GOP Senator Blocks Approval of US Ambassadors.
Source: nyt/ap
A Republican senator has blocked the approval of President Barack Obama's nominee for ambassador to Russia and top diplomats for several other nations.
Republican Sen. Mike Enzi (EN'-zee) of Wyoming says he blocked the appointments because of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's decision last year to limit filibusters for most presidential nominations.
The Senate had been set to approve by voice vote the appointments of ambassadors to Russia, Turkey, Guatemala and other nations late Thursday when Enzi objected.
The nominee to be America's envoy in Russia, John Tefft, is seen as particularly important because of the crisis in eastern Ukraine.
The chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, Democrat Bob Menendez of New Jersey, had tried to gain approval of several diplomats in a single vote before the Senate's August recess.
Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2014/07/31/us/politics/ap-us-senate-ambassadors.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&version=WireFeed&module=pocket-region®ion=pocket-region&WT.nav=pocket-region
PragmaticLiberal
(904 posts)TwilightGardener
(46,416 posts)elleng
(130,964 posts)freshwest
(53,661 posts)They DO NOT work for the American people, they are a criminal conspiracy by the Koch and other uber rich.
Plucketeer
(12,882 posts)The citizens of this country should be in DC with pitchforks!
groundloop
(11,519 posts)We can only stay outraged for so long, unfortunately our current GOPers seem to give us all too much to be outraged about.
defacto7
(13,485 posts)stupid will do stupid things.
How utterly ignorant.
rtracey
(2,062 posts)freshwest
(53,661 posts)msongs
(67,413 posts)Dustlawyer
(10,495 posts)Rethugs have been filibustering every nominee! They have gone totally mad and abdicated all pretense of Responsible governance!
savalez
(3,517 posts)Oh screw it.
freshwest
(53,661 posts)alp227
(32,027 posts)SunSeeker
(51,571 posts)ReRe
(10,597 posts)... thanks, Harry, for being so scared of Mitch McConnell.
Just think of the difference in Senate Majority Leaders: compare LBJ to Harry Reid. What has happened to this GD country???
alp227
(32,027 posts)The Democratic establishment seems to think it's still possible to play nice with the ReTHUGS. Clearly not the case - they should've learned that in obama's 1st year when NO Republicans supported Obamacare at all.
kind of AMERICAN name is Enzi?
dmosh42
(2,217 posts)They know the original intent of the filibuster was not to be used 'full-time' to block government. And I don't blame Reid, because he doesn't want to name the few who believe we need to continue traditions in the Senate. Positions to be filled, and requiring a vote should not be subject to filibuster, and the rules should reflect that! Revenue bills should only require a majority. Someone who wants to filibuster should stand a talk for the length of the filibuster. What a bunch of assholes to let these Repukes make them eat shit!