recess appointments for Otto Reich and Eugene Scalia

Yahoo News | 01/11/2002 | Unknown

[HOYA97]

Circumventing Senate opposition, President Bush signs recess appointments for Otto Reich and Eugene Scalia, The Associated Press has learned.

[Gracey]

This one's good enough to repeat....

Little Tom Puffer sits in a corner

Eating his crowmeat pie

He tried to stick Bushie

Who paddled Tom's tushie

And said "Now just stay there and holler and cry."

[VOA]

Thanks for the ping!
I haven't followed this controversy closely, but I found out from today's
Los Angeles Times why the Democrats are really oppossing Reich.
The reason was explicit in the headline of the article (on page A18 of 1-12-02 issue):

Anti-Communist Reich Given State Dept. Post

No self-respecting Democrat would want it to be publically known that s/he'd voted
for the appointment of an evil Anti-Communist for a government post!

(Also note the LA Times condescension...Reich was "given" the post like some reward for
being an errand-boy...not that he'd already gathered enough experience to handle
the post.)

[Sgt_Schultze]

If he had appointed them as acting in their respective positions (as punkboy-X42 did with Bill Lann Lee) they could have stayed on for the next 7 years (as Bill Lann Lee did).

[SauronOfMordor]

"which shall expire at the End of their next session"
Doesn't say he cannot continue the person with additional recess appointments. He could continue the same person for his entire term from recess to recess if he so desired.

Correct. He can continue with recess appointments the following year until congress finally approves somebody for the position

[GretchenEE]

A senior administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the White House gave Congress formal notification of the long-threatened appointments early Friday afternoon.

Hmmm. Wonder if the use of the word "long-threatened" shows an editorial bias, or a fact.

askel5, I'd rather Bush did what he did, working within the recess appointment rules when the Senate refuses to do its job, than have the posts go unfilled. Mr. Bush has demonstrated extraordinary patience and broke no rules or laws.

[packrat01]

heh, heh, heh. What's good for the goose...

Appoint the rest of the vacancies!