Senate Confirms Deputy Defense Secretary Lynn

The Senate this afternoon confirmed William Lynn as deputy defense secretary by a vote of 93 to 4.

The confirmation comes despite the fact that Lynn worked until last July as a defense lobbyist for Raytheon. His move to the Defense Department represents a violation of President Obama's decree that individuals wait two years before working for the agencies they had previously lobbied.

Mr. Obama waved the rule for Lynn, who will now run daily operations at the Pentagon.

"Obviously the American people were promised one thing but delivered another," former GOP presidential nominee John McCain said in reference to Mr. Obama's decision, according to the Associated Press.

McCain still voted for Lynn, however. The four senators opposing him were Republicans Charles Grassley of Iowa, Tom Coburn of Oklahoma and John Cornyn of Texas and Democrat Claire McCaskill of Missouri.

As the AP notes, Lynn has said he will not participate in decisions related to programs for which he lobbied for a year.

He also promised McCain that he will seek written permission from the Pentagon's lawyers over the next year whenever "circumstances would cause a reasonable person with knowledge of the relevant facts to question my impartiality."