Posted on 12/29/2005 10:39:53 AM PST by 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.
(Excerpt) Read more at suntimes.com ...
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.
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)
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.
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?
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.
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.
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 Englands nomination. The snags arent 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 Navys future shipbuilding plans."
http://www.marinetimes.com/story.php?f=1-292925-1437622.php
As if democrats aren't bad enough, pork eating RINOs want to endanger this country too.
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