美国有线新闻 CNN 2013-03-02

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First up, we are taking a look insidePresident Obama's cabinet. These are the President top advisers¹ who rundifferent parts of U.S.government. Getting into the cabinet is a two step process. Step one, thePresident has to nominate you; Step two, the U.S. senate has to confirm you. Thefounding fathers give the senate that power in constitution is called adviseand consent.  Chuck Hagel has been onboth sides of this process. He served two terms of senate, now his PresidentObama picked a new secretary of defense². Yesterday, he was approved by thesenate for that job. The vote was regionally set for couple weeks ago, butthere was some controversy³ around Hagel, because of the things he said in thepast. His confirmation⁴ vote was delayed by a filibuster⁵. It's a legislatetactic that's used to block or delay action many of you study upon this. Ithappens only in the senate. U.S. House representative doesn¡¯t have a filibusterand this is how works. The senate allows for unlimited⁶ debate in order tofilibuster or something a bill or vote whatever. Once a senator is given thefloor, he or she just keeps it. You don't even have to talk about the issuethat's been delayed. Originally, senators had actually talked when they want tofilibuster. The record for that belongs to former South Carolina Senator StromThurmond. In 1957, he went more than 24 hours. Now you don't need to speak continuouslyin order to filibuster. What need if you want to end is 60 votes, it takesthree fifth of the senators to end that debate and end filibuster. Yesterday,the vote to end the debate on Chuck Hagel's confirmation was 71 to 27. That'sstopped the filibuster and opened the door for the vote on Hagel to be the new U.S. secretaryof defense.

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