFFICIALS

Dear Mr Priebus,

I signed on with the Republican Party back in 2008 when I perceived the threat that our Muslim/communist plant Barack Hussein Obama would bring to the United States if he won the election. Like every good party supporter, I gave what I could in order to further the CONSERVATIVE Republican cause, to no avail of course. I gave once again in 2012 as it looked like a pretty good field of Conservative candidates, except for the fact that we ended up with the socialist/RINO Mitt Romney. Once again, the party’s choice of a candidate was to no avail.

My question to you sir is this: when are you going to stop asking your party members for money when the best that you can muster is nothing more than a bunch of co-opted progressive Republican RINO’s like John McCain and Lindsey Graham?

If you haven’t noticed, Sir, the people that you didn’t back and in fact tried to ruin in the primaries such as Rand Paul, Nikki Haley, and Ted Cruz are the very same people that We The People through our grassroots efforts put over the top against your RINOs against all odds. I don’t know if you have noticed, Sir, but it is OUR people that are making a difference in that corrupt cesspool on the hill.

My advice to you as a Republican voter is this: if you want to get this party back on track, get this party back to true Conservatism. Otherwise, I will remain a Republican only for the option of voting the RINOs out during the primaries. Until such a time that you begin to field truly Conservative candidates, you will NOT receive another dime from me, so please don’t ask.

Sincerely,

Tim Powers

True Conservative Republican voter

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore (Creative Commons)

From: http://www.westernjournalism.com/an-open-letter-to-rnc-chair-reince-priebus/

Lindsey Graham: Obama Budget Offer Has Positives

By The Huffington Post News Editors

By Mark Felsenthal
WASHINGTON, April 7 (Reuters) – South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham on Sunday became the first prominent Republican to publicly praise, however lukewarmly, the budget proposal the White House outlined last week.
Graham said that while he believes President Barack Obama‘s plan is overall bad for the economy, “there are nuggets of his budget that I think are optimistic,” and that could set the stage for a broad bargain to put the nation’s finances on a stronger footing. He was speaking on NBC’s “Meet the Press” program.
Graham, a conservative who has deviated from party positions in the past, and has said he would consider raising up to $600 billion in new tax revenue if Democrats accept significant changes to Medicare, the government health program for elderly Americans, and Medicaid, the health safety net for low-income people.
The White House on Friday said the president would propose a budget that would offer cuts to so-called entitlement programs such as Social Security, a retirement program, and Medicare in exchange for increased tax revenues and a commitment to spend money on education and infrastructure repair.
Obama‘s proposal, which will formally be made public on Wednesday, is a symbolic document, and both the Senate and House of Representatives have already passed their own budget resolutions.
The president’s aides have said he hopes to use the offer to appeal to enough middle-of-the-road lawmakers of both parties to pass a broad deal to reduce the budget deficit.
Obama also hopes to reverse the deep spending cuts that automatically kicked in March 1 as a result of the failure of the White House and Congress to reach an agreement on replacing them.
Graham’s reception of the president’s budget proposal is warmer than his fellow Republicans and some of the president’s own allies have accorded it so far.
House Speaker John Boehner said last week the president was ignoring Republicans’ staunch opposition to any tax …read more

Source: FULL ARTICLE at Huffington Post

Graham: We Have a Deal on Immigration

By Polly Davis Doig Despite Marco Rubio’s statement this morning that reports of an immigration deal are “premature,” Lindsey Graham says it’s all over but the shouting. “I think we’ve got a deal,” he told CNN this morning, according to Politico . “We’ve got to write the legislation, but 2013, I hope, will be the… …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Newser – Home

GOP congressional leaders meet on Libya, vow coordinated inquiry into terror attack

House Speaker John Boehner convened a special meeting on the Benghazi, Libya, terrorist attack Thursday, bringing in the chairmen of the House Intelligence, Foreign Affairs and Government Oversight committees, as well as Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, John McCain of Arizona and Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire, Fox News has learned.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox News – Politics

