Though likely to be confirmed, McCain questions Hagel's qualifications
Chuck Hagel is expected to be confirmed as secretary of defense by the Democratic-controled Senate. On Sunday, Republican Senator John McCain said he did not believe Hagel is qualified for the job, despite their personal friendship.
Senate Armed Services Committee members, (from l.), Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., gather for a Capitol Hill hearing on looming defense budget cuts to be followed by a confirmation hearing on former Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel's nomination to Secretary of Defense Feb. 12. The fierce Republican opposition to the Hagel nomination has long been seen as a proxy for the never-ending scuffles between the Democratic president and congressional Republicans.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP/File
Washington
Republican Senator John McCain on Sunday said his former colleague Chuck Hagel was not qualified to be US defense secretary but the Senate would likely vote on his nomination rather than hold it up with procedural hurdles.
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Before going on a weeklong recess, Republican lawmakers succeeded in delaying a Senate vote on Hagel's nomination earlier this month. Hagel is expected to win confirmation if a vote is held because Democrats control 55 votes in the 100-seat Senate.
"I do not believe that Chuck Hagel, who is a friend of mine, is qualified to be secretary of defense," McCain of Arizona said on CNN's "State of the Union" show.
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"I believe that when the questions are answered, and I believe they will be by this coming week that the president deserves an up or down vote" on Hagel, said McCain, who is a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Hagel's nomination was likely to go for a vote in the Senate "barring some additional revelation," he said.
