by Matthew Hay Brown
It’s becoming a holiday tradition in this divided government: Lawmakers have left Washington, but once again, Majority Leader Harry Reid is keeping the Senate open to stop President Bush from filling administration vacancies with recess appointments.
Over the Thanksgiving break, the Nevada Democrat used the tactic to block the appointment of a surgeon general nominee controversial for his views on homosexuality. Now his target is a Justice Department nominee who signed a pair of secret memos in 2005 authorizing interrogation techniques that critics call torture.
The number of openings, meanwhile, is about to grow. While the pro forma meetings that Reid has scheduled over the next few weeks prevent Bush from using the recess appointment to install nominees, 19 officials who were “recessed” last year see their terms expire on Dec. 31, when the first session of the 110th Congress officially ends. And there doesn’t appear to be anything the president can do about it.
“We think it’s unfortunate that the Senate hasn’t been able to complete its important work on confirming people to serve in critical positions throughout the federal government,” White House spokeswoman Emily Lawrimore said last week. “The fact of the matter is, the president does have the authority to recess individuals, and if the Senate isn’t going to provide leadership on these important nominations, the president should be able to use that authority.”
The Constitution gives the president the power to fill federal vacancies without a confirmation vote when the Senate is in recess. Conceived as a way to allow the president to temporarily staff important posts during the long stretches when the Senate was out of session, the recess appointment is more familiar now as a tactic employed by presidents of both parties to bypass the confirmation process for controversial nominees.
With Bush in the White House and Reid running the Senate, the recess appointment has become the focus of a growing power struggle – and a rare one in which the Democrats, stymied by Bush and his Republican allies on the Iraq war, children’s health insurance, embryonic stem cell research and other priorities, appear to have the upper hand.
When it was rumored in November that Bush was going to take advantage of the Thanksgiving break to install Surgeon General Nominee James W. Holsinger Jr. – under scrutiny for a 16-year-old paper in which he wrote that homosexuality was abnormal and unhealthy – Reid took the unusual step of scheduling a series of pro forma meetings to keep the Senate from adjourning.
Every few days, a single senator would enter the chamber to gavel the Senate open and closed. The process took less than a minute – but it was enough to stop Bush from making Holsinger the nation’s top doctor.
Reid is now looking to block the appointment of Steven G. Bradbury to head the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel. He told the Washington Post that he offered to confirm 60 stalled Republican nominees and eight Democrats if Bush withdrew Bradbury’s nomination, but the White House declined.
Sen. Jim Webb, a Democrat from neighboring Virginia, opened and closed today’s meeting in all of nine seconds, the Associated Press reported.
“I didn’t appoint myself ambassador to a tropical nation,” he said afterward.
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Comments
Harry Reed, what a disgrace, instead of doing the job of the American people that he serves-giving up and down votes for the Presidents appointments, Reed, the most arrogant of modern Senate leaders, has the audacity of focusing on keeping the President from doing what we the American people need and disserve to be done, your job.
Nevadans, are you not embarrassed by this corrupted politician?
Posted by: Joe | December 26, 2007 7:30 PM
That's a good start Harry but we the people expect more from you.
We the people expect you to see to it that the criminals in this Republican administration are in handcuffs and shackles and on their merry way to being frogwalked off to the Federal lockup.
This is a must-see video.
Jamie Leigh Jones and George W. Bush
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LYR2mAmgs0
Posted by: John E | December 26, 2007 7:33 PM
As he has many times before, Senator Harry Reid once again acts with wisdom and dexterity to protect American laws and defend the American people from the devious, small-minded, self-serving and increasingly deceitful attempts by George W. Bush and his seemingly endless attempts to abuse and undermine whatever principles of our Constitution he has been thus far unable to completely destroy.
For his continued watchfulness of and staunch opposition to the Bush League of Doom, Sen. Reid deserves the deepest gratitude of all who prefer a future where the American way of life is a reality, not just a fond memory.
