Obama to Shelby (and Others): Let Those Hostages Go
graphic: twolf1
Apparently, Obama told Mitch McConnell that if the GOP didn’t start releasing their hostages, he would recess appoint the whole lot of them. And, as a result of a direct threat, McConnell and his buddies released 27 of their hostages.
But Obama is calling for the Republicans to release all their hostages.
Today, the United States Senate confirmed 27 of my high-level nominees, many of whom had been awaiting a vote for months.
At the beginning of the week, a staggering 63 nominees had been stalled in the Senate because one or more senators placed a hold on their nomination. In most cases, these holds have had nothing to do with the nominee’s qualifications or even political views, and these nominees have already received broad, bipartisan support in the committee process.
Instead, many holds were motivated by a desire to leverage projects for a Senator’s state or simply to frustrate progress. It is precisely these kinds of tactics that enrage the American people.
And so on Tuesday, I told Senator McConnell that if Republican senators did not release these holds, I would exercise my authority to fill critically-needed positions in the federal government temporarily through the use of recess appointments. This is a rare but not unprecedented step that many other presidents have taken. Since that meeting, I am gratified that Republican senators have responded by releasing many of these holds and allowing 29 nominees to receive a vote in the Senate.
While this is a good first step, there are still dozens of nominees on hold who deserve a similar vote, and I will be looking for action from the Senate when it returns from recess. If they do not act, I reserve the right to use my recess appointment authority in the future.
Sure, it reads like a sternly-written letter. But with recess upon us in just over a week, it may not be an idle threat. I’ve asked for clarification, but the general read on this is that Obama is not going to recess anyone this time around.
So it is, indeed, a sternly-written letter.
WHo was confirmed, and who was not?
None of Shelby’s hostages were. Nor was Dawn Johnsen. I’ll try to get a list, though.
The list is over here at Politico:
President Obama wins showdown with GOP
Of course Dawn Johnsen wasn’t voted on. If she had been, McConnell would have received a much more sternly worded letter from Rahm, instead.
There are hostages, and then there are prisoners.
Or to put it more bluntly, both sides blinked.
Or the R side said we have a list of those that are really our guys and the Obama side said “That was close. We’d have been forced to show which nominees were never supposed to be confirmed in the first place.”
Mutual not-blinking as it were.
I’m tellin’ ya, Rahm will never let Johnsen be confirmed or recess-appointed.
Not. Going. To. Happen.
Maybe WH chief of staff should be a position that requires confirmation. (If he’s going to be making policy ….)
You’re kidding. Surely we must have faith in this eleventy dimensional chess!
(Okay, sorry for calling you Shirley….)
This is an unchartered chess game.
WTF? Is this the beginning of having to pay for info?
Which is a good reason to use a real free online dictionary.
Thanks and bookmarked.
Unregulated chess game, an unlicensed chess match or chess game where everyone arrives by either car or foot?
Yep, I’m not one to avoid typos whenever possible but I like the image of an unlicensed match option. Substitute a dog fighting environment where the only difference is two guys, a clock and a chess board instead of the animals. Either that or cage chess.
Fuchsia Bishop to King’s Rook 3, 8th level.
(Just don’t call me late to dinner…)
So some of these people have been waiting for about 8 months, are qualified, have become some GOP senator’s extortion bait, and the President ‘might’ recess appoint them eventually…?
What am I missing here?
“The fierce urgency of the next time we have a Senate recess.” Sweet Christ, why did I waste my vote on this guy?
I completely agree!
As opposed to who, McCain?
I assume nobody quit their day job while waiting for their nomination to be approved.
Johnsen did. She’s in DC, and U Indiana is filling in for her in the meantime.
That sucks.
What does she know that we don’t know?
Bob in AZ
I think she is back home in Indiana now.
And Gomer Pyle is singing that to her..….
You certainly would hope not, eh?
Can anyone think of a good way to smack down the idea that Obama would never, ever have re-nominated Johnsen without any intention of actually getting her confirmed? Apparently Obama never puts on a show and doesn’t follow through, according to several Kossacks … it really gets to pissing me off.
I gave it a shot. Not that I expect the die-hards to buy it or anything ….
Oh do you mean you need examples of things like:
*Promised to filibuster retroactive immunity and then caved to vote for cloture and retroactive immunity during the primary season.
*Promised to close Gitmo in a year — 13 months ago, with no closure in sight.
*In the same executive order that closed Gitmo, claimed to close secret prisons, but restricted that to CIA, exempting JSOC.
*Claimed to end torture while leaving the “special procedures” in the Army Field Manual that allow sleep deprivation and stress positions intact.
*Campaigned against health insurance mandates and in favor of a public option and then immediately shaped the legislation to include a mandate and no public option.
*Campaigned against lobbyists and for public negotiation of HCR on CSPAN and then allowed a lobbyist to write the bill while cutting a secret deal.
I could go on all day…
Isn’t it the case that the Johnsen Hold was put on by Lieberman? Don’t know where I noted that fact, but it sticks hard on my mind.
