Sen. John McCain’s been talking a good game lately about stopping Susan Rice from becoming Secretary of State. But his Republican colleagues in the Senate aren’t exactly rushing to sign on to the effort.
msnbc.com asked 42 GOP senators whether they’d join McCain in opposing Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., should she be nominated. Just three said unequivocally that they would, and only one backbencher said he’d definitely support a filibuster against her.
White House aides have said Rice is President Obama’s top choice to take over as Secretary of State. Since Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents will control the Senate with 55 votes, only a filibuster supported by an all-but-united GOP caucus could likely stop her. McCain has said he’d do “everything in my power”—including mounting a filibuster—to block Rice, citing her role in putting out what Republicans see as misleading information about the Benghazi terror attacks in September.
GOP Senate leader Mitch McConnell is refusing to be drawn. Asked whether McConnell would support a filibuster against Rice and urge GOP senators to do the same, Don Stewart, a spokesman for McConnell, responded: “We haven’t put out anything on that yet.”
In response to msnbc.com’s inquiries, some GOP senators took the chance to distance themselves from McCain’s anti-Rice effort, or, like McConnell, played coy.
Sen. Mike Enzi of Wyoming “will evaluate Susan Rice’s nomination if and when she is nominated to be Sec. of State,” Daniel Head, a spokesman for Enzi, told msnbc.com via email. “He will not commit to anything beyond that as she has not been formally nominated to fill any position.”
Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee has “questions” about Rice’s role in the Benghazi episode, an aide said in a statement, but “believes the Foreign Relations Committee is the appropriate venue to judge fully the nominee’s fitness and qualifications for the job of secretary of state.”
Sen. Mike Lee of Utah “hasn’t made a decision yet,” Brian Phillips, a Lee spokesman told us.
Sen. Johnny Isakson of Georgia is “more concerned with getting all of the facts straight right now,” Isakson spokeswoman Lauren Culbertson said.
Sen. Mike Crapo of Idaho “has not decided on this,” spokeswoman Lindsay Nothern said.
Sen. Thad Cochran of Mississippi “hasn’t said anything about this or any other potential cabinet-level nominees,” Cochran spokesman Chris Gallegos responded.









