By Karen DeYoung Washington Post Staff Writer Saturday, January 12, 2002; Page A01
With Congress in recess, President Bush yesterday installed two of his most controversial nominees, sidestepping the Democratic-controlled Senate that had declined to vote on their confirmation.
The "recess appointments" will allow Otto J. Reich, the new assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere affairs, and Labor Department solicitor Eugene Scalia to stay in office until the end of the upcoming congressional session, probably in mid-October. After waiting months for Senate action, both officials were at work yesterday even before the midday White House announcement.
Scalia, already working as a Labor Department consultant, simply changed titles. Reich, who had been barred from policy meetings on the State Department's upper floors, was quickly sworn in by the department's chief of protocol and immediately met with his deputies.
The appointments are likely to worsen the already sour relations with Senate Democrats, particularly Majority Leader Thomas A. Daschle (S.D.). Democratic and Republican presidents have made recess appointments before, but Daschle called yesterday's announcement "regrettable." (...) =====================================
With Enron shaking his world, the Shrub is going into Samson mode. Otto Reich is an ex-Northie who made it his job as US ambassador to Venezuela to free Orlando Bosch, the killer of 73 Air Cubana passengers including the entire Cuban fencing team. An Cuban émigré killer is appointed to Western Hemisphere Affairs. Scalia's son, the other appointee, needs no introduction.
"Regrettable", the man says. I guess since he didn't say "disappointing", he must be really mad.
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2001/nov2001/reic-n24_prn.shtml
Hakki