Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid announced Thursday that Republicans have  told him that they plan to block Chuck Hagel’s nomination to be the next  secretary of Defense over demands for more information from the White House.

Senior Democratic aides said that Hagel’s nomination does not have 60 votes  at this time to overcome Republican objections before a key Friday procedural  vote, leaving the nomination in limbo ahead of next week’s Senate  recess.

Complicating the situation still further was Reid’s announcement that the  current holder of the job, Leon Panetta, would clock out later today.

“We do not have, at 12 o’clock today, a secretary of Defense,” Reid said. “It’s tragic they’ve decided to filibuster this qualified nominee — it is really  unfortunate.”

Reid’s hope is that the escalating pressure and warnings over national  security will force Republicans to bend on Hagel’s nomination — particularly  since a few key GOP senators are holding out on an issue unrelated to the  nominee’s qualifications: The president’s handling of last September’s deadly  attacks in Benghazi.

The White House condemned Republicans’ move.

“These delaying tactics are unconscionable and they should end right away,” principal deputy press secretary Josh Earnest told reporters aboard Air Force  One on the way to Chicago. “We need our new defense secretary to be there. It  does not send a favorable signal for the Republicans of the U.S. Senate to delay  a vote. …It’s difficult to explain to our allies why that’s happening.”

Republican leaders are trying to walk a careful line: They do not want to be  perceived as filibustering a defense nominee for the first time in history, but  also want to pressure the White House into giving up more information.

(PHOTOS: Chuck Hagel’s career)

After Reid’s angry speech, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell did not  address the Hagel matter on the floor. In a brief interview, McConnell  downplayed the significance of the Friday procedural vote.

“As you know, any one senator can require we get cloture on a nomination – it’s not unusual,” McConnell told POLITICO. “I would expect that to happen. It  happens on a great many things.”

Asked if he would urge Republican senators to vote to sustain a filibuster,  McConnell would only say: “We’ll see what happens tomorrow.”

An aide assisting with the confirmation told POLITICO the Obama  administration believes Hagel will ultimately be confirmed.

“There are lots of discussions going on prior to tomorrow’s vote on cloture,  where everyone stands,” the aide said. “The administration is still confident  that Chuck Hagel will be the next secretary of defense.”

Democrats earlier appeared confident Hagel would be confirmed in the Senate,  despite a bitterly partisan vote in the Senate Armed Services Committee and  Republican efforts to delay, if not derail, a final vote in the full Senate.

But with Democrats controlling the Senate with just 55 votes, the former  Republican senator from Nebraska needs a Republican lift to get the 60 votes  needed to break a GOP filibuster. The vote to end debate is now set for Friday.  A simple majority of 51 votes would be needed for confirmation, if debate is  ended.

So far, only two Republicans are supporting Hagel: Sens. Mike Johanns of  Nebraska and Thad Cochran of Mississippi. And Johanns said on Wednesday he’d  vote to end debate.

Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) has announced that she would oppose Chuck  Hagel’s confirmation but would not support a filibuster.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2013/02/harry-reid-blasts-gop-over-ch...