For generations, United States Attorneys had to be confirmed. When one of them left the AG could appoint an interim replacement for a limited period of time. A Republican staffer slipped a change to the law into the USA Patriot Act. His boss, Arlen Specter has even denied knowing about the change. That change allows the AG to appoint an interim replacement without any need for Senate confirmation. The new law lead directly to the current US Attorney scandal. Senator Feinstein has proposed legislation to restore the old procedure. Senator Kyl of Arizona has blocked the Feinstein legislation. The Administration, caught with its hand in the cookie jar, has dropped any objection to the Feinstein bill. According to Rollcall Senator Kyl, is still carrying on the fight.
I suggest we all write our Senators and tell them to restore the old law, and we all write Senator Kyl and tell him, in the immortal words of Dick Cheney to Senator Leahy, to "go f**k himself." Seriously, what are the Republicans going to do? The administration has publicly dropped opposition. A lot of them, including Arlen Spector (a co-sponsor of the Feinstein bill) look totally stupid for letting the administration slip language into legislation stripping the Senate of its traditional roll. Are they really going to vote against cloture? I don't think so. If they do. What does that hurt Democrats. Either way Democrats win. The only way they lose is to cave to Kyl.
There's more: "Seantor Kyl Still Opposes Restoring Senate Oversight" >>
