The New York Times on recess appointments, more or less:
It is disturbing that President Obama has exhibited a grandiose vision of executive power that leaves little room for public debate, the concerns of the minority party or the supervisory powers of the courts. But it is just plain baffling to watch him take the same regal attitude toward a Congress in which his party holds solid majorities in both houses.
Seizing the opportunity presented by the Congressional holiday break, Mr. Obama announced 15 recess appointments — a constitutional gimmick that allows a president to appoint someone when Congress is in recess to a job that normally requires Senate approval. The appointee serves until the next round of Congressional elections.
This end run around Senate confirmation was built into the Constitution to allow the president to quickly fill vacancies that came up when lawmakers were out of town, to keep the government running smoothly in times when travelers and mail moved by horseback and Congress met part time.
Modern presidents have employed this power to place nominees who ran into political trouble in the Senate. Presidents Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton made scores of recess appointments. But both of them faced a Congress controlled by the opposition party, while the Senate has been under Democratic control for Mr. Obama’s entire first year in office.
You won’t see precisely that editorial in the New York Times. That’s Mark Tapscott’s version of the NYT’s 2006 editorial condemning President Bush’s recess appointments. Tapscott just swapped out Bush for Obama and made corresponding factual edits (15 recess appointments instead of 17, etc.).
No, you can’t expect the NYT and its Democratic allies to be consistent with the shoe on the other foot. Recess appointments are good now. Just as signing statements and manager’s amendments are good now, and filibusters (once bad, and then good) are bad once again.
All of this underlines Michael Barone’s first rule of life: All process arguments are insincere.
The hypocrisy is amusing to watch, but what’s really a pity here is the substance. Craig Becker, President Obama’s appointment to the National Labor Relations Board, is truly awful and was justly blocked in the Senate.
(Via Instapundit.)
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