WASHINGTON — A deeply divided Senate voted on Tuesday to confirm Republican Chuck Hagel to be the nation’s next defense secretary, handing President Barack Obama’s pick the top Pentagon job just days before billions of dollars in automatic, across-the-board budget cuts hit the military.
The vote was 58-41, with four Republicans joining the Democrats in backing the contentious choice. Hagel’s only GOP support came from former colleagues Thad Cochran of Mississippi, Dick Shelby of Alabama and Mike Johanns of Nebraska — all three had announced their support earlier — and Rand Paul of Kentucky.
The vote came just hours after Republicans dropped their unprecedented delay of a Pentagon choice and allowed the nomination to move forward on a 71-27 vote.
Hagel, 66, a former two-term Nebraska senator and twice-wounded Vietnam combat veteran, succeeds Defense Secretary Leon Panetta. Hagel is expected to be sworn in at the Pentagon on Wednesday.
Obama welcomed the bipartisan Senate vote, although 41 Republicans opposed his nominee, and said in a statement that “we will have the defense secretary our nation needs and the leader our troops deserve.”
Read More at OfficialWire . By Donna Cassata.
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THIS IS THE MOST HORRIBLE THING EVER !!!! WE ARE SO LOST ! OUR COUNTRY WILL NEVER COME BACK !!! THIS HAS GOT TO BE ANOTHER VERY SAD DAY OUR LIBERTY TO BE FREE !! MAKES ME SICK TO MY STOMACH !!!
GOD BLESS EVERYONE !!!
Our country is DEAD!
RAND PAUL!!!! WTF, over! It’s no surprise to me that Hagel got voted in, but RAND PAUL???? I’ll be keeping an eye out for Paul’s reasons for voting for Hagel. Unbelievable!
We are in Louisville, KY and we are outraged that Rand Paul voted to confirm Chick Hagel. Was he bought off? Treason!