Bypass
Here’s a really bad way to start an academic essay:
Dictionary.reference.com defines “bypass” as “to neglect to consult or to ignore the opinion or decision of.”
Here’s a really bad way to be a president:
President Bush bypassed the Senate to appoint Sam Fox as Ambassador to Belgium.
Bush withdrew Fox’s nomination last week because it was obvious the Senate would never confirm him. Fox’s largest credentials for the job seem to be raising over $200,000 for Bush and donating to other Republican causes, including $50,000 for Swiftboat Veterans for Truth.
I define “swiftboating” as lying about John Kerry and anyone else who you don’t like.
Instead of putting up a candidate that could pass Senatorial muster - and Senatorial confirmation - Bush used this week’s congressional recess to appoint Fox anyway. The Senate said “no,” so Bush decided just to go around them.
Now, granted, Bush isn’t the only president to use the recess appointment - Reagan used it 243 times, Clinton 140. For me, though, it’s the audacity of the appointments. He’s just done this so many times - most notably with John Bolton. Bolton couldn’t even pass with a Republican Congress, but that didn’t stop Bush from knowing what was right. But you guys know the rest of the story: John Bolton went on to becomes one of our most trusted and lauded U.N. representatives and was overwhelmingly approved by Congress when his term expired. We can trust the president to appoint the most well-equipped and responsible people to posts, even when such acts are designed to intentionally circumvent Congressional authority.
Instead, Chris Dodd (D-CT) will be asking the Government Accountability Office if Bush’s actions - he also appointed a guy to head Social Security that Congress rejected - are even legal. The authority is designed for when Congress is on long breaks. It may or may not be for whenever the president doesn’t get what he wants. I’ve got to check in the Constitution and some other legal documents, but I don’t think there’s anything that mentions the “because I wanna” clause. Turns out the Constitution says,
The President shall have Power to fill up all Vacancies that may happen during the Recess of the Senate, by granting Commissions which shall expire at the End of their next Session.
Yes, the Senate was in recess, but this position was not suddenly vacant and needed to be filled desperately - though I do have grave concerns about our relations with Belgium. I’m pretty sure Thomas Jefferson is pretty pissed somewhere. (I just thought of this scenario in my head where Thomas Jefferson is sitting on a cloud trying to convince god to smite Bush. There are Birkenstocks.)
The long and the short of it is that Fox can now remain ambassador until the end of the next Congressional term, which is also the end of Bush’s term. Unless, of course, Chris Dodd finds a way to ITMFA.
An Extremely Brief List of Bush Appointees:
John Bolton
Tracy Henke - Dept. of Homeland Security
Julie Myers - Dept. of Immigration (actually this article has a lot of them).
Charles Pickering, William H. Pryor and Ellen Sauerbrey - Federal judges and Dept. of Refugees, Population, and Migration (PP wasn’t a fan).
Sorry, that’s it. I’m starving. I wish these things would happen in my afternoon. Perhaps y’all will get lucky later when hunger isn’t making me do quick and easy research.
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