Aug 01 2005
Lame duck ambassador
Bush Appoints Bolton, Bypassing Senate WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush sidestepped the Senate and installed embattled nominee John Bolton as ambassador to the United Nations on Monday, ending a five-month impasse with Democrats who accused Bolton of abusing subordinates and twisting intelligence to fit his conservative ideology.
It’s a shame that George W. had to take this route in order to install Bolton, but incompetence seems to attract incompetence.
As this article reminds us, recess appointments are hardly new or even rare. Ronald Reagan made 243 during his two terms in office. George H. W. Bush made 77 recess appointments during his single term. Bill Clinton made 140 recess appointments over two terms. As of July 31, 2005, six months into his second term, George W. Bush has made 105 recess appointments (at this rate, he will probably match or exceed Reagan’s record).
The consent of the Senate, while nice to have sometimes, hardly seems to be a requirement.
