Predictably, the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday approved along party lines the nomination of former Nebraska GOP Senator Chuck Hagel as President Obama's defense secretary, sending it to the full Senate on a 14-11 vote.
But there was bad blood in the air, as several Republicans cracked on Hagel for various transgressions. Texas's new addition to the Senate, the Tea Party party favorite Ted Cruz, suggested without proof that Hagel was being influenced by countries like North Korea and Saudi Arabia. Cruz said Hagel's refusal to disclose listing the groups who paid him for speeches over the years made him unworthy of the committee's support.
That was too much for Florida Democrat Bill Nelson, who uncharacteristically shot back at Cruz as going too far:
