Had carried out another Nuclear Weapons test in violation of the united nations, and this one significantly stronger than their two previous tests. And its in this alarming context that republicans are seeking at this very moment to stymie the president s nominee for secretary of defense. The Senate Armed Services committee has been considering the nomination of chuck hagel for more than an hour, and all against a backdrop of republican opposition. With respect to chuck hagel and brennan, defense and cia just in the last week, their performance in front of the committees that have to confirm them has been pretty poor. I dont think we should allow brennan to go forward for the cia directorship, hagel to be confirmed to secretary of defense until the white house gives us an accounting. And so as the president prepares to address the nation focusing on flash points overseas and major challenges at home from gun violence to unemployment and immigration, attention also falls upon whether the Republican Party will spend the next four years doing exactly what it has done for the last four, opposing and obstructing everything that this president has sought to achieve. For more now lets go right to nbcs Kristin Welker who is live for us at the white house. Good afternoon. Whats the white house reaction been to word that Republican Senators May try to hold up the nomination of chuck hagel . Reporter well, martin, the white house says its a numbers game, and they believe that they have the votes to get the nomination through. Talking to my sources here, they believe that they have at least 55 votes when it comes to democrats and independents and then at least another two republican votes and then you have senators like john mccain saying that they are not going to back afilibustl a filibuste. So they are still confident that chuck hagels nomination will be confirmed. You have Mitch Mcconnell coming out suggesting he might try to slow walk this process. Majority leader harry reid saying hes not going to let that happen. Again, the white house at this hour, martin, still confident that hagel will be confirmed. And this in the context of what happened last night. What are your sources telling you about the likelihood of the president referencing north korea and its Nuclear Weapons test in his speech tonight . Reporter well, martin, my sources are telling me it is very likely that he is going to reference what happened in north korea overnight. Remember, the white house put out a statement overnight condemning the action saying that it was a highly provocative action. I can also tell you that president obama spoke to the president of south korea today. They shared their concerns about this Third Nuclear launch, what is perceived to be really the most aggressive nuclear test that north korea has conducted to date. The u. N. Security council con seming it, including north koreas closest ally in the region, china, condemning the action overnight. I think you can expect to hear president obama address this threat. My source is telling me he will talk about the fact that north korea serves to only further isolate itself with these types of provocative actions and it will call on that country to cease these actions if it wants to rejoin the world and internation community. Kristin welker, thank you so much. Joining us now is democratic congressman Charles Rangel of new york. Good afternoon, sir. Hi, martin. Given the seriousness of this latest Nuclear Provocation from north korea, can you please explain to us why republicans think its a good idea to block the immediate appointment of a defense secretary . It really is heartbreaking with all the International Problems that we have in the middle east and now whats happening in north korea to believe that a couple of senators can just because of their own pettiness can hold up the president s appointments. It seems as though every issue now that the president is bringing up he has to take to the American People, and im glad, i hope he gets angry enough to realize that you just cant do business with these people and that the American People have spoken and that he ought to get out there and remind them that in order to fulfill this mandate, they have to get behind their members of the house and get behind their senators and tell them to get on with the job of making america safe. Congressman, you fought as a soldier during the korean war. What would it have been like had democrats told president eisenhower, sorry, we dont like your nominee for defense secretary because hes a democrat. Its a terrible thing. Its a terrible thing for republicans and democrats to believe that a president of the United States sf trying to bring peace to the world. Its not just what happens between republicans and democrats. Its how were seen in the world. Does china recognize that if she doesnt cut off the umbilical cords to north korea, that japan may want their own Nuclear Weapon . Everyone cant come to the United States and make certain that we resolve all of the problems that we face, but they should believe that we are united as one nation and that when we speak, we expect other democracies to come and to share this responsibility. But if the word gets out that the president s cabinet cannot get the support of its own government, albeit that there are just a handful of republicans, then the whole credibility of the United States not only in National Security but in fiscal responsibility as but you see, here is the problem, sir. A new abc News Washington post poll shows overwhelmingly people like this president s policies and they dont like the gops. Now, given the republicanS Performance over the last four years, do you expect exactly the same in terms of obstruction, opposition for the next four years and can this country afford almost a decade of republican obstruction . The president gave them a free ride when he came to Affordable Health care. He tried to compromise. He listened to both sides. He allowed them to put up 32 different amendments. I think this time he has to go directly to the American People. This is his last shot out to give a report to the entire American People as to what he wants to see for america, get our jobs back, make certain that we have education, make certain that we have a secure National Defense and to make certain that we rebuild our infrastructure. You cant do this sitting down with a group of guys that are crying in their own beer because of what happened to their own mitt romney. I dont know how many people they got to have this evening responding to the president , but the only people that the president has to respond to is the American People, not a handful of republicans, and i hope that after this speech that he can unite us all, that we can get out there and let the republicans know the election is over, the American People have spoken, and theyre not on the agenda. Congressman, i have to say to you that even before the president has spoken, here is john boehner, the speaker of the house, who said this about the president and tackling fiscal issues. To do the kind of heavy lifting that needs to be done, i dont think hes got the guts to do it. And then later says boehner, he doesnt have the courage to take on the liberal side of his own party. Sir, im shot sure which is more deeply hypocritical, john boehner criticizing the president over his leadership ability or dick cheney dismissing his Foreign Policy record. Which is worse . I tell you one thing, i think boehner has his own internal problems and that he shouldnt run out there and get in the president s way because in doing that hes getting in the American Peoples way. I think its time that people want to see us go above party and think in terms of our country. I think theyre exhausted at the partisan politics and now is the time to rembuild america and moe forward. I thought it was speaker bain mother didnt have the guts to do a grand bargain deal with the president because he was frightened of eric cantor in 2011. Now hes saying its the president who doesnt have the guts. I mean, this is total revisionism, isnt it . Well, you can see that boehner wants everyone to respond to the president , the tea party, the Republican Party. If there was a moderate part of the Republican Party, i guess there will be a chance to respond, too. I dont really think that boehner is speaking for the American People or the republicans for that matter. I think that he is trying to keep these primaries tea Party Primaries down, and by doing that, theyre scared to death of Tea Party Candidates that are more conservative. What we have to do now is bring america together and let the tea party and the republicans fight it out and move forward with a positive agenda. Thats what the people voted for and thats what they deserve to have. And so, congressman, do we expect another four years of obstruction and opposition from republicans in the house . Is that what the American People should prepare themselves for . Just as weve had four years in the past, so were going to have another four to come. I dont think the president of the United States is going to waste any more time trying to negotiate with these people. Four years almost was wasted as he had to get every democrat to vote for the Affordable Care act and to get no support at all from republicans. They have proven just how far theyre willing to go to embarrass the president of the United States, to embarrass the fiscal integrity of the United States, to really put in jeopardy our National Security. I really think that its time now for the president to go back to the American People and to say that if they want the things that he has promised to do in the campaign, the campaign is not over. They have to get on the telephone and call republicans and tea party and whomever is in washington saying give the country a break and get off the president s back. Congressman Charles Rangel of new york, sir, enjoy this evening and thank you for joining us. Thank you, martin. Next, as we draw nearer to the state of the union, dick cheney reminds us why we miss dick cheney. Stay with us. I think that the president S Performance boy my standards in the international arena, the middle east and so forth, is worse than many of my friends and colleagues deem his domestic policies. Simply stated, there is no doubt that Saddam Hussein now has weapons of mass destruction. My doctor told me calcium is efficiently absorbed in small continuous amounts. Citracal slow release continuously releases calcium plus d with efficient absorption in one daily dose. Citracal slow release. Bob will retire when hes 153, which would be fine if bob were a vampire. But hes not. Hes an architect with two kids and a mortgage. Luckily, he found someone who gave him a fresh perspective on his portfolio. And with some planning and effort, hopefully bob can retire at a more appropriate age. Its not rocket science. Its just common sense. From td ameritrade. It smells worse, and it can happen any time to anyone like when i ran to catch the train to work and a draft blew my skirt up and everybody here saw my unmentionables. Yeah, and they arent even cute. Hello, laundry day. No. Stress sweat can happen to anyone, anytime and it smells worse than ordinary sweat. Get 4x the protection against stress sweat. Introducing new secret clinical strength stress response scent. Like a stubborn case of oriole thrush, former Vice President dick cheney continues to leave a bad taste in the mouth. Today this warmongering revisionist who once shot one of his best friends in the face, offered a remarkable judgment on the president s approach to Foreign Policy. I think the administrations policies are terribly flawed. I think the president S Performance by my standards in the international arena, the middle east and so forth, is worse than many of my friends and colleagues deem his domestic policies. Joining us now is dana milbank, a Political Columnist for the washington post. Dana, dick cheney says by my standards in the international arena. By his standards we believe bogus intelligence about the existence of Nuclear Weapons, we invade iraq though that nation had nothing to do with 9 11 and sacrifice the lives of 5,000 lives. We sell this nonsense about bulldozing National Governments and imposing democracy when all it produces are civil war and injure genesee. By his own standards hes a failure, isnt he . By his own standards you can be taken away to some black site for gitmo for questioning Vice President cheney in such a way. But, yes, actually the case is worse than you stated. He actually said that iraq had reconstituted Nuclear Weapons. He was suggesting they were a nuclear power. He went further than anybody in the Bush Administration to implicate iraq in the 9 11 attacks. But another things that dick cheney did during his vice presidency was to question the patriotism of anybody who criticized president bush and that administrations policies. By his own standard he is now suggesting that he is not patriotic, but, of course, i would never suggest such a thing. You wouldnt wish to be banished to a prison. Mr. Cheney refers to the president s nominations of chuck hagel and john brennan as, quote, dismal and second rate. And today explained what he meant. Take a listen. With respect to chuck hagel and brennan, defense and cia, just in the last week, their performance in front of the committees that have to confirm them has been pretty poor. The president has made choices in part based on people who wont argue with him. Dana, i apologize for addressing mr. Cheneys amnesia, but john brennan served as Deputy Director of the cia under bush and cheney as well as director of the National Counterterrorism center. Does this mean dick cheney agreed to appoint a dismal and second rate individual to these crucial positions when he was in power . Well, certainly Vice President cheney would prefer if this administration were nominating people like Scooter Libby who was convicted and sentenced for things he did while serving as Vice President cheneys chief of staff. Its not perplexing that cheney would take issue with chuck hagel who was a big critic of the iraq war. A little more perplexing on brennan who not only has served in republican and democratic administrations alike but got good marks from the republicans who were questioning him. Okay. Well, in that interview today, mr. Cheney says he supports the president s approach to the use of drones, which i guess is hardly surprising, but if dick cheney recommends something, does it not behoove us to have second thoughts about it . Well, you know what . It behooves us to have second thoughts about how theyre going about this. I compare this to the iraq war which was very popular in Public Opinion polls early on, as is the drone policy, but by not being forthright and open and honest with the public, the iraq war obviously became a real albatross and the Drone Program could become the same way. So its an argument not to do this in utter secrecy as they have been doing it to actually shine the light of day on it. In fact, you must be telepathic. As you know i Read Everything you write. This is what you say on the use of drones. The iraq war was initially popular before it took a disare a terous turn, and though a large majority of americans support the drone warfare program, it is far more skeptical of killings that target u. S. Citizens. Do you expect the use of drones to be perhaps scaled back if john brennan becomes director of the cia . I certainly dont think so, martin, because hes in many ways the architect of this program and has overseen the dramatic expansion so you dont think the more recent public scrutiny will actually affect the administrations use of drones . I dont think it will affect the use of drones. What needs to be done is they actually have to be procedures and policies in place so congress or the courts can oversee it. At some point it may not be john brennan and barack obama overseeing it program. It may be Something Like dick cheney and the nation needs to have some standards in place for when that occurs. Lord forbid. Dana milbank, thank you, sir. Coming up, marco rubio and rand paul both vote against the violence against women act. A great start to their rebuttals to the state of the union. Dont you think . Stay with us. [ male announcer ] heres a