Thinkprogress:
In the Washington Times this morning, Bush administration officials are boasting that they “outmaneuvered” the Senate Foreign Relations Committee “to install a loyalist in the top arms control post” at the State Department.
In Feb. 2007, President Bush nominated John C. Rood as Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security, a position previously held by former UN Ambassador John Bolton. Rood’s Senate confirmation stalled, however, after Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Joe Biden (D-DE) and Ranking Republican Richard Lugar (R-IN) objected to his nomination.
The administration considered installing him as a recess appointment, but Biden said they would “not get another single nominee for anything at all” if they did. So instead, Bush simply appointed him as “acting” undersecretary, which doesn’t require confirmation:
But the White House then realized there was a way to put Mr. Rood in the position and still honor its commitment to the Senate. “In late September, the president decided to designate Mr. Rood as acting undersecretary,” an administration official said. […]
The main issue now appears to be the length of the appointment. According to the 1868 Vacancies Act, it should not exceed 120 days. But the law allows for a longer period if the Senate takes no action on a pending nomination.
And who are on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee?
Members:
Connecticut
Massachusetts
Wisconsin
California
Florida
Illinois
New Jersey
Maryland
Pennsylvania
Virginia
Nebraska
Minnesota
Tennessee
New Hampshire
Ohio
Alaska
South Carolina
Georgia
Louisiana
1 comment:
Looks like this committee isn't needed after all. The joke is three candidates for President set on the committee and do and say nothing. Maybe their scared of George aka Gerbil. Biden is all talk but no action. Obama and Dobb are busy chasing Hillary for votes. Bush knows what Dems are in the back pocket of the GOP and he uses them well.
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