Professional Advice

As our regular readers know, on Fridays, we usually have some fun and offer something a bit lighter for both our commentary and cartoon. We even made a New Year's Resolution of sorts, to try and stick to that goal - which we did, in a way, by delivering a lighter commentary yesterday.

Today's edition demands something different however, thanks to the feckless, selfish Republican fools in the U.S. Senate - though we suppose we don't need to repeat ourselves using those adjectives when saying that about Republican "leaders" today.

In case you missed the focus of our collective ire, it came Thursday afternoon, as the Senate began to wind down business, to join the House for yet another week of vacation. Surprisingly, it wasn't another unhinged rant by some nut like the NRA's Wayne LaPierre that stirred our anger.

No, the reason for frustration was something that's never been done in our Federal government. Ever.

The final vote over President Obama's Secretary of Defense nominee - the former U.S. Senator from Nebraska, Chuck Hagel, was originally scheduled in the Senate for Friday morning. After a day of posturing by Republicans for the benefit of right wing media outlets, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid had enough of Republican nonsense, and moved the vote up to Thursday afternoon.

That's when when Senate Republicans, for the first time in history, filibustered the opportunity to vote on a Presidential nominee.

Let us make this clear.

Senate GOP members were so gutless they didn't even have the courage to actually vote against Chuck Hagel. Instead, due to the Senate's arcane procedures, a minority of 40 Republicans prevented the rest of the Senate from being allowed to have a final vote to either accept or reject Hagel's nomination - which is a filibuster, no matter how desperate Republicans are to try and label it otherwise.

No one knows what's going to happen next - but we're willing to bet it isn't going to be good.

Senate sources are fairly sure that after the recess, the Senate will vote again, and Hagel will be confirmed, though we're not sure how they can say that. Four of the six Republican Senators who promised their constituents and the media they wouldn't filibuster, obviously lied on Thursday and filibustered anyway. Only Republicans Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski held true to their word - proving that not all Republicans are craven, short-sighted, ignorant fools. Still - actions like those on Thursday prove that most Republicans in Congress simply can't be trusted on some of the most important issues, including national security.

Right now, GOP leaders in Congress are acting like some of their craziest constituents, people like NRA head nut Wayne LaPierre or an infant child throwing a tantrum - which is effectively the same thing.

We have some advice for how those Republican Leaders SHOULD act, backed up with some critical polling data.

Our message to Senate Republicans is simple: You don't get to pick the President's advisors, or his cabinet members. Period. Your job, with respect to the President's nominees, is simple and is stated clearly in the Constitution: "Advise and Consent."

If the nominee is unqualified for the job they're being asked to take on, have the guts to act like adults, take a stand, and vote the nominee down. If the nominee is qualified - even if you hate the person, personally, or hold a grudge against them - suck it up, and vote them through. There is NOTHING ELSE that is an acceptable reason to hold up a nomination. Period.

This nation WILL be moving forward, with or without Senate Republican obstructionism - as well as those Democrats like Harry Reid, who continue to allow Republicans to obstruct. So our advice to those members who want to continue to delay things is simple: You can either get on board, and help determine our country's destination - or you can be ground under the wheels of progress, like so many worthless, tired old bones.

Think about that on your 'vacation', members of Congress.