The American Spectator

Last Friday, Timothy Flanigan, former deputy White House counsel and President Bush’s nominee to serve as Deputy Attorny General, withdrew his nomination to that post. His decision was due, in part, to the Judiciary Committee’s delay in voting the nomination out of committee, and we’re told, threats by Sens. Dick Durbin, Patrick Leahy and Joe Biden to draw Flanigan’s current employer, Tyco, into the debate. Flanigan, being an honorable fellow, chose not to play their dