Bush's worst nominees

[struggle4progress]

<snip> Bolton stands out because he is not only bad in a policy sense, but also unqualified for the post to which he's been named. At a minimum, the U.S. representative to the United Nations should be a person who believes it is a good idea. Bolton has never made secret his disdain for the United Nations, for multilateralism and for consensus-seeking diplomacy in general. <snip>

All of this is very much to the point. When the country chooses an ambassador to the United Nations, it ought to avoid picking someone whose bullying style of leadership symbolizes everything that created the current estrangement between the United States and most of the world. One of the goals of Bush's second term was supposed to be rapprochement with other nations, whose assistance the United States desperately needs to curb the proliferation of the real weapons of mass destruction. <snip>


In the case of the FDA, Senators Hillary Clinton of New York and Patty Murray of Washington are threatening to keep the nomination from the floor unless Crawford prompts his agency to make a long-delayed decision on whether the so-called morning-after pill may be sold over the counter. Their cause is righteous. If taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex, the pills can end unwanted pregnancies - so making them readily available could drastically cut down on the number of abortions. Two committees of expert advisers voted overwhelmingly in favor of selling the medication over the counter, but the FDA has failed to do anything. Another proposal, which would limit its sale to women over 16, has also been pending.

Crawford has been the deputy or acting commissioner during a very troubled period for the drug agency. He presided over fiascoes involving cox-2 painkillers, antidepressants and other drugs. He is clearly afraid to let his agency make a decision on the morning-after pill that will get him in hot water with social conservatives or with those who believe that the FDA should be run on the basis of science, not theology. That timidity doesn't suggest that he would impose needed reform in other areas. <snip>

http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/04/08/opinion/ednomin.html

[Biology]

1. continues to amaze me...

Over and over again, it seems like this administration thrives on going after some of the worst people imaginable for the various positions. Like number 99 or 100 on a list of 100. Not just conservatives, but down-right unqualified or incompetent people. It clearly shows a need to overhaul our educational system so that students don't grow up to be as dumb as these politicians.

[nankerphelge]

2. I liked the safari-hunting-meat-murdering guy for head of Fish & Wildlife

[Skittles]

3. Condi Rice is incompetent and a f***ing DISGRACE

she should have been fired after 9/11 along with MANY OTHERS