Spoiled child, nutcase, or defiant tinpot "decider"?

"I seriously question the legality of the President's use of the recess appointment authority in this instance," said the senior Senator from Connecticut, and presidential candidate. "This is underhanded and an abuse of Executive authority - sadly this behavior has become the hallmark of this administration."

When word reached the White House that President Bush's nomination of Sam Fox -- Mr. Swift Boat -- as ambassador to Belgium would go nowhere because of the nominee's connection with insulting partisanship, extremism, and outright lies, Bush withdrew the nomination. 

And now he has given Fox a recess appointment to the job.  Connecticut Senator Dodd isn't the only one questioning the legality (quite apart from political acceptability) of such a move.

[Massachusetts Senator John] Kerry also assailed the legality of the move. "Never before has a president used a recess appointment to support a withdrawn nominee. Every time this White House shows that if they can't win the game, they just change the rules, our democracy and the Constitution loses," he said.

Bush's appointment of Fox while Congress is in recess will allow the Ambassador to serve until the end of the President's term in office in 2009. Dodd said he intended to solicit an opinion of the Government Accountability Office on the legality of the move.

The New York Times reports that two more recess appointments were made at the same time although no mention was made in the most recent press conference at the White House.

The Washington Post adds that William Kristol, one of the basist of Bush's base, is applauding the appointments.

Weekly Standard Editor William Kristol, who had urged Bush to recess-appoint Fox, said yesterday: "It's good; it shows he's fighting back. He had a 'kick me' sign on his back, and it shows he's taken the sign off."

Comments

[Jay]

There was some discussion soon after the November elections regarding the Democrats need to keep the Congress in continuous session until Bush was out of office. Nothing came of it and now this. Even so, these appointments carry a kind of desperate "nose thumbing" and indicate how weakened Bush has become.

[CW2 Sean Carney]

I love it, I hope President Bush sticks it to you liberals every chance he gets. You are the party of losers, defeatist and overall hypocrits. You will never have the military vote and one day minorities will wake up and see your entitlement philosophy only keeps them down. I consider you the real enemy of America along with the main stream media. Go to Hell losers.