This article was originally published on dermotcole.com and is republished here with permission.
Sen. Dan Sullivan won’t stop blustering that Democrats and Republicans like Sen. Lisa Murkowski have to surrender to the whims of Sen. Tommy Tuberville, the guy who likes to be addressed as “Coach.”
True to style as a loyal party man, Sullivan won’t use the right word, however, calling for “compromise” with Tuberville, the college gym major who moved to Alabama to run for the U.S. Senate.
Sullivan refuses to admit that hundreds of military promotions are being held hostage by the all-star junior obstructionist, not by anyone else.
Tuberville wants the Pentagon to reverse a policy allowing travel allowances for military members to get reproductive health care, including abortions, if such care is not available at a military member’s duty station.
In his public statements, Sulivan complains about the intransigence of everyone except Coach Tuberville. He has defended Tuberville as being entirely within his “rights” as a senator to use a ridiculous Senate rule to block confirmation votes.
If any Democrat or independent pulled this stunt, Sullivan would be whining on Fox News 24 hours a day about the damage to national security. He would be badgering witnesses in Senate hearings and reminding the audience that he is a colonel in the Marine Corps reserves.
Thanks to Coach Tuberville, three of the branches of the military service are without Senate-confirmed leaders, a first in the history of the Department of Defense.
At least 25 top officers have delayed their retirements to make sure there are people in charge, according to a new memo from Senate Democrats.
The only compromise here is for Sullivan to tell the coach the game is over. But don’t expect leadership from Sullivan, who is hypnotized by the GOP radicals.
He should heed the advice of Alaska’s senior senator, who has correctly sized up the debacle and the only culprit: “Holding military nominations hostage is not a winning tactic for anyone, especially in light of retention challenges and the very real threats we face in the Pacific and elsewhere.”
“Senator Tuberville should drop them, now, and find another way to express his concerns,” Murkowski said.
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