And now very OT — Last night reading one of my favorite long winded periodicals from Pakistan, “The News International” I came upon an essay on the current status of things in Karachi by an Oxford specialist in things political and pakistani, that claimed that it was recently uncovered that The Major Shareholder for Blackwater International, now Xe is Dick Cheney and Family Did a bit of google work, and can find no other reference to this interesting holder of shares. Has anyone else seen a reference to such a Cheney Investment? There is no such reference to investing in Blackwater on any of his disclosure statements prior to his leaving office — though they are murky and could have been disguised in a blind trust of course.
This has been bothering me all day long. Aside from an Oxford Essayist who writes prose on Pakistani Politics — who else published this, as the author cites it as something of a throw-away reference to something that has recently been in the news.
To the best of my knowledge, there has never been any formal hold placed on Johnsen, by Lieberman or anybody else. It is simply a matter of a vote never having been called.
Sara:
Rachel Madow was interviewing someone on the Blackwater/Xe fraud last night and threw out a shocking line that Dick Cheney stood to personally profit from the billion dollar contract that Xe was seeking in Afghanistan. That shook me out of a COSTCO/Kirkland brand tequila stupor a bit, but she didn’t elaborate.
“Rachel Madow was interviewing someone on the Blackwater/Xe fraud last night and threw out a shocking line that Dick Cheney stood to personally profit from the billion dollar contract that Xe was seeking in Afghanistan. That shook me out of a COSTCO/Kirkland brand tequila stupor a bit, but she didn’t elaborate.”
Missed Maddow last night — shoot. Fixing Dinner. Wanted to dine and enjoy the WH concert of Civil Rights Era music. Am of that generation for which the idea of being invited in through the front door of that place to sing THOSE songs has meaning.
Does anyone have access to Jeremy Scahill to ask him what is known about Cheney owning a significant piece of Blackwater might be found? If correct it could be the ultimate evidence for Seymour Hersh’s claim last year that Cheney had his own private assassination outfit.
One more OT: Christie in charge, declaring emergency to unilaterally slash budget. Sheesh…. (h/t tweets from @joanneleon)
“Now is the time when we all must resist the traditional, selfish call to protect your own turf at the cost of our state,” the Republican governor said.
Except when it’s his own turf, of course. What an asshole.
President “Less Than Half A Loaf is Better Than None” Obama?
President less than half a loaf is better than none:
“Yes I know the kidnapper still has the two kids, but he has let the mother go so now it is time to move on, look forward and never backwards…”
JHFC I’m tired of this fuckin’ kabuki between Obama and the Rethugs.
The man needs to stop speaking for ‘The American People’ if he’s going to be such a punk about it.
Was dawn Johnson approved?
Nope. Still in limbo.
Let’s face it Obama never really follows through on anything. Unless of course his entire point is to simply pretend. Then he really is. Is it, do you think, possible for Obama and the democrats to appear more inept and helpless then they do right now?
would a recess appointment extinguish a confermation hearing ???
and would a failed conformation vote extinguish a recess appointment
what are the mechanics of having BOTH ???
cuz I like to know all of the options
A recess appointment does not extinguish a confirmation process; in fact, arguably recess appointees cannot be paid unless they are also the nominee for that position, although this has never been determined conclusively.
A failed confirmation does not extinguish a recess appointment, but there is fairly across the board agreement that it is improper to recess appoint a nominee that has been voted on and declined (although I think Bush did it at least once, but I am not positive).
anybody seen this crap ???
warning, mukasey bullshit alert !!!
America’s citizens seem to be doing a good job of refuting the asshat, so Marcy’s talents can be used elsewere*
*translation, there is some damn fine train wreck in the comments, and we ain’t that dumb
Yet their departments that they were to be appointed to, continue to operate. Amazing. Kind of like JP Morgan without a CEO. Are they really necessary? How much savings is there to the taxpayers if this is done in many many more portfolios?
“and I will be looking for action from the Senate when it returns from recess.”
Now that’s getting really “getting tough” with the senate obstructionists Mr. Obama.
This is going to be heresy to some I know but, Mr. President, you have proved yourself once again to be the typical spineless, cowardly dem on this issue and folded like a cheap lawn chair to appear “bi-partisian”. In the meantime your adminsitration is still hamstrung for lack of leadership and managers, unemployment is unchanged and even “reasonable” HCR is not gonna happen on your watch.
You Sir are one of the major contributors to your administration’s loss of confidence – and respect – by voters.
I could say your once again shooting yourself in the foot but you can’t do that with blanks in the pistol you’re waving around…
I fail to understand why BHO would write the stern letter when simply making recess appointments of the nominees in question would serve several functions:
–make him look more powerful and less like a doormat
–makes it easy to say he’s getting down to business and getting the people’s work done.
–takes away the other side’s leverage on the specific appointees and puts the Senate on notice that inaction eventually has consequences.