Dems call for review of Bush appointment

[ProSense]

Dems call for review of Bush appointment

By ANNE FLAHERTY, Associated Press Writer 30 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - Democrats called for an investigation Thursday into whether President Bush acted illegally in appointing Sam Fox ambassador to Belgium.

A day earlier, Bush named Republican fundraiser Fox to the post as a recess appointment — a maneuver that allowed him to bypass Congress, where Democrats had derailed his nomination.

"We view the recess appointment of Mr. Fox as a clear abuse of the President's recess appointment power," three Democratic senators wrote in a letter to the Government Accountability Office, Congress' auditing agency.

The senators — Democrats Christopher Dodd (news, bio, voting record) of Connecticut, John Kerry of Massachusetts and Robert Casey (news, bio, voting record) of Pennsylvania — also asked if Fox's appointment could be terminated if a Senate vote rejected him.

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[mloutre]

1. Yee-haw! Go git 'im, boys and girls!

Nice of the new kid, that Casey fella, to pitch in with the old heads like Kerry and Dodd to push back against these imperialistic arrogant bastids on this raw deal..

[MH1]

2. Full text of letter on Dodd's website

http://dodd.senate.gov/index.php?q=node/3823

There is a summary at top, scroll down for text of the letter.

[bleever]

4. Thanks.

Interesting letter.

[Tatiana]

3. Bush has totally trashed and denigrated the executive branch of government.

The Democrats are absolutely correct in questioning whether they have the power to remove Fox (and they should take a vote to remove him). I'm of a mind that says we don't let Bush get away with ANYTHING at this point. He's clearly abusing his power and authority as President and if he isn't impeached, then every decision he makes should be nullified until we can elect a competent President.

[mvd]

11. Right on

I was happy to see they didn't let this slip by.

[proud patriot]

5. good

:)

[Sparkly]

6. Excellent!

:kick:

[tammywammy]

7. I don't see how they can stop the appointment

There isn't a designated time length of a Senate recess before the President can make appointments.

While I don't like Fox being recessed appointed, I don't see what the Senate can do to stop it.

[MH1]

8. That's why they are asking the GAO about legalities.

Did you read Dodd's letter, posted upthread?

Let's see what GAO's response is.

I'm betting that they ultimately find that they can't stop it, but keeping it in the news as long as they can is a good thing for Dems - it really doesn't put the Bushies and republicans in a very good light.

And who knows, maybe even if they can't can Fox, they can raise support to actually change the system to prevent some of these abuses in the future.

[ProSense]

9. The Senate

was on track to reject the nomination, but Bush withdrew it. It's about the views of the Senate.

I don't have much to add here to those previous discussions, except to note that it is extremely difficult to articulate any possible constitutional value or function that might be served by allowing the President to circumvent the Senate's checking function in these circumstances. Whereas the Recess Appointments Clause was included in the Constitution in order to ensure that offices could be filled in emergencies when the Senate is unavailable to offer its advice and consent, it is now being used to make a mockery of the procedure contemplated in the Appointments Clause -- in situations where the Senate's views are readily available, and all too plain. This is constitutional cynicism of the highest order. And yet if the Senate continues to do nothing to counter it, Presidents of both parties will increasingly utilize this newfound (i.e., jerry-rigged) constitutional "authority" to cut the Senate out of the appointments loop altogether.

link

[beachmom]

12. Yes, it's good that they do this.

Thanks for bringing this to my attention, Prosense.

[Pacifist Patriot]

10. I would definitely be interested in seeing a ruling that clarifies the intent...

of the recess appointment provision. This is clearly a case of using the letter of the law to trample on the spirit of the Constitution as a whole.

[Jillian]

13. Biden's remarks

(The Politico) Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Joe Biden (D-Del.) is objecting to President Bush's decision to give a recess appointment to Sam Fox as new U.S. ambassador to Belgium. Bush made the appointment on Wednesday.


Here is Biden's comment today: “This is a clear abuse of the President’s recess appointment power and contrary to the Framers’ intent. Far from denying Mr. Fox a vote, the Foreign Relations Committee was on the verge of considering his nomination, but only an hour before the vote, the President withdrew the nomination, presumably because he thought we’d vote against his nominee. If the President wants Sam Fox to be the Ambassador to Belgium, he should rescind the recess appointment and send him back to the Senate, so that we can vote on the nomination. We’ve been working in good faith on the President’s nominees and his recess appointment of Sam Fox flies in the face of this bipartisan cooperation.”

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/04/05/politics/politico/thecrypt/main2652998.shtml

[wisteria]

14. Good news. n/t

[GeorgeGist]

15. Distraction, distraction, distraction ...

keep your eyes on the priorities.

[RacingBobbie]

16. It is time for the

democrats take control of this country and bring us back to the forrfront in this world again.
The pukes have ruined this country and world.
I just wish the democrats would help lower the gas prices.