Sen. Graham claims Benghazi survivors 'told to be quiet' by administration

Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, in an interview with Fox News, alleged that the injured survivors of the Benghazi terror attack have been “told to be quiet” and feel they can’t come forward to tell their stories — escalating his push for more information about survivors who have never been publicly identified.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox News – Politics

Video: Drones Will Target Conservative Americans

By Kris Zane

For many of us, Rand Paul’s filibuster was a surreal moment in time, beckoning back to better days when Mr. Smith Goes to Washington was considered a masterpiece of film because it embodied the values of our nation. Today, “violence porn” films like Django Unchained are considered the top of the heap because they, sadly, embody our corrupt and violent society.

“Old Bull” Republicans like John McCain and Lindsey Graham thought Rand Paul’s filibuster was stupid and irrelevant.  That it was ridiculous to think that Barack Hussein Obama, who has from almost Day One of his presidency spurned the rule of law—often blathering about “if Congress won’t act, I will”—would drop a hellfire missile on an American sitting in a cafe.

But this wasn’t some manufactured issue, as the Left is famous for. Michael Isakoff uncovered a secret DOJ memo last month that gave the Obama administration the authority to kill any U.S. citizen, at any time, anywhere, without proof, without due process, accountable to no one.

And in fact, Anwar al-Awlaki, an American citizen, was taken out by a drone for basically being a propagandist for Al-Qaeda. Whether, being an American citizen, he should have been given due process is debatable. But two weeks after al-Awlaki was killed, his sixteen year old son, Abdulrahman, also an American citizen, was killed with a drone. His crime was being related to an identified terrorist. And in fact, then-Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs blamed al-Awlaki’s son for “not having a more responsible father” for his being vaporized by a missile.

And then there was the news that the Obama administration had ordered a fleet of “public safety” drones, able to pick up cell phone traffic, able to identify whether the target—that is, an American citizen—is armed or not—with the ability to be easily outfitted with missiles.  Experts estimate this fleet of “public safety” drones to reach 30,000 by the end of Obama’s “third term.”

This in itself would have remained innocuous enough, but there was this odd “War on Domestic Terrorism” that the Obama administration was waging against conservatives.

For example, the Department of Homeland Security published a study titled “Hot Spots of Terrorism and Other Crimes in the United States, which identified potential domestic terrorists as those who are “reverent of individual liberty.” Those who are “suspicious of centralized federal authority.” Those who believe there is a “grave threat to national sovereignty and/or personal liberty.”

This of course sounds very much like beliefs espoused by conservatives, specifically the Tea Party, so it was valid for conservatives to be concerned.

Rand Paul, more pointedly, cited in his filibuster further ludicrous “behaviors” of potential domestic terrorists: Those who have guns with high capacity magazines and weatherized ammunition. Those who have more than a seven day supply of food. Those who pay in cash. And probably the most ludicrous: Those who are missing fingers.

It took almost two months for the American people to get …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Western Journalism

President Rand Paul?

By Steve Deace

Rand Paul 4 SC President Rand Paul?

If Rand Paul goes on to become President of these United States one day, we will look back on the events of March 6th, 2013 as the catalyst for making that happen. And because of those events, Rand Paul now has more political capital to spend than any elected Republican in the country.

Rand Paul’s 13-hour filibuster on the Senate floor over the issue of whether or not a White House can unilaterally determine to kill Americans using drone strikes, with no regard whatsoever for the 5th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, did something on a national policy level that hasn’t happened much in recent years—it united the right-of-center coalition in America around principled leadership.

The only other two recent examples of this I can think of were what Scott Walker did to the unionistas in Wisconsin and what Mike Huckabee did for Chick-fil-a. But those events, important as they were, didn’t accomplish what Rand Paul did last week. What we saw was one man’s crusade – if for only one night – bringing the ruling class to its knees. We saw Rand Paul bend Washington, D.C. to his will. We saw him grab them by the throat and force them – milquetoast RINO Mitch McConnell and liberal statist Dick Durbin alike – to respond to him.

