With sequestration almost sure to begin this week, and some Americans fear of it matched by other Americans’ exasperation with them, let’s change the subject—to another confidence inspiring story of government and politics!

This week, the Senate will consider the nomination of former Republican senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE) to be Secretary of Defense. It’s unusual, of course, for a Democratic president to nominate a Republican, though President Obama has done it before with fellow Illinoisan Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.

This nomination is unusual, though, because instead of extending the usual fawning appreciation senators give to each other, a number of Republicans are opposing his nomination.

The reason clusters around Hagel’s insufficient support for Israel. And that’s where the story gets funny.

On Feb. 6, a reporter at the New York Daily News called a Republican aide on Capitol Hill and asked him if they were looking into Hagel’s anti-Israel ties.

“I asked my source,” writes Dan Friedman, “had Hagel given a speech to, say, the ‘Junior League of Hezbollah, in France’? And: What about ‘Friends of Hamas’?”

Friedman was using ridiculous examples of relationships Hagel might have.

“The names were so over-the-top,” he writes, “so linked to terrorism in the Middle East, that it was clear I was talking hypothetically and hyperbolically. No one could take seriously the idea that organizations with those names existed — let alone that a former senator would speak to them.”

But wouldn’t you know it, before long, media provocation machine Breitbart was reporting on Hagel’s alleged connections to “Friends of Hamas.” And suddenly “Friends of Hamas” was all over then news.

This week, the Senate is likely to vote on Chuck Hagel’s nomination. We don’t know much more about his positions on Israel. But we do know that his opposition looks pretty silly.

H.R. 2623 would establish a National Commission to Review the National Response Since the Terrorist Attacks of September 11, 2001.

S. 1388 would “support private sector development, employment growth, rule of law, democratic reform, and accountable government in qualified transition countries in the Middle East and North Africa through the authorization of the participation by the United States in the general capital increase of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.”

H.R. 2237 would promote the strengthening of the private sector in Egypt and Tunisia.

H.R. 2106 would strengthen sanctions against the Government of Syria, enhance multilateral commitment to address the Government of Syria’s threatening policies, and establish a program to support a transition to a democratically-elected government in Syria.

S. 1051 would impose sanctions on individuals who are complicit in human rights abuses committed against nationals of Vietnam or their family members.

H. Res. 275 would honor the 113th anniversary of the independence of the Philippines.

The U.S. military has been engaged in Libya longer than the War Powers Act allows without congressional approval. Bills introduced yesterday provide something of an options memo for Congress:

H. Con. Res. 51 would direct the President, pursuant to section 5(c) of the War Powers Resolution, to remove the United States Armed Forces from Libya

S. J. Res. 13 would declare that a state of war exists between the Government of Libya and the Government and people of the United States, making provision to prosecute the same

S. J. Res. 14 would declare that the President has exceeded his authority under the War Powers Resolution as it pertains to the ongoing military engagement in Libya

S. Res. 194 would express the sense of the Senate on United States military operations in Libya.

Is it already a lost cause, getting our Libya policy right?

The trail of bills dealing with Libya paint a picture of what has happened so far.

S. Res. 85 is a Senate resolution “strongly condemning the gross and systematic violations of human rights in Libya, including violent attacks on protesters demanding democratic reforms.” Yep, that pretty much sums up the badness that is Muammar Gaddafi.

[Update: The Senate passed this resolution on March 1st. Its language "urges the United Nations Security Council to take such further action as may be necessary to protect civilians in Libya from attack, including the possible imposition of a no-fly zone over Libyan territory." On the March 27, 2011 episode of Meet the Press, Secretary of State Clinton said the resolution "call[ed] for a no-fly zone.”]

What to do about it? S. Res. 102 is a resolution introduced in the Senate calling for a no-fly zone and the recognition of the Transitional National Council in Libya. Thing is, neither this resolution, nor any other, got debated and passed before the president began military action in Libya.

So H. Con. Res. 31 expresses the sense of Congress that the President is required to obtain statutory authorization for the use of United States Armed Forces in response to civil unrest in Libya—in advance.

There’s more to come when the House of Representatives returns next week. Rep. Justin Amash (R), a new member of Congress from Michigan who has been making some waves, wants air strikes to stop until Congress has approved them.

We tend to agree with the view that Libya has been suffering under a horrible dictator. We also tend to agree that Congress has the power to declare war. It—and we, the people—should have been consulted before this mission began.

So here is the current vote on So H. Con. Res. 31, the resolution on getting congressional approval. Click to vote, comment, learn more, or edit the wiki article on the bill.

The House did not pass a resolution yesterday that would have required the U.S. to withdraw forces from Afghanistan.

Why did the House leadership let it come up? Actually, they had to. The War Powers Resolution provides for expedited procedures that deprive the powers that be in the House of some control.

So, should the U.S. stay or should it go? The House thinks not.

Here’s the current WashingtonWatch.com vote on H. Con. Res. 28, Directing the President, pursuant to section 5(c) of the War Powers Resolution, to remove the United States Armed Forces from Afghanistan. Click to vote, comment, learn more, or edit the wiki article on the bill.