Well, we knew that was going to happen, it just took a lot longer because of grandstanding Democrats working out their emotional problems on the Senate floor.

WASHINGTON (AP) – Condoleezza Rice won easy confirmation Wednesday to be President Bush’s new secretary of state, despite strong dissent from a small group of Democrats who said she shares blame for mistakes and war deaths in Iraq.

The Senate voted 85 to 13 to confirm Rice, who succeeds Colin Powell as America’s top diplomat and becomes the first black woman to hold the job.

Plans were made for her to be sworn in at the White House Wednesday night, take her place in the State Department Thursday morning and have a more elaborate swearing-in by Bush at the agency on Friday.

The Senate vote showed some of the partisanship that delayed Rice’s confirmation vote by several days. Twelve Democrats and independent James Jeffords of Vermont voted against Rice. The Democrats included some of the Senate’s best-known members such as Massachusetts Democratic Sens. Edward M. Kennedy and John Kerry, who was the party’s presidential candidate in last year’s election. Thirty Democrats voted for her.

So far it looks like the 12 Democrats represent the part of the Democratic party with ANLE PEST. That is the part represented by the Deaniacs and the part that is trying to strongarm control of the party away from the centrists.

Teddy sure does like the word “quagmire,” doesn’t he?