The Hill takes an interesting look at the ongoing partisan war over the nomination of Indiana University School of Law's Dawn Johnsen to head up the White House Office of Legal Counsel.
In short, Republicans have spun themselves into a corner in their rush to portray Professor Johnsen's criticism of the Bush Administration's torture policies as a deal-breaker.
"Those issues indicate the importance of the OLC position and the need to have someone of innate experience in that position," Senate Judiciary ranking member Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) said.
Added Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah): "In this day and age, someone is always going to say you're a hypocrite, but [Johnsen's] positions are off the wall."
But the argument is a tricky one for Republicans, who in making their case against Johnsen open themselves up to criticism for actions taken during the Bush years. The same report they cite in support of their effort to block Johnsen, one of President Barack Obama's most controversial nominees, was critical of the office during the Bush administration.
Tricky, indeed. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse didn't waste much time taking the bait:
"It's a remarkable exercise in backwards logic," Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) said. "Their argument states that because our party went and wrecked the place, we don't want your party going in there."
More positive movement in the Senate as Indiana University School of Law professor Dawn Johnsen awaits confirmation as head of the Department of Justice's Office of Legal Counsel. I'm not sure whether we should be thanking Sen. Arlen Specter or his primary challenger Rep. Joe Sestak.
Rep. Joe Sestak, who is challenging Sen. Arlen Specter for the Democratic nomination, sent an e-mail to supporters today about Dawn Johnsen. Johnsen, an Indiana University at Bloomington law professor, is President Barack Obama's pick to head the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel, and last year Specter helped delay Johnsen's nomination. Specter was the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee at the time.
Sestak, addressing Specter in the e-mail, writes that Specter has another shot to support Johnsen now that Obama is set to renominate her.
In response, Specter's office offered this statement:
"After voting 'pass' (which means no position) in the Judiciary Committee, I had a second extensive meeting with Ms. Johnsen and have been prepared to support her nomination when it reaches the Senate floor."
Better late than never, I suppose.
Whoops: Wrote this before my third cup of coffee, and just noticed DA had already posted something in the diaries. Check it out.
Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA) says he's revisited his initial concerns over Obama Justice Department nominee Dawn Johnsen, and has decided to support her confirmation.
"After voting 'pass' (which means no position) in the Judiciary Committee, I had a second extensive meeting with Ms. Johnsen and have been prepared to support her nomination when it reaches the Senate floor," reads a statement Specter sent to TPMDC.
With Senator Lugar's committment to vote in support of fellow Hoosier, Ms. Johnsen, this means that she is likely to be confirmed, overcoming a potential filibuster by Republicans and anti-choice Democrat Ben Nelson. Credit for Specter's change of heart is being credited to a primary challenge from Specter's left by Congressman Joe Sestak.
Kudos to President Obama for standing behind good candidates:
President Obama will renominate Dawn Johnsen to lead the Justice Department’s powerful Office of Legal Counsel, along with his choices for five other jobs that the Senate did not act on last year, a White House official said Thursday.
Ms. Johnsen, an Indiana University law professor who served as acting head of the office in the Clinton administration, was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee in March. But the full Senate never voted on her nomination.
Both Senator Lugar and Senator Bayh support Ms. Johnsen. However, she is opposed by conservatives because she (horror of all horrors) worked for an abortion rights group in the past. Senator Nelson of Nebraska and Senator Specter of Pennsylvania, both Democrats, also oppose her nomination. I'm guessing Nelson's objection is also based on abortion since he was the sponsor of the anti-choice amendment to the health care reform bill, but I have no idea what Arlen Specter's concerns are. Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid, failed to bring her nomination to the floor.
We've already discussed here the undeniable qualifications of President Obama's nominee to head up his office of legal counsel.
Indiana University's own Dawn Johnsen possesses a great professional reputation, an impressive CV to back it up, and most recently the support of Senator Richard Lugar in a confirmation process that has stretched far beyond the initial calendar.
And based on an update sent to the student body of Indiana University's Maurer School of Law last night, a few more months may remain before Professor Johnsen takes her place in Washington. From the description of a class to be offered this fall, and taught by Dawn Johnsen:
Requirements include a research paper (which satisfies the advanced
research requirement). No exam. All class meetings will be held before Fall Break, beginning with five three-hour meetings to discuss assigned reading. Students will devote the remainder of the semester to their research papers.
As happy as I am to have the opportunity to take a class from the good professor, here's to hoping her stay is as brief as advertised.
The Republican caucus of the General Assembly apparently has quite a bit of time on their hands despite that whole "couldn't pass a budget" thing. Left to their own devices, the group couldn't help themselves but needlessly weigh in on a national political issue completely beyond their control.
Thirty-one Republican state senators have asked U.S. Sens. Evan Bayh and Dick Lugar to oppose the nomination of an Indiana University law professor nominated by President Barack Obama for a senior position in the U.S. Department of Justice.
In a letter May 15, the state senators said Dawn Johnsen's advocacy of abortion rights "is more than simply pro-choice -- she is pro-choice in an extremely radical way."
[...]
"It's a statement from a very strong pro-life caucus," said Indiana Senate President Pro Tem David Long, R-Fort Wayne. "It is not based on the fact she is pro-choice, it is based on the fact that she is radically so."
No, it's a statement from a very weak caucus that finds itself all too often being yanked around by its wedge issue overlords.
Ignoring for a moment the fact that Dawn Johnsen is eminently qualified for the position she has been nominated to fill. Putting away for the sake of conversation the bipartisan support she has accumulated -- including both Sens. Bayh and Lugar. All that aside, I can't help but wonder: Shouldn't these GOP state senators have something better to do?
Our state economy is in the shitter, our fiscal solvency is in doubt in many areas, and you yahoos just used your passive-aggressive prowess to land yourself in a special legislative session at the whim of a chief executive who appears to be just as dominating of your caucus as, say, the pro-life activists who ordered you into this little stunt.
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