Hagel confirmed as defense secretary

Former Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel. / Chip Somodevilla

Updated at 5:35 p.m. ET

After a protracted and bitterly contentious couple of weeks, the Senate today confirmed former Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., as President Obama's next defense secretary.

Hagel was confirmed in a final vote of 58 to 41. Four Republicans joined Democrats in supporting Hagel: Sens. Thad Cochran, R-Miss.; Mike Johanns, R-Neb.; Rand Paul, R-Ky.; and Richard Shelby, R-Ala. No Democrats voted against Hagel, but one -- Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J. -- did not vote.

Earlier in the day, 71 senators voted to proceed with the vote on the embattled nominee, easily passing the 60-vote threshold. Several GOP senators who had previously voted against cloture switched their votes this time around, including Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.

Hagel's nomination has been controversial from the start: Even before he was officially tapped for the job, a handful of Republicans came out against the idea, particularly denouncing a number of his past statements about Iran and Israel. Outside advocacy groups were also swift to get involved, spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on television ads aimed at torpedoing Hagel's chances.

• For Hagel, a rocky but probable path to defense secretary
• McCain predicts Senate will vote on Hagel this week

While he was able to secure Democratic support through a series of one-on-one meetings prior to his confirmation hearing, Hagel's efforts to appease members of his own party failed resoundingly. His performance at the confirmation hearings was lambasted as passive and at times confused even by some Democrats, and his individual meetings with GOP senators yielded little in the way of support.

After squeaking through a vote by the Senate Armed Services Committee earlier this month, a handful of Republican senators filibustered Hagel's full Senate confirmation vote as a means to wring more information out of the administration regarding the September 11 terrorist attacks in Benghazi, Libya.

On Sunday,  McCain signaled the GOP's readiness to let the Senate proceed with a vote on the long-delayed nomination.

Because no Democrats have announced their intent to vote against him, Hagel is expected to clear the 50-vote threshold needed for confirmation. That vote is expected later this afternoon.

Outgoing Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, meanwhile, has been all but begging Congress to let him leave office.

At a ceremony honoring former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton - whose successor, former Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., sailed through the confirmation process with ease - Panetta noted that he was having a "hard time" waiting for Congress to approve his successor.

"I'm ready to go," he said.

[robert1129]

Hagel will make a great SECDEF. The GOP Senators just opposed him out of spite and to make things harder for the administration.

[KPeters_from_UK]

STAMICRACH says:Another hand-picked choice of George Soros's advocate.

An unholy triumvirate; Soros, Obama and Holder.!
--------------------------------


STAMICRACH
Oh don't forget Koch brothers, Sheldon Adelson and ALEC.

Oh wait, that's the GOP.

[KPeters_from_UK]

Well that was a waste of money and time. Thanks GOP.

[andrewjsacks]

Dumb and perverse Republicans lose a round.

[stamicrach]

Another hand-picked choice of George Soros's advocate.

An unholy triumvirate; Soros, Obama and Holder.!

[aintfakin]

better look under your bed tonight

[grecko7]

Yeah yeah, ya love your propaganda. You could have used a different name that Soros. At least it wouldn't seem so much like BS.

[aintfakin]

Usually disgusted with Rand Paul but this time I was pleased to see that he stuck to his libertarian principles. He recognized that Hagel will always tell it like he sees it instead of bowing to partisan alter agendas.
Baggers lose this time

[raflin1]

Aren't they losing EVERY time now? Finally, reality has overcome Bagocity.

[twophad]

You know, he was always going to be confirmed. Even head-in-the-clouds McCain admitted that. So WHY did the GOPpies waste our time...aGAIN. and again. and again. and again.

[raflin1]

Two words: 1) ANGER (because they lost the White House yet again,) and 2) POLITICS

[CaiusKeys]

Hagel as SecDef was such a terrible idea that of course it would happen under Obama. Has the man, the progressive movement, or the Democratic party any shame at all?

[aintfakin]

The shame lies with those that would go to war and sacrifice our soldiers for their own profit. Hagel is a decorated veteran who served in combat in another useless war. He is man enough to see it for what it is
you on the other hand are nothing but a partisan weasel.

[nearl451]

Now that you have said it, I am certain that he will be a good Sec of Defense.

Thanks for confirming that for the rest of us.

[nuttyworld]

Looks like Biden has competition in the gaffe club.

[raflin1]

No, that was Bush. "Mission Accomplished!" "Brownie, you're doing a HECKUVA job!" "I'll get Bin Laden if it's the last thing I do!"

[knsn_for_cmn_sense]

About freakin time!!

Go get em Hagel.