Sickening smears in the Senate

A filibuster fit for McCarthy

By Dana Milbank, WashPost, Published: February 26

Chuck Hagel’s confirmation as secretary of defense ended as it began — with a smear.

“Senator Hagel has accused Israel of quote ‘playing games’ and committing, quote, ‘sickening slaughter,’ ” Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) said before Tuesday’s confirmation vote, which had been delayed 12 days by a Republican filibuster.

Minutes later, Jim Inhofe (Okla.), ranking Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, repeated the allegation that Hagel had claimed “Israel committed ‘sickening slaughter.’ ”

There was something sickening about this, but it wasn’t Hagel’s quote. As Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich.) pointed out, what the nominee had in fact said, during a Senate speech on the 2006 Lebanon war, was this: “The sickening slaughter on both sides must end.”

It was one of many moments from the past few weeks that Joe McCarthy would have admired.

(More here.)