Bush does end run around Congress, installs base closure panel

[The Straight Story]

Bush does end run around Congress, installs base closure panel
By George Cahlink
[e-mail]

The White House has installed the Base Realignment and Closure Commission by recess appointment after Sen. Trent Lott, R-Miss., blocked their nominations from being voted on by the Senate.

On Friday, President Bush announced that former Veterans Affairs Secretary Anthony Principi had been appointed to head BRAC, and that the panel's eight other nominees had been put in place as well.


Presidents can make recess appointments for jobs that normally require Senate confirmation when lawmakers are not in session. The appointments have been used in recent years to avoid contentious nomination battles.


Lott had placed a "hold" - a Senate procedure that allows any member to block a vote on a nomination - on Principi and threatened to do the same for the other nominees. Lott long has opposed more rounds of military base closings, fearing that installations in his home state of Mississippi could be targeted, among them Columbus Air Force Base, Naval Station Pascagoula, and the Naval Air Station in Meridian.

http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0405/040405g1.htm

[KoKo]

1. Hey, Hey, Hey! Chimpy is the "Emperor/Dictator #1" who the hell

did Lott think he was trying to challenge the "Alpha?"

Didn't Lott get it that the Chimp-in-Thief had Lott brought down because he could work better with Frist?

Did ANYONE think Lott's little "comment" brought him down because of "outrage?" It was because Chimp wanted Lott out that it got any airtime at all.

Now, Lott is in more deep doo doo because he decided he'd "chide" the Chimp further with "base closings."

They are all in it together. Lott just sees some "down poll numbers" for Emperor Chimp and thinks he might get a little attention with his fake ploy to "challenge" the "powers that be."

Nothing to see here...except inside Repug repositionings and challenges for power...just move along.

:shrug:

[pscot]

2. And a big "Fuck You"

to members of his own party who have issues with the membership of the commission. Congressional Repukes get a taste of the shit he's been dishing out to Democrats for the last four years. And won't they just love it?

[roguevalley]

3. that should piss off what few repugs out there still care about

anything but their pensions.

[leesa]

4. Good news! Let him do it. He's waking up a lot of stupid Republicans

lately with his idiotic choices.

[The Straight Story]

5. Yes indeed! (n/t)