Republicans put new hold on TSA nominee Erroll Southers

[babylonsister]

Republicans put new hold on TSA nominee Erroll Southers

By Robert O'Harrow Jr.
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, January 7, 2010


The nomination of a former FBI agent to lead the Transportation Security Administration hit a new obstacle Wednesday as several Republican senators expressed "serious reservations" about the nominee and pressed the White House for details of incidents in which he improperly accessed a confidential federal database years ago.

White House officials had hoped to speed the confirmation of Erroll Southers to revive confidence in an agency that has been leaderless for months and in the spotlight since the attempted bombing of a U.S. airliner on Christmas Day exposed intelligence and security lapses.

Southers's nomination had been held up by Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) because of concerns he would support the unionization of TSA workers. On Wednesday, DeMint and six other Republican senators -- including John McCain (Ariz.), Charles E. Grassley (Iowa) and Tom Coburn (Okla.) -- demanded that the White House provide information about why Southers initially gave Congress an incorrect account about the searches two decades ago, incidents that led to his censure by the FBI.

"We believe that Mr. Southers submitted erroneous, and possibly misleading information regarding ethical violations during his service with the Federal Bureau of Investigation," the senators wrote in a letter to Nancy D. Hogan, special assistant to the president and director of presidential personnel.

Also on Wednesday, Coburn placed a hold on the nomination, pending the White House response to the senators' questions.

more...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/06/AR2010010604499.html

[annabanana]

1. I believe that incident was thoroughly aired months ago.. The

Greedy Obstructionist Party is just piling on.

[librechik]

2. desperate to destroy America--as long as it makes Obama look bad

so much easier to destroy the other candidate than prove your own worthiness for election (it's all about the election, of course--the endless, endless election)

[proud2BlibKansan]

3. Bastards

Don't really know what else to say.

[jaxx]

4. The DeMentia gang rides again.

The same old names and the same old faces on the obstruction bus. It's time to throw them under it and get moving.

[rocktivity]

5. They're more frightened of a TSA employee with a decent wage

than a terrorist sneaking onto a plane, and they insist WE'RE soft on terror!

:eyes:
rocktivity

[LeFleur1]

7. Maybe Voters Should be Given Competency Tests

Those people who have voted for these anti American people in office now should never be allowed to vote again. These Senators/Representatives aren't just people who have a different idea. Their only goal is to obstruct anyone who does not think exactly like them, regardless of the cost to America.
Our country and its citizens are secondary to them. They have no business in office. Any voters with a brain in their heads would see to it that these obstructionists never get into office again.

[blondeatlast]

11. Damn--PERFECT talking point, just perfect. That's exactly it. nt

[waiting]

6. If in fact Southers did abuse his power

while in the FBI, it is a real concern. I know that most people would say, well, they all do it. But I do have a problem with law enforcement abusing their power. And then he lied about it to Congress. I think that Obama should remove his nomination and replace it with a perosn who didn't do those things. I know that I don't blindly support a nominee on the basis of the president's rec. Southers accessed information he was not authorized to, because he wanted to check into his ex wife's new man. That is a bit scary and if it were a republican nominee that had done that, I wold be totaly against their getting the confirmation.

[Winterblues]

8. I agree

Also this is not the first appointee that has had problems that should have been discovered before their appointments. I wonder if Obama is showing some incompetence or does he care? This is by far more embarrassing for Obama than it is for the appointee..

[waiting]

9. I don't think Obama should be embarrassed

I just think he should go about the business of remving his name from the nomination and nominate someone else. What I don't understand is why Obama would think that dems are okay with law enforcement officials abusing their power. I, for one, am not. I had enough of that with the Bush administraion.

[blondeatlast]

12. Self-delete. nt

[unhappycamper]

10. Republicans are the masters of erroneous, and possibly misleading information. n/t

[BanzaiBonnie]

13. How can we put pressure on

to get this nomination finalized?

This is so wrong. The dems rarely blocked nominations of anyone. America is being held hostage by the Republicans!

[waiting]

14. Souther's record is blocking it now. Sometimes nominees should

be blocked.