When was the last time a Republican in the nation’s capitol did that on a matter of public policy? Has McConnell, the Republican leader in the U.S. Senate, ever done that? What about Republican Speaker of the House John Boehner? We already know the answer. The last time a Republican in the beltway moved heaven and earth on a matter of public policy was when George W. Bush wanted to invade Iraq.

Let’s hope this turns out better than that.

You may wish Rand Paul had done this on an issue you care more about than this one, and you may doubt his sincerity (when isn’t it a good time to doubt a politician’s sincerity?), but you also can’t deny the potential political power of this moment. There were the GOP’s other bright shining and emerging stars, Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz, side-saddling up next to Rand. There was John Thune, who looks like Tarzan but plays like Jane when it comes to politics, hopping on the bandwagon to do something that looked hard for once. Then the next morning, there were the hackneyed symbols of RINO face palms, John “little ball of hate” McCain and Lindsey Graham, predictably lining up to condemn Rand—which only adds to his conservative street cred.

Do you know why what Rand did was so powerful? First, because we are starved for anything that resembles leadership, and leadership is what Rand was showing. We are like parched throats in a desert desperately seeking anything that resembles a drop of water. So many of you have called or emailed me the last few years wondering when someone will stand up and fling the monkey poop right back into the face of a corrupt ruling class. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Western Journalism

Lindsey Graham: John Brennan Has His Vote For CIA Director Because Of Rand Paul Filibuster

By The Huffington Post News Editors

WASHINGTON — Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said Thursday he would vote for CIA director nominee John Brennan because Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) filibustered his appointment over questions about President Barack Obama‘s drone program.

“I was going to vote against him until the filibuster, so he picked up one vote,” Graham said, laughing to reporters in the Capitol.

“I thought Brennan was arrogant, a bit shifty,” he said, adding that he was going to vote for Brennan because the vote had become a “referendum on the drone program.”

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at Huffington Post

CBS’s Schieffer Contends ‘Extreme’ Republicans ‘Holding Rest Of Party Hostage’

By Breaking News

Bob Schieffer  CBS’s Schieffer Contends ‘Extreme’ Republicans ‘Holding Rest of Party Hostage’

“Do you all feel that your party is somehow being held hostage?” Bob Schieffer asked Republican Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham, presumably referring to those opposed to raising taxes. Touting President Obama as the reasonable one who “has talked about kind of a ‘common sense caucus,’” within the same long-winded question on Face the Nation, Schieffer repeated his accusation: “Are people on the extreme ends of your party holding the rest of you hostage here?”

Not ten minutes later, however, with Democratic Senator Dick Durbin, Schieffer not only failed to characterize Obama as an obstinate extremist for demanding another tax hike two months after Republicans acceded to one, but he suddenly decided: “I think we are beyond arguing about who’s fault it is on how we got here.”

What chutzpah!

Read More at The Media Research Center . By Brent Baker.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at Western Journalism

Now That They've Happened, Spending Cuts Seem Here to Stay

By The Associated Press

Filed under: , ,

By PHILIP ELLIOTT

WASHINGTON (AP) – The spending cuts are here to stay if you believe the public posturing Sunday.

The Senate’s Republican leader Mitch McConnell called them modest. House Speaker John Boehner isn’t sure the cuts will hurt the economy. The White House‘s top economic adviser, Gene Sperling, said the pain isn’t that bad right now.

So after months of dire warnings, Washington didn’t implode, government didn’t shut down and the $85 billion budget trigger didn’t spell doom. And no one has a tangible proposal for rolling back those cuts.

“This modest reduction of 2.4 percent in spending over the next six months is a little more than the average American experienced just two months ago, when their own pay went down when the payroll tax holiday expired,” McConnell said.

“I don’t know whether it’s going to hurt the economy or not,” Boehner said. “I don’t think anyone quite understands how the sequester is really going to work.”

