[Bryan]

Hagel was perhaps the highest ranking Republican in Washington who openly opposed the war in Iraq. That’s almost certainly a factor in Obama’s equation.

[smoothsailing]

Another factor is Biden:

“If anything, Biden is even more emotionally invested than Obama in Hagel, a buddy and frequent travelling companion from their days together in the Senate. Biden was one of the strongest advocates for Hagel’s appointment, pushing for him over the objections of several Obama staffers who believed Hagel to be an overly provocative choice. On Thursday, the vice president was working the phones with a vengeance, imploring moderate Republicans — including Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) — to vote for cloture.”

http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=96AE450F-F4CB-479F-BD10-B97D11E490E2

[upchuck]

The president would imperil national security out of spite?

nobama is a crabby, petulant little child throwing a temper tantrum.

There's nothing new about that, of course. Just thought I'd mention it.