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Posted on 01/04/2010 4:41:48 PM PST by GOP_Lady
WASHINGTON -- The White House on Sunday urged senators to quickly hold a vote on its nominee to head the Transportation Security Administration, but the battle showed little signs of easing as a Republican reiterated his concerns about the pick.
The White House's appointment of Erroll Southers, a former Federal Bureau of Investigation agent, has been held up by Sen. Jim DeMint, who has raised questions about Mr. Southers's position on worker unionization. The South Carolina Republican wants Mr. Southers to promise that he would oppose granting collective-bargaining rights to the TSA's tens of thousands of employees.
TSA appointments rarely attract much public notice, but the wrangling over Mr. Southers has intensified since a a botched attack on a Northwest Airlines plane on Christmas Day. The incident has called new attention to aviation security -- an area regulated by the TSA -- and raised questions about the Senate's delay in voting on Mr. Southers's nomination.
On Sunday, John Brennan, President Barack Obama's top counterterrorism adviser, said Mr. Southers was highly qualified for the post, and that the attempted Dec. 25 attack underscored the need for a confirmed TSA chief. The post has been filled by an acting chief since January 2009.
Mr. Brennan, appearing on "Fox News Sunday," said Mr. Southers had apologized and accepted responsibility for providing a misleading account of a 20-year-old personal incident to the Senate Homeland Security Committee.
Mr. Southers had originally told the panel that while at the FBI, he had asked other law-enforcement officials to check federal databases to find information about his estranged wife's then-boyfriend. The White House alerted key lawmakers in advance of the committee vote that Mr. Southers would be amending that account.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
That's not the problem Mr. Brennan, you brain dead tool. Senator DeMint wants him to answer the question, "Does he have plans to unionize the TSA?" which Mr. Southers has refused to answer.
How are new TSA officers supposed to take seriously the ramifications of computer misuse when their commissioner got a pass.
He’s a Liberal. He lied. He apologized. Move along...nothing to see here.
This is absolutely right. It's like Bill Clinton and the Chicago bus system. They would both grant offenders one free grope.
Integrity must count for something. People who've broken the law should always expect to get passed over for that big promotion. Lying about it only triply underscores the need for our sticking to tapping only whistle-clean, qualified candidates. Surely, they must exist, even within TSA!
Liars and lawbreakers tend to think they can get away with further lawbreaking, and tend to have friends, who think similarly. Furthermore, if there's anything further undisclosed in their backgrounds, they're infinitely more susceptible to blackmail and extortion than a qualified, squeaky-clean candidate.
HF
Oops, when the WH tries to move swiftly; you know it’s the wrong thing to do.
Exactly right. As Rahmbo says "Never let a good crisis go to waste."
Southers is just another Obama “head case”
Good job, Jim!!
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