As the White House searches for a nominee to replace Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, here are several senators to watch once the confirmation process begins.
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.
Role: As the expected Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) chairman in the GOP-controlled Senate come January, McCain will have considerable sway over the confirmation process. And because of that, his reaction to the eventual nominee will undoubtedly play a role in whom the White House selects. McCain will run the confirmation hearing, and decide how forceful he and his fellow Republicans will be in questioning the Obama administration's nominee.
Outlook: The national television cameras will be on, and multiple networks will surely carry parts — including McCain's lead-off questions — live. Expect the confirmation hearing to be largely a referendum on President Barack Obama's national security/foreign policy track record and plans, few of which McCain supports. The incoming SASC chief is big on pushing witnesses and nominees to admit when they have been wrong in past statements. Expect fireworks, but remember, McCain and Co. did eventually relent on their hold of then-nominee Hagel.
Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.
Role: When outgoing Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., opted for the nuclear option (read: nixed a rule requiring 60 votes to end debate on most judges and executive nominees), Minority Leader McConnell quickly let everyone know he did not like it one bit. There are plenty of rumors that McConnell will undo that decision when he becomes majority leader in January.
Outlook: A McConnell spokesman last week did not comment when asked whether his boss will consider restoring the 60-vote threshold for executive branch nominees. That means the incoming majority leader has a big decision to make before the 114th Congress is seated in early January. That decision likely will come before the defense secretary nomination arrives on the north side of the Capitol complex. That's because the new Senate is expected to first take up Obama's nominee for attorney general, Loretta Lynch.
The Rand Paul-Ted Cruz Dynamic
Role: The Kentucky and Texas GOP senators are always wildcards. And this likely will be no exception. Paul is among the frontrunners for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination. He is no wilting flower on national security issues. Cruz is the flame-throwing uber-conservative who once accused Hagel of taking cash from the North Korean regime, and he also is eying his party's presidential bid. Both have weighed in on defense matters in the past, and both want smaller federal budgets.
Outlook: Both have had their own "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" moments, carrying out headline-grabbing filibusters. Paul's was about national security (drone striking American citizens). Cruz's was not (Obamacare). Neither has yet to really weigh in on the search for a new defense secretary, but if either's staff finds one morsel of something from the nominee's past writings, memos, comments, etc., that could be used for 2016 posturing, watch out. Things could get very interesting — and messy. ■
