Excerpt
JUDY WOODRUFF (Newshour): The United States Senate ended a contentious fight over a key presidential nomination today, and confirmed former Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel to be the next secretary of defense.
SEN. HARRY REID, D-Nev., Majority Leader: Twelve days later, nothing, nothing has changed. Twelve days later, Senator Hagel's exemplary record of service to his country remains untarnished.
JUDY WOODRUFF: In short, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said, Chuck Hagel should have been confirmed before the President's Day recess. At the time, the Senate's 55 Democrats could not get the 60 votes needed to end a Republican filibuster against fellow Republican Hagel. Democrat Dick Durbin of Illinois condemned the GOP opposition today.
SEN. RICHARD DURBIN, D-Ill., Majority Whip: There's no question that there are some who bear some negative feelings toward Chuck Hagel because of his independence and some of his votes in the past, even his support of President Obama in the last presidential election. But this has been taken to a level that I never expected.
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