Stick It To 'Em, Mr. President!
I wish he would make doing stuff like this a daily habit:
President Bush issued a recess appointment yesterday enabling Republican fundraiser Sam Fox to become U.S. ambassador to Belgium, despite objections from Senate Democrats who blocked his nomination last month.
"The President is exercising his constitutional right to recess appoint Sam Fox because he believes that Sam has the credentials and background to serve in this important post and was the victim of partisan politics on the Hill," said White House spokesman Tony Fratto.
Of course, this *really* frosts Lurch Kerry:
Democrats opposed Mr. Fox's nomination because he had donated money to Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, an organization that opposed 2004 Democratic presidential nominee Senator John Kerry.
"It's sad but not surprising that this White House would abuse the power of the presidency to reward a donor over the objections of the Senate," said Mr. Kerry, who serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. "Unfortunately, when this White House can't win the game, they just change the rules, and America loses."
Lurch failed to mention exactly which rules were changed. Probably the one that says only Democrats can do stuff like that. Want to talk about changing the rules, Mr. Kerry? Does the name Frank Lautenburg ring a bell? Or requiring a super-majority in order to allow a vote on a Supreme Court nominee?
Senator Christopher J. Dodd, who also sits on the Foreign Relations Committee, went one step further than Mr. Kerry in his objections, saying he thinks the appointment may have violated Senate rules.
"I seriously question the legality of the President's use of the recess appointment authority in this instance. I intend to seek an opinion on the legality of this appointment from the [Government] Accountability Office," he said. Mr. Dodd, Connecticut Democrat, is widely credited with helping to derail Mr. Fox's nomination last month.
They really can't stand it when Bush does an end run around them, but that's the only way he's going to get anything done. He will receive no cooperation from the jerks on the Left, not even if it's in the best interests of the country...perhaps *especially* if it's in the best interests of the country.
JASmius adds: Such ludicrous pomposity over such blatant partisan obstructionism. And over the crucial, critical, mind-shatteringly important post of ambassador to Belgium, too.
Care to guess how "serious" Senate Donks would get about a successor attorney-general designate if this "power-abusing" White House accordianed and threw Alberto Gonzales overboard?
On the other hand, maybe Kerry and Dodd were just miffed by the new ambassador's surname....
President Bush issued a recess appointment yesterday enabling Republican fundraiser Sam Fox to become U.S. ambassador to Belgium, despite objections from Senate Democrats who blocked his nomination last month.
"The President is exercising his constitutional right to recess appoint Sam Fox because he believes that Sam has the credentials and background to serve in this important post and was the victim of partisan politics on the Hill," said White House spokesman Tony Fratto.
Of course, this *really* frosts Lurch Kerry:
Democrats opposed Mr. Fox's nomination because he had donated money to Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, an organization that opposed 2004 Democratic presidential nominee Senator John Kerry.
"It's sad but not surprising that this White House would abuse the power of the presidency to reward a donor over the objections of the Senate," said Mr. Kerry, who serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. "Unfortunately, when this White House can't win the game, they just change the rules, and America loses."
Lurch failed to mention exactly which rules were changed. Probably the one that says only Democrats can do stuff like that. Want to talk about changing the rules, Mr. Kerry? Does the name Frank Lautenburg ring a bell? Or requiring a super-majority in order to allow a vote on a Supreme Court nominee?
Senator Christopher J. Dodd, who also sits on the Foreign Relations Committee, went one step further than Mr. Kerry in his objections, saying he thinks the appointment may have violated Senate rules.
"I seriously question the legality of the President's use of the recess appointment authority in this instance. I intend to seek an opinion on the legality of this appointment from the [Government] Accountability Office," he said. Mr. Dodd, Connecticut Democrat, is widely credited with helping to derail Mr. Fox's nomination last month.
They really can't stand it when Bush does an end run around them, but that's the only way he's going to get anything done. He will receive no cooperation from the jerks on the Left, not even if it's in the best interests of the country...perhaps *especially* if it's in the best interests of the country.
JASmius adds: Such ludicrous pomposity over such blatant partisan obstructionism. And over the crucial, critical, mind-shatteringly important post of ambassador to Belgium, too.
Care to guess how "serious" Senate Donks would get about a successor attorney-general designate if this "power-abusing" White House accordianed and threw Alberto Gonzales overboard?
On the other hand, maybe Kerry and Dodd were just miffed by the new ambassador's surname....
posted by Jennifer at 6:53 AM
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