And Sperling, making the rounds on the Sunday news shows, added: “On Day One, it will not be as harmful as it will be over time.”

Both parties cast blame on the other for the automatic, across-the-board spending cuts but gave little guidance on what to expect in the coming weeks. Republicans and Democrats pledged to retroactively undo the cuts but signaled no hints as to how that process would start to take shape. Republicans insisted there would be no new taxes and Democrats refused to talk about any bargain without them.

“That’s not going to work,” said Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H. “If we’re going to increase revenue again, it’s got to go to the debt with real entitlement reform and real tax reform when you actually lower rates. … I’m not going to agree to any more tax increases that are going to go to increase more government.”

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said any tax increases were unacceptable.

“I’m not going to do any more small deals. I’m not going to raise taxes to fix sequestration. We don’t need to raise taxes to fund the government,” Graham said.

All of this comes ahead of a new, March 27 deadline that could spell a government shutdown and a debt-ceiling clash coming in May.

Boehner said his chamber would move this week to pass a measure to keep government open through Sept. 30. McConnell said a government shutdown was unlikely to come from his side of Capitol Hill. The White House said it would dodge the shutdown and roll back the cuts, which hit domestic and defense spending in equal share.

“We will still be committed to trying to find Republicans and Democrats that will work on a bipartisan compromise to get rid of the sequester,” Sperling said.

Obama has phoned lawmakers but it isn’t clear to what end; the White House refused Sunday to …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

Hagel takes helm at Pentagon after bitter fight

Chuck Hagel takes charge at the Defense Department with deep budget cuts looming and Republican opponents still doubtful that he’s up to the job.

Hagel is expected to be sworn in Wednesday and is likely to address the staff in his first day as defense secretary. A bitterly divided Senate voted 58-41 to confirm the former two-term Republican senator from Nebraska.

Hagel is promising to work closely with Congress, but he faces lingering reservations about his ability to handle the responsibilities. Shortly after the vote, Sen. Lindsey Graham said he still has serious questions about Hagel and his qualifications.

Among Hagel‘s challenges are dealing with the budget cuts and deciding on troop levels in Afghanistan as the United States winds down its combat presence.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox US News

Hagel's GOP foes signal vote should go on

Republican opponents are sending signals that Chuck Hagel‘s bid to become defense secretary will probably come to an up-or-down vote soon in the Senate.

That’s unless more information damaging to the nominee — and the Obama administration — surfaces in the coming week.

Critics maintain the decorated Vietnam combat veteran and former senator is unqualified to lead the U.S. military. A top White House official expressed “grave concern” over the delayed confirmation vote, adding that there was nothing to worry about in any disclosures that may yet come.

Arizona Sen. John McCain, a key Republican on defense matters, said Sunday that he doesn’t believe Hagel, a one-time colleague and friend, is qualified. “But I don’t believe that we should hold up his nomination any further, because I think it’s (been) a reasonable amount of time to have questions answered.”

McCain and other Republicans angered President Barack Obama by delaying a vote on Hagel last week and preventing him from rounding out his second-term national security team, which includes Hagel and John Brennan, the White House counterterrorism adviser who is awaiting confirmation to become CIA director. Former Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry assumed his post as secretary of state at the beginning of February.

Critics say Hagel, who snubbed McCain by staying neutral in the 2008 presidential race between McCain and Obama, isn’t supportive enough of U.S. ally Israel and is unreasonably sympathetic to Iran, which has defied international pressure to halt its pursuit of material that could be used to make nuclear weapons.

Hagel’s nomination also became ensnared in Republican lawmakers’ questioning of how the White House handled the September attack against a U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, in which the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans were killed. Hagel had no role in the administration’s response to the Benghazi attack.

GOP senators also have challenged Hagel’s past statements and votes on nuclear weapons, and his criticism of President George W. Bush’s administration.

Republicans last week delayed a confirmation vote, but have indicated that one will be allowed when lawmakers return from a break on Feb. 25.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., another leader of the opposition to Hagel, referred to a letter he received from Hagel in response to questions about past statements on Israel. Graham said that, as a …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox US News

GOP foes of Hagel nomination say vote should go on

Republican opponents of former Sen. Chuck Hagel‘s stalled bid to become defense secretary said Sunday that they’ll probably allow his Senate confirmation vote to proceed unless material more damaging to the nominee — and, by extension, the Obama administration — surfaces in the coming week.

Critics said the decorated Vietnam combat veteran is a “radical” unqualified to lead the U.S. military. A top White House official expressed “grave concern” over the delayed confirmation vote, adding that there was nothing to worry about in any disclosures that may yet come.

“No, I don’t believe he’s qualified,” Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said of his fellow Republican and former Senate colleague. “But I don’t believe that we should hold up his nomination any further, because I think it’s (been) a reasonable amount of time to have questions answered.”

McCain and other Republicans have angered President Barack Obama by delaying him from rounding out his second-term national security team, which includes Hagel and John Brennan, the White House counterterrorism adviser who is awaiting confirmation to become CIA director. Former Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry assumed his post as secretary of state at the beginning of February.

Critics contend that Hagel, who snubbed McCain by staying neutral in the 2008 presidential race between McCain and Obama, isn’t supportive enough of U.S. ally Israel and is unreasonably sympathetic to Iran, which has defied international pressure to halt its pursuit of material that could be used to make nuclear weapons.

Hagel’s nomination also became ensnared in Republican lawmakers’ questioning of how the White House handled the Sept. 11 attack against a U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, in which the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans were killed. Hagel was not involved in the administration’s response.

GOP senators also have challenged Hagel’s past statements and votes on nuclear weapons, and his criticism of President George W. Bush’s administration.

Republicans last week delayed a confirmation vote, but have indicated that one will be allowed when senators return from a break on Feb. 25.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., another leader of the opposition to Hagel, referred to a letter he received from Hagel in response to questions about past statements on Israel. Graham said that, as a result, he’ll take Hagel “at his word, unless something new comes along.”

Still, …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox US News

GOP senators may delay Hagel vote over Benghazi

Senate Republicans have questioned Chuck Hagel‘s truthfulness and they’ve challenged his patriotism.

Now they’re threatening to stonewall his nomination to be President Barack Obama‘s defense secretary unless the White House gives them more information about what Obama was doing on the night of the deadly attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., has set the stage for a full Senate vote on Hagel, a former two-term Republican senator from Nebraska and twice-wounded Vietnam combat veteran. Reid filed a motion Wednesday to limit debate and force a vote, which is expected to be held Friday. While Democrats hold a 55-45 edge in the Senate and have the numbers to confirm Hagel on a majority vote, they need the support of five Republicans to clear the way for an up-or-down vote on him.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said he’ll vote against ending debate on Hagel’s nomination and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., may join him if the White House doesn’t tell them whether Obama spoke to any Libyan government official during the assault and requested assistance for the American personnel at the mission. U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans died in the raid last September at the compound in Benghazi.

“There seems to not be much interest to hold this president accountable for a national security breakdown that led to the first ambassador being killed in the line of duty in over 30 years,” Graham said. “No, the debate on Chuck Hagel is not over. It has not been serious. We don’t have the information we need. And I’m going to fight the idea of jamming somebody through until we get answers about what the president did personally when it came to the Benghazi debacle.”

McCain declined to say Wednesday whether he would try to delay Hagel’s confirmation if Obama did not provide an answer. “My position right now is I want an answer to the question,” he said.

A president’s pick for a Cabinet post usually requires only a majority vote, leading Reid to accuse Senate Republicans of orchestrating a filibuster against a nominee for defense secretary for the first time in the country’s history.

But the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee challenged Reid’s claim, saying it’s not unusual to hold a Cabinet nominee to a 60-vote threshold. “It’s not a filibuster,” said Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla. “This has happened (before), and it’s happening again right now.”

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox US News