Senate hearings for Biden’s security cabinet expose bipartisan unity on war and reaction
On the eve of an inauguration speech in which newly sworn-in President Joe Biden invoked the need for unity nearly a dozen times, the Senate conducted confirmation hearings for key nominees for his security cabinet. The tenor of these sessions made it clear that a principal foundation for unity between the incoming administration and a Republican Party that sought to overturn Biden’s election, including through the January 6 fascist coup attempt at the Capitol, will be bipartisan agreement on policies of imperialist aggression abroad.
Three nominees appeared before separate Senate committees Tuesday: Anthony Blinken, Foreign Relations; Lloyd Austin, Armed Services; and Avril Haines, Intelligence.
Tony Blinken at his confirmation hearing, Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Jan. 19, 2021. Screenshot.
Hi, this is Phil Weiss filling in again for Michael Arria. What a spectacular and wonderful moment we’re in. Trump is gone. A new administration has taken over Washington with talk of justice, respect and diversity. There is a feeling of renewal around the country and even the left is swept up in it. Hey can’t we dream of fairness and progress for a day?
Of course we have a very narrow beat, the politics of Israel-Palestine in the U.S. And the news here isn’t so encouraging. Biden’s foreign policy team says it wants to return to the Iran deal, but reassures the Israel lobby that that won’t happen any time soon, and when it comes to actual Palestinian rights or freedom (the “peace process”), it clearly wants as little friction with the Israeli government and Israel’s friends in Washington as possible. I watched all 4-1/2 hours of Tony Blinken’s testimony