Posted on 01/08/2011 4:50:34 AM PST by marktwain
President Obama has, in the new Congressional session, again submitted the name of anti-gun extremist Andrew Traver to become the director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE). From Main Justice:
President Barack Obama on Wednesday re-nominated three Justice Department nominees whom the Senate returned last month after adjourning without acting on them.
Obama again tapped James Cole for Deputy Attorney General, Andrew Traver for director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Denise O’Donnell for Bureau of Justice Assistance director.
This, frankly, comes as something of a surprise to me. I had fully expected Obama to bypass the Senate's near-certain rejection of Traver, and appoint him during the recess. One reason for that expectation on my part is that Traver seemed unlikely to be approved by even the previous Senate, and the newly sworn-in Senate, with its significantly weakened Democrat majority, would seem still less likely to confirm the appointment. But Mike Vanderboegh, over at Sipsey Street Irregulars, explains the biggest reason I expected the White House to punt on this nomination:
It is true, as I said, that no one gets made permanent Director without a potentially embarrassing oversight hearing.
Oversight hearings are, of course, absolute anathema to the BATFE (which is the main reason I and others have been pushing for them so incessantly). Recent earthshaking allegations of stunning malfeasance on the part of the BATFE make the bright light of Senate oversight hearings even more excruciating for the BATFE, and even more essential.
And that's why Traver's renomination should be seen as an opportunity for gun rights. Senate confirmation hearings would give Senators the opportunity to ask all kinds of uncomfortable questions, which would have to be answered under oath (not that "under oath" is much of a guarantee of integrity, when dealing with the BATFE).
This can be an opportunity in another sense, as well. If the NRA not only urges senators to vote against Traver's confirmation, but vows to "score" the vote when tallying senators' "grades" when they come up for reelection in two, four or six years, well, I'll let National Gun Rights Examiner David Codrea explain it:
Had they done that—and had a vote occurred—it could have widened fractures in Democrat solidarity and further weakened the administration’s influence.
That was when the previous Congress had ended without such a vote, making it appear that this opportunity had been lost. Now that opportunity is back, and with it the need for NRA members to urge Fairfax to publicly state that the confirmation vote will strongly affect senators' "grades."
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Multiple rifle sales reporting requirement decision "delayed"
In other BATFE news, the Office of Budget and Management (OMB) did not, as expected, grant the BATFE's request for permission by yesterday to begin requiring gun dealers to report multiple rifle sales. This does not mean that permission will not eventually be forthcoming--the OMB has said that "ATF's information collection request is still under review." That means we have more time to make some noise.
Now that we Have a Democrat majority in the House Obama has called for more Cooperation.
Renaming rejected cabdidates is Obama’s idea of cooperation?
Psst ... Republican majority.
Besides, don’t forget confirmation is a Senate-only thing.
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