Bush bypassing Senate to appoint conservative academic to post

[Poiuyt]

President Bush intends to bypass the Senate in order to name a "conservative academic" to head the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), Wednesday's Wall Street Journal reports.

"Bypassing a reluctant Senate, President Bush will use a recess appointment to name a conservative academic to the White House's top regulatory post," Henry Pulizzi writes for WSJ. "The move, expected to be announced today, will fill a position that has been vacant for more than a year, and could help the White House use the regulatory process to shape policy."

According to the paper, "Susan Dudley, the former head of regulatory studies at George Mason University's Mercatus Center, has generated opposition from environmentalists and liberal interest groups, who say she would carry out a pro-business agenda at the expense of public health and safety."

Saturday's LA Times noted that Dudley, and two others that the president wishes to appoint "have ties to industries that face costly Environmental Protection Agency restrictions, and all three have previously bypassed or questioned the EPA's scientific process."

more -

http://rawstory.com/news/2007/Bush_bypassing_Senate_to_name_conservative_0404.html

[woodsprite]

1. Hmmmm. Does regulating the internet fall under that position? n/t

[aquart]

2. The recess appointment power really needs a looksee.

This is total abuse. Perhaps the Senate can do a workaround and never actually recess.

[AndyA]

4. I agree - this one is just ripe for abuse, as we have seen with Bushie.

Congress needs to initiate an oversight of some sort where the Congress is still involved in approving appointments. For instance, a President could temporarily appoint someone to the position, pending Congressional approval at a later date.

[Supersedeas]

3. Susan Dudley joins the ranks of the infamous Loyal Bushies

[EC]

5. The recess appointment right was supposed to be for

emergency filling of positions, but if this post had been open for 10 months, how does that equate emergency?

[aquart]

6. Is "emergency" stated anywhere? Or just implied?

Oh, just add it to the list.