Bush bypasses Congress with 11 recess appointments

sfgate.com ^ | Tuesday, April 22, 2003

[livesbygrace]

President Bush bypassed Congress on Tuesday and installed 11 people whose nominations had languished for as long as 16 months.

All the so-called recess appointments were to little-known boards. By signing the appointments during the congressional recess, Bush bypassed the Senate confirmation process. Such appointments are valid until the next Congress takes office, in this case in January 2005.

[livesbygrace]

I got excited... I thought these were judicial at first...

[gitmo]

Darn.

[Inkie]

One can only hope.

[SubMareener]

This is the same as Don Rumsfeld saying something is "not helpful!" Let's see if the Senate understand the message.

[Pharlap]

Regarding the use of recess appointments for judicial nominees. President Bush should use such appointments for all nominees who are being filibustered. He should make a public statement that each nominee was voted out of committee and if the full Senate voted would be confirmed; that the filibuster by a minority of Democrats is thwarting the advice and consent mandate in Art. II, Sec. 2 of the Constitution, that, if carried to the extreme that some Democrats have advocated, their obstructionist tactics could result in a denial to the people of their constitutionally granted right to an effective Federal judiciary, that, therefore, he will continue to re-appoint these judges at each recess (i.e., use serial recess appointments) for so long as he is President to assure that there is an effective Federal judiciary as envisioned by the Constitution.

[cynicom]

Any day now, Frist will whip the senate into action, just wait....

[livesbygrace]

Why can't he just make recess appointments for the judiciary, since they are good until the next Congress? We have a chance of getting a filibuster proof majority, don't we? Dems have a lot more seats up for re-election than pubbies, and I know there are an awful lot of unhappy democrat voters.

[lilylangtree]

Go, Bush, go! Now aim for those judicial appointments.

[mtnwmn]

I agree...I think this is George W. Bush putting the Senate on notice.

[CatOwner]

Just testing the waters, just testing the waters. You gotta love the way Bush just ever so slightly tweaks the RATs. He was doing this before 9/11 (which some people seemed to have forgotten).

[savedbygrace]

Sending a message. The left will misunderestimate President Bush again. Watch and see.

[MamaLucci]

This is the same as Don Rumsfeld saying something is "not helpful!" Let's see if the Senate understand the message.

Exactly!

[RonPaulLives]

* Naomi Churchill Earp of Virginia to be a member of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, as vice chairman. Bush nominated Earp on Nov. 27, 2001, and again on Jan. 9, 2003.

If a woman MUST carry two names, Churchill and Earp are good ones! And, oh yeah, Please Mr. President, make JUDICIAL APPOINTMENTS NOW!!!)

[mombonn]

Shot across the bow?

[Brian S]

Me too and why weren't they judicial appointments?

[SauronOfMordor]

Regarding the use of recess appointments for judicial nominees. President Bush should use such appointments for all nominees who are being filibustered.

No. He should recess-appoint the most thoroughly right-wing people he can find, judges that would be the Dem's worst nightmares. Then tell the Dems "You don't like my recess appointments? Well, approve the ones I sent you!"

[Nathaniel Fischer]

I volunteer!

[CyberAnt]

Rush was talking about that today, and said USA Today had an article on the net about how the left has "misunderestimated" Bush and how the left continues to do so - and how the left will still continue to do so - to it's terrible detriment in 2004.

[savedbygrace]

Interesting. I don't generally listen to Rush (didn't today either) and I never read USA Today, unless I'm traveling and the hotel puts one in front of my room door.

[Hank Rearden]

Yawn.

Most of these stupid boards and commissions ought to be completely red-penciled out of existence, not refilled with time-serving parasites. Where's that smaller government, George? Do something brave, something that enhances liberty and shrinks Big Stupid Government, even a little bit.

Federal Mine Health and Safety Review Commission?
Legal Services Corp.?
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission?
Merit Systems Protection Board?
Corporation for National and Community Service?
Export-Import Bank of the United States?

What is all this unconstitutional crap?