The American Spectator

Chuck Schumer has a lot of explaining to do about his rationale for blocking federal judge nominees. After holding back the nominations of four Bush nominees to the federal bench, all of whom were rated as qualified by the American Bar Association, Schumer trumpeted the fact that he and the White House had cut a deal to fill several open federal judgeships in New York state. /p>

Schumer announced the deal without giving the White House the chance to announce it, a protocol no-no. “It’s the kind of glory hound behavior you have to accept in dealing with him,” says a White House legislative staffer.

But if the White House is upset about Schumer’s jumping the gun, they won’t say, in part because they believe they have caught Schumer in a double standard that undercuts his arguments about many Bush judicial nominees.

Dora Irizarry is a Republican nominated by the Bush White House to a seat on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York. She has been fully backed for the slot by Schumer, in part because she a New Yorker, and in part to annoy New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, who beat Irizarry in a race for that office, and who has clashed with Schumer for — get this — Spitzer’s desire to be in the spotlight.

At any rate, Irizarry recently got her review from the ABA, and a majority of the ABA’s review committee found the judicial nominee “not qualified” for the federal bench. Still, Schumer is backing her.

“He can’t do it for long,” says a Democratic Senate Judiciary staffer. “Otherwise, how can he support a sub-par nominee while refusing to back qualified nominees?”

That’s exactly what the White House would like Schumer to have to explain.

p> FORTNEY’S COMPLAINT br> House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Bill Thomas ‘s tearful mea culpa on the House floor Wednesday was forced upon him by Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert