New Navy secretary to be sworn in next week

Chicago Sun Times ^ | Dec. 29, 2005 | AP

[Pragmatic_View]

Navy Secretary Gordon England-- who has also been serving as the acting deputy defense secretary-- gave up his Navy post Thursday, clearing the way for a new naval leader.

The move will allow Donald Winter to be sworn in as Navy secretary next week.

Congressional roadblocks have prevented Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld from filling key leadership positions in his department for months. But legal maneuvering by the White House, which formally designated acting deputy England as Rumsfeld's second in command last week, allowed England to relinquish the Navy job.

Two senators have blocked England's confirmation as deputy defense secretary, the Pentagon's second-highest position, creating a logjam in the department's hierarchy.

[Pragmatic_View]

Bold is mine. More Dem obstructionism that the MSM hasn't been highlighting. This is the first I heard that here we are in time of war and the Dems are playing politics with key defense related appointments. Does anyone know who are the two Senators who blocked England's confirmation as DDS?

Now it's becoming clear, why President Bush did the "succession reshuffle" at the Pentagon now. He had to make England a recess appointment.

Bush shifts Pentagon pecking order

The three military-service chiefs have been dropped in the Bush administration's doomsday line of Pentagon succession, pushed under three civilian undersecretaries in Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld's inner circle.

A holiday-week executive order from President Bush moved the Pentagon's intelligence chief to the No. 3 spot in the succession hierarchy behind Rumsfeld. The second spot would be the deputy secretary of defense, a position currently vacant since the Senate has not confirmed Rumsfeld nominee, Gordon England. The Army chief, which long held the No. 3 spot, was dropped to sixth.

The changes are the second in six months and mirror the administration's new emphasis on intelligence-gathering versus combat in 21st-century warfighting.

Update 1: Defense Department's Order of Succession

[A.A. Cunningham]

Take your pick.

Carl Levin (Michigan)
Edward M. Kennedy (Massachusetts)
Robert C. Byrd (West Virginia)
Joseph I. Lieberman (Connecticut)
Jack Reed (Rhode Island)
Daniel K. Akaka (Hawaii)
Bill Nelson (Florida)
E. Benjamin Nelson (Nebraska)
Mark Dayton (Minnesota)
Evan Bayh (Indiana)
Hillary Rodham Clinton (New York)

[Enchante]

"Does anyone know who are the two Senators who blocked England's confirmation as DDS?"

I expect that one of them is Carl Levin of Michigan, senior 'Rat on the Senate Armed Services Committee and a total blithering blathering leftist a-hole who routinely mucks up DoD appointments to show his depraved followers that he is relevant to socialist weenies. He held up crucial DoD appointments for much of 2001 to flex his political muscles, but of course, none of the biased MSM ever mentions that when they are whining about US unpreparedness and shortcomings..... Levin is trash.

[shield]

You should have heard the wingnuts, moonbats, loons talking about this change. All kinda very dark meanings. Once again proving what NUTS they've all become.

[El Gato]

Two senators have blocked England's confirmation as deputy defense secretary, the Pentagon's second-highest position, creating a logjam in the department's hierarchy.

It's very telling that the article did not include the names of the obstructing Senators. What you bet they have (D) after their name?

[PAR35]

Isn't England the guy that is trying to force the unsuitable for the mission naval version of the F-35 onto the Air Force? If so, he's probably not a good choice for the job he is getting.

[Zman]

I believe Olympia Snowe (RINO-ME) may be one; she has wanted assurances that the new DD(X) construction not be limited to one shipyard, in a winner take all competition, as the Pentagon has wanted.

[Pragmatic_View]

Well, I did more research and the result is a surprise:

"Two senators, Olympia Snowe of Maine and Trent Lott of Mississippi, both Republicans, have put holds on England’s nomination. The snags aren’t related so much to England personally, officials have said. But both senators represent states where there is significant shipbuilding activity and may have concerns about the Navy’s future shipbuilding plans."


http://www.marinetimes.com/story.php?f=1-292925-1437622.php

[Sonny M]

As if democrats aren't bad enough, pork eating RINOs want to endanger this country too.