SENATORS OVERBOARD, by Gail Collins -- http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/16/opinion/collins-senators-overboard.html?ref=gailcollins&_r=0
Ms. Collins points out the Republican obsession with Benghazi and how Mr. Hagel had nothing to do with it, how Republican Senators are postponing the vote for a week of study to "get to the bottom of it", (but don't call it a filibuster), and how it would be nice if, instead, they put a little effort into working on the budget. (The underline is mine.)
"We seem to be short one secretary of defense.
Well, there's Leon Panetta, who has already had his farewell ceremony, given his farewell briefing and his farewell address, then flown home to California. But the Pentagon probably still has his cell number in case a war breaks out.
And there's Chuck Hagel, nominated yet totally-still-not-confirmed by the U.S. Senate. A Senate that is beginning to resemble a bad Carnival cruise. They're dead in the water, nothing's working and the chief engineer is Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina...
...McCain and Graham have been particularly obsessed with the attack on the American mission in Benghazi, Libya...
...The only problem is that Hagel wasn't in government when the attack occurred. He had nothing to do with it. Watching the Republicans fight this nomination over Benghazi is sort of like watching the crew of a disabled cruise ship racing around yelling about a bridge being out on the Amtrak route to Montreal....
...Let's take a vote ourselves. Would you rather have the Senate:
A) Spend one week on vacation studying and then the last week of the month debating Chuck Hagel, or
B) Stay right where they are and figure out what to do about those enormous, economy-blasting spending cuts that are scheduled to kick in March 1."
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