The Blessed Recess Appointment Power
Congress is not in session. President Bush can save us a lot of anguish and mid-term recrimination by appointing a “recess” Attorney General, who can serve without confirmation until the end of the current Congressional term.
“A recess appointment occurs when the President of the United States fills a vacant Federal position during a recess of the United States Senate. The commission or appointment must be approved by the Senate by the end of the next session, or the position becomes vacant again. Recess appointments are authorized by Article II, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution: ‘The President shall have Power to fill up all Vacancies that may happen during the Recess of the Senate, by granting Commissions which shall expire at the End of their next Session.’"
From the Wikipedia article on recess appointments.
Do we really need the Administration touting whomever its promoted replacement is; coupled with the Democrats’ use of the hearings to dredge up what Bush and Gonzales did wrong?
Don’t get me wrong, I think they did wrong. But we have enough problems without rehashing their sins now. Congress can hold all the committee hearings it wants; but, if Bush, against character were to give a recess appointment to a lawyer who has no political bias, no agenda, has integrity and honor…. Well no one comes immediately to mind; but, pick someone that is politically bullet proof and curtly announce, he or she is here until I leave.
There will be some Congressional and media howling. Then they can pay attention to the next stupidity of the Administration to surface.
I really don’t want to listen to the debate. I want January 2009, for better or worse, to get here quickly (with a tip of the ball cap to Fermi).
4 comments:
Which method would cost the least amount of money? Figure that out and you've got your answer right there - go with the one that is the most expensive and which puts both parties out there is a bigger spotlight in the process too - free advertising in an election year or pre-election year depending on how long the process would be running -or held up, should I say?
A recess appointment could make matters worse for GWB, especially if he chose somebody like Chertoff.
One intriguing rumor floating around is that Bush might nominate Joe Lieberman. The figuring is that the GOP gets a twofer - Democrats, regardless of how they might feel about him, would be unlikely to block a Lieberman nomination, and the GOP governor of Connecticut nominates a Republican to fill in until the next election, creating a 50-50 Senate for the remainder of GWB's term.
I'm ready for 1/2009. I just hope what we get isn't worse. It is hard to imagine, but it could happen.
Let's get real here. The Bush administration is no longer in the hands of Bush, or even Cheney.
The national republican party, already facing the biggest election challenge in a long time, will not allow Bush to nominate or appoint another divisive character.
My bet is that it will be a veteran Washington insider who has good connections to congress on both sides of the aisle. The rethugs need to take the spotlight off the justice department, not intensify the heat there.
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