Bush Makes Twenty-Four New Recess Appointments (Not Judges)

Reuters | April 16, 2004

[KJ Weatherwax]

Bush Nominates, Appoints 24 to Various Posts

Fri Apr 16, 2004 10:03 PM ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush nominated or appointed 24 people to various posts on Friday. Bush used the presidential power to appoint four nominees while Congress is in recess -- something that has infuriated Democrats, especially when it involves judges.

In this case, Bush is promoting four men and women to federal positions including undersecretary of education Eugene Hickok to become Deputy Secretary of Education.

Edward McPherson, now chief financial officer at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, was recess-appointed to replace Hickok as undersecretary.

Other recess appointments include Linda Morrison Combs to be an Assistant Secretary of Transportation and Linda Mysliwy Conlin to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the Export-Import Bank of the United States.

In 2002, Bush angered the Senate when he made the recess appointment of Gerald Reynolds to become head of the Office of Civil Rights in the Department of Education.

The White House said Bush had also nominated Thomas Fingar to be Assistant Secretary of State for intelligence and research. Fingar is now Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary.

Other nominations include: Anne Patterson as deputy U.S. representative to the United Nations; Suzanne Hale as ambassador to Micronesia; Constance Berry Newman to the board of directors of the African Development Foundation; and

William Brewer to the National Veterans Business Development Corp.

Bush also named six people to the policy committee of the White House Conference on Aging and nine to the United States Holocaust Memorial Council.

Twice this year, Bush has bypassed the Senate on judicial nominations. In February, he installed Alabama Attorney General William Pryor on an Atlanta appeals court. He also used the recess procedure to name Mississippi Judge Charles Pickering to the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals.

Both Pryor and Pickering had previously been blocked by Democrats who accused them of being too conservative and out of step with the views of mainstream Americans.

U.S. Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle has vowed to block all of Bush's juridicial nominees until the president promises to stop seating federal judges while the Senate is on recess.

[KJ Weatherwax]

Searched, but didn't see this posted.

[KJ Weatherwax]

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=4854321

[txrangerette]

Had not heard this...thanks!

[PA Engineer]

U.S. Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle has vowed to block all of Bush's juridicial nominees until the president promises to stop seating federal judges while the Senate is on recess.

Sounds like a palestinian.

[tet68]

Man, that is just what I was thinking!

Don't want him to make recess appointments?
Don't block his regular ones.........Doh!

I don't know which is worse, Dims or Palis.

[PA Engineer]

I don't know which is worse, Dims or Palis.

Funny. I have been thinking about that alot lately. I think they are just different sides of the same coin.

[Future Useless Eater]

Good idea, and way to go Dubya!

This would make a nice precident. For ALL appointments that are not for LIFE, and serve for just as long as you serve, these SHOULD be done this way.

THEN, if the do-nothing-Senate finally gets off their butts and gives any of them a FULL RECORDED VOTE, you could honor thieir wishes (maybe) and appoint someone else.

[deport]

Searched, but didn't see this posted.

---

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/search?m=all;o=time;s=bush%20appoints%20nominates ... but it got very little action either.

[facedown]

Excellent! I hope there are more. The Dim's are going to squawk no matter what W does so he might as well get some people in place.

[FairOpinion]

Here we are in Bush's 4th year of presidency and look at all these (and more) positions that haven't been filled as a result of obstructionism by the Democrats.

All these people should have been confirmed years ago!

[Principled]

Don't want him to make recess appointments? Don't block his regular ones.........Doh!

One of the best comments I've read today!

If they'd just given an up or down vote, Bush never would've had the political capital to recess appoint.

Dumbocrats.

Of course, an up or down vote would've meant approval of judges.

Strategery

[EGPWS]

Don't want him to make recess appointments? Don't block his regular ones.

The reply from a liberal to that would be "What and place political party concerns on the back burner?"

Why it would take an attack on our country to even consider making such a ridiculous move!!

[Brandon]

Only four of these are recess appointments, according to the article. The rest are nominations, which presumably will need Senate confirmation.

[Thane_Banquo]

U.S. Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle has vowed to block all of Bush's juridicial nominees until the president promises to stop seating federal judges while the Senate is on recess.

Hmm. Daschle uses an unconstitutional procedure to create a problem and then demands that Bush refrain from using the Constitutional remedy. The Democrats should quit pussy-footing around the issue and just admit that it is there aim to repeal the entire US Constitution.

[Cicero]

I have long observed that Democrats, Palestinians, and yellow dogs are much the same. You have to be forceful with them, because if you show the least sign of kindness or compromise they interpet it as weakness, and if you turn your back on them they'll run out and bite you in the ankle.

[Libertina]

Uh, isn't Tommy already blocking them all? I guess he'll do it twice now, or twice as angrily...

[Semper Paratus]

Were at War and the 'rats can either help out or move aside.

[forYourChildrenVote4Bush]

You Americans are hated by many, but loved by others…Do not buckle under European pressure and do not go the way of the socialistic Spaniards. Those great Europeans who gave us the Spanish Inquisition in 1478, Napoleon I Emperor of the French 1769 – 1821, World war I 1914-1918, Hitler and World War II 1938-45 and the Holocaust. People around the world want to see you fail and the biggest failure would be the election of 'Hanoi John' Kerry. It is better to be feared, hated and strong rather than hated, weak and not feared. The world needs a strong policeman. Without you we are nothing…believe me when I say that I love America and wished I were one…oh well, at least I have a free Medicare system where I have to wait 7 hours in an emergency room to see a doctor. Our military buys second hand submarines with rusted holes. I get taxed about 52 % on my income that goes into our GREAT medical system, just don’t get sick up here, you might just drop dead. What a great liberal/socialist government we have here. Just venting… We love America, we vacation in America, and we spend our money in America. I love Mr. Bush, he will NOT let you nor your children down.

[Tax Government]

Congress has too much work to do already, piled high on its pork trough (i mean calendar). Witness the recent 9/11 blameathon.

A few recess appointments are like a tiny, tiny blip of liposuction, incapable of breaking up the mound of fat that immobilizes government.

Now, pretty please, a few recess judges...

[Gritty]

We love America, we vacation in America, and we spend our money in America. I love Mr. Bush, he will NOT let you nor your children down.

Any way we can get you to come on over and vote in November? (just kidding, but the other side does it all the time!)

Thanks for your kind comments!