Another Brick Removed From The Wall

This is just too much. From the Certainly Not News (except in this case) Network.

It seems that the President thinks that Congress is this thing that needs to be circumvented whenever possible. Never mind how things are supposed to work - sometimes Bush will not get his way under this system. Can't have that! So when Congress does not goose step his way, he gets upset.

What he did this time was sneak a buddy of his into the job of US Ambassador to Belgium. And here is how he did it. The Senate already said that the guy he nominated was not going to be approved. You see, the guy is Sam Fox - the main source of funds for the "Swift Veterans For "Truth". You know, the guys who made up the crap about Kerry buying his Vietnam Silver Star, Bronze Star, and Purple Heart off E-Bay. They claimed that Kerry powered his boat out of the area, waited for the fire fight to stop, then came back to pick up people. Then he stubbed his toe and got the Purple Heart. Except the people on the boat with Kerry said it was bullshit. I think I would believe the FIRST HAND accounts from the people on the boat than the second person account from the other guys.

Now I have looked into getting a State Department Job - in the Foreign Service. This is the road that can lead to Ambassador - if you are lucky. You start off as a Consular Officer or something and then work your way up the ranks. Your first assignments are usually in areas considered "dangerous". Unless you have super luck you do not start off in a Consular office somewhere cool like Europe. No, you get stuck in some place with no electricity except for the Embassy generator, no phone service, no internet (except for the satellite internet at the Embassy), no place to get beer, and so on. Not Europe!

But anyway, back to how he did it. Bush pulled Sam Fox's nomination then waited. He never sent the Senate another name. When the Senate went on recess, he used his "recess appointment" power to just give Sam Fox the job without needing Senate approval. Sam gets to keep this job will the next Congress meets - which is 2 years from now - after Bush is out of office. In effect, he just side stepped the whole system. He never even tried to nominate another person!

Presidents that care about the way things are SUPPOSED TO run would have nominated someone else that the Senate would approve. All Presidents have to do this at some point. Except this one. Don't want to give me what I want? Too bad! I say they are in and that is it.

Now here is what I want to know. What qualifications does Sam Fox have? How many years of service with the US State Department Foreign Service does the guy have? Can he speak French, German, and Dutch - the languages spoken in Belgium? Ambassadors are supposed to know the language of the Country they are sent to - whenever possible. I am sure there are qualified people working as a Consul General right now in Belgium that would have passed Senate confirmation. People who understand the politics of Belgium, know the people in the Belgian Government, can speak at least one of the three languages spoken there, and so on.

People unlike Sam Fox.

QUALIFIED people. Not cronies.

This is just too much. Truly this mad man has no problems circumventing the system whenever possible. Why even have Congress or confirmation hearings? Really. Why even have them? If Bush can do this - then EVERY PRESIDENT can do it. This is a blatant power grab for the Executive Branch, at the expense of Congress. Hey Bush, why not just piss on the law and Constitution? Right on the lawn of the White House. You are already doing that in private behind closed doors. At least have the balls to do it where we can all see.

I hope that when Congress gets back, they start the process of changing the law or Constitution or whatever to say "all recess appointments are good only till Congress meets next" as opposed to "all recess appointments are good till the next Congress meets". There is a difference. Recess lasts anywhere from a week to a few months. Congress changes every two years. This will prevent this crap from happening in the future. The damage this guy is doing has to be stopped, and the sooner the better.

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