June
25, 2002 2:00 p.m. The
Daschle-McCain Blockade
John
McCain joins the Democratic war on Bush nominees.
esterday National
Review Online reported continuing Republican frustration with Majority
Leader Tom Daschle's decision to shut down the confirmation process in
the Senate. In the last six weeks, no Bush-administration nominee has
been confirmed in the full Senate, leading to major backlogs in filling
administration posts. In the justice field alone, there are a total of
31 nominees, including 15 candidates for the federal judiciary, 13 United
States marshals, two U.S. attorneys, and one Justice Department official,
waiting for confirmation votes. There are no problems with their nominations;
all have been approved by Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy's Judiciary Committee.
It's just that Daschle will not allow the full Senate to vote on them.
But it's not just
Daschle. Now, the Majority Leader has an ally in stopping Bush nominations:
Republican Sen. John McCain. Late Monday, the Arizona senator and former
presidential candidate sent a letter to Daschle and Minority Leader Trent
Lott demanding a hold on all nominations until the appointment of a woman
named Ellen Weintraub, who is the Democratic choice for a spot on the
Federal Election Commission. McCain has been angered by FEC actions which
he believes will dilute some of the provisions of the McCain-Feingold
campaign-finance-reform bill. While several Republicans, including Sen.
Mitch McConnell, oppose Weintraub, Democrats, along with McCain, believe
that Weintraub, who is married to a key aide to campaign-finance cosponsor
Sen. Russell Feingold, will support stricter enforcement of the new law.
"In light of
recent actions by the Federal Election Commission to undermine the Bipartisan
Campaign Reform Act of 2002, it is critical that Ellen Weintraub, who
has been recommended for a seat on the commission, be appointed as soon
as possible," McCain wrote. "Consequently, I object to the Senate's
consideration of any nominee, and to any agreement in relation to the
consideration of any nominee, until either Ms. Weintraub's nomination
and Senate confirmation prior to August recess is made a part of a broader
agreement on nominees, or I receive a commitment that Ms. Weintraub will
be nominated and then appointed during the August recess."
Daschle has also
cited Weintraub as one of the reasons he has refused to allow any confirmation
votes since May 13. Daschle and Lott have been negotiating the issue for
several days without reaching agreement. Now, McCain's action could further
complicate things. "It means we won't be able to pass any
nomination," says one Republican aide. To get around McCain's blockade,
the aide says, the GOP will have to muster 60 votes to force consideration
of each nomination, which will make it extraordinarily difficult to get
anything done.
It is not clear whether
McCain is working in coordination with Daschle on the effort to stop Bush
nominees. But the effect of McCain's action is to reinforce the blockade
that Daschle has held in place for six weeks. Whatever McCain's motivation,
his actions have angered Republicans on Capitol Hill. "He's still
fighting the South Carolina primary," says one Republican, referring
to McCain's unsuccessful 2000 presidential campaign. "He can't stand
the fact that the limelight has passed him by."
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esterday 
