Washington – President Barack Obama on Friday said it was “crazy” and “embarrassing” the way the Republican-led Senate has held up confirmation of his attorney general nominee, Loretta Lynch.
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“What are we doing here?” Obama said. “I have to say there are times when the dysfunction in the Senate just goes too far. This is an example of it. It’s gone too far. Enough. Enough.
“Call Loretta Lynch for a vote,” he said emphatically. “Get her confirmed.”
Lynch is the U.S. attorney for New York’s Eastern District and would succeed Attorney General Eric Holder if confirmed. She would become the first black woman to serve as the nation’s top law officer.
Dozens of Senate Republicans have opposed her for various reasons, chiefly her support of Obama’s immigration policies.
The president spoke at a news conference alongside visiting Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi. Asked about Lynch’s nomination, Obama praised “some outbreaks of bipartisanship and common sense” in Congress recently on issues such as fixing a longstanding problem with Medicare payments to doctors.
“Yet what we still have is this crazy situation where a woman everybody agrees is qualified … has been now sitting there longer than the previous seven attorney general nominees combined,” Obama said. He said there was no reason for the delay other than “political gamesmanship in the Senate” on issues unrelated to Lynch.
“This is embarrassing, a process like this,” Obama said.
Maybe the Senators were out playing golf. That’s way more important than the affairs of running the government. That’s what the White House has modeled for the past 6 years.
For Obama to call anyone or anything crazy is CRAZY!
“Where a woman evreybody agrees is qualified”… Who exactly is “everybody”? Maybey everybody who’s an illegal immigrants or everybody who’s living on benefits, normal citizens who work hard to make an honest living oppose her nomination.
When they gave constitutional oversight power for the Senate, they never intended for it to be used as a hostage so to coerce democrats to stop opposing a bill that the dems want to block.
“…a woman everybody agrees is qualified…”
Is somebody silly?
If don’t want her – not everybody agrees that she is qualified!
Learn to work with congress and you wouldn’t have these problems.
The failure to pass legislation to stop sex trafficking is the fault of the Democrats who at the last minute refused to support a bill they had sponsored – because of the prohibition against the funding being used for abortions, WHICH WAS IN THE BILL ALL ALONG!
Those being harmed by sex trafficking are being harmed by the Democrats and Reid.
Pass this bill and the attorney general confirmation would happen.
I guess the power of your pen and telephone can only go so far!
The tactic of one party stalling the other party’s nominations has been around for ages. This has nothing to do with her being black (which is what the press keeps pushing) or being a woman or being a Democrat. It’s simply behavior between the parties when one controls the legislature and the other controls the White House. The fact that anyone (including Obama) is trying to imply that this is something unprecedented is pathetic and ignorant. Both parties have done this for as long as our government has existed. Big deal.
This is a very crucial position and being a regular judge in NY is different than having such an important decisive position in federal government. Specifically her joining of questionable groups, ( though in past) may put doubts in her judgement for all. But every president does choose who he is comfortable with, most, so no surprise here.
. . Hameivin..