GOP Having Extracted Its Pound of Flesh Ready to Allow Hagel Vote?

     This is what it sounds like listening to McCain.

      "Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) said Thursday that the White House's response to his and other Republican senators' questions on the September attack in Benghazi, Libya was satisfactory. The senior Arizona senator said he is now ready to find a way to end the filibuster that is holding up the confirmation vote for defense secretary nominee Chuck Hagel, CNN reported."

     "I think it was an adequate response, yes," McCain said. "We are working on and having negotiations now trying to smooth this thing out and get it done."

     "McCain said he is now trying to get answers to questions posed by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) regarding Hagel's sources of income. If those inquiries are answered, McCain said, there won't be a need to end the filibuster with a vote. Instead, the Senate could move to vote a straight up-or-down vote on Hagel, which would require only a simple majority of 51 votes to be confirmed."

     "In response to questions raised by McCain and other GOP senators, White House Counsel Kathryn Ruemmler said in a letter released Thursday that President Barack Obama placed a phone call to Libyan President Magariaf on the day after the attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi that left four Americans dead."

      http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/mccain-satisfied-with-wh-benghazi-response-ready-to?ref=fpa

      To be sure, this was never about anything but the GOP using one of the few sticks it can use against the President to strike back at him in frustration. They were able to make Hagel twist in the wind and force the WH to accommodate information about Benghazi-totally unrelated to Hagel. However, now, I suspect they have their pound of flesh an realize that it's a very dangerous game to push any further.

      For one thing, Lean Panetta stepped down this afternoon so technically we now have no Secretary of Defense. For another Reid warned of "consequences " this morning and one suspects that one of those might be revisiting filibuster reform to maybe take it away or change it on nominations. After all, Reid chose not to break precedent and change it with just 51 votes. Republicans know they can't go too far with unprecedented opposition to Hagel either or maybe Reid an company will have second thoughts.

    So hopefully Hagel will be confirmed soon.