Posted by: Clif | December 26, 2007 10:12 PM
The fact that Harry "Illegal Land Deals" Reid has the support of scum like John E. just shows that Harry Reid is no better than Hugo Chavez, John Gacy and Richard Speck all rolled into one. And why not? All of them are/were leftist anti-people criminals. Harry fits right in: the MOST UnAmerican operative in ever in American government.
Posted by: John D | December 26, 2007 10:37 PM
Look closely at the staements of "JOE" above.He mentions that Harry Reid is keeping the President from doing what we the American People need. He doesnt say what that is but we have learned from past lessons that Bush thinks the most important thing we need is The Iraq War. An invasion started on what Everyone now concedes was misinformation.
Read his post again and decide for yourself!
Posted by: John A Haag III | December 26, 2007 10:40 PM
Before faulting Reid for this questionable tactic, we should consider why he has to do this. mr. bush refuses to meet the democratically controlled congress halfway on any issue. His total lack of the concept of give-and-take is just one more example of why he will go down in history as arguably our nation's most contentious, unamerican-like president, although it makes me ill to even give him that title.
Posted by: GregA | December 26, 2007 11:10 PM
How much taxpayer money is being wasted by Reid's childish games?
Posted by: Bruce | December 27, 2007 12:26 AM
How much taxpayer money is being wasted by Reid's childish games?
not nearly as much as GI Georges $15 BILLION a month wars. This might be odd to you, but there are AMERICANS that feel the money Harry is "wasting" is worth every penny and then some!
Posted by: D from NJ | December 27, 2007 8:54 AM
Finally! The Democrates have decided to stop Cheneybush from putting nut cases into roles during congressional recesses. It's about time. Let's hope they can block every single proposal / appointment this vile administration can put forward. Go Democrats! Tie up everything until we can get a Democratic administration and REAL working majority of at least 60 in Senate.
Posted by: snalg | December 27, 2007 9:07 AM
I wish they had thought of this tactic earlier, but I am impressed that the Democrats finally found a way to block some of the bone headed moves by this horrible president and his band of inept criminals. His presidency has been the saddest time of America's life, and the sooner he is gone the better. Thanks Harry.
Posted by: steve | December 27, 2007 9:48 AM
"Reid Still Blocking . . ."
A title that would be just as appropriate is "Bush continues to circumvent the Constitution".
What has gone unmentioned in this article is the fact that Senator Reid met with President Bush to discuss the process of interim appointments. The President refused to give Senator Reid ANY assurance that he would not push through all of his controversial appointments while Congress was in recess.
Senator Reid is simply defending the rights of the Senate from a President who feels that the US is now RULED by one branch and one person. HIM!
Posted by: dogjudge | December 27, 2007 10:07 AM
President Bush needs to pull a parliamentary maneuver to stop Dingy Harry Reid and radical partisan Dickie Durbin from W's appointment powers during recess. As Clinton used to say it all depends on what is is.
President Bush call their bluff seek legal counsel either they are in session or they are in recess take them to the Supreme Court. These hijackers deserve no less than a constitutional crisis. If they are in session call the roll have Vice President Cheney do it. Show them to America as they really are a bunch of thugs. Jerry White, Springfield, IL
Posted by: Jerry White | December 27, 2007 10:07 AM
Good job by Reid to keep an eye on the opportunist Bush. Here is an example of our checks and balances at work. But Democrats need to develop a backbone to deal with people like Bush and their continued abuse of the Constitution. We need a president who protects and represents genuine American ideals such as integrity, accountability, and honor as much as protecting our borders or freedoms. This president has demonstrated that these ideals are worth sacrificing in order to "protect" America. His actions are appalling.
Posted by: Anonymous | December 27, 2007 1:46 PM
I'm reading some of these comments and thinking, how do these people not realize what's going on? Like GregA mentioned, the very reason why the Democrats are doing this is because Bush won't meet them halfway. Bush instead wants to bypass the Senate confirmation, and show give us one more example showing how he wants a Monarchy. Why doesn't he just put forward a nominee that everyone can agree on, and send him/her through the confirmation? What's so hard about that? It's completely transparent who, exactly, is playing the political games, in this situation. Bush.
Posted by: Jeff | December 27, 2007 10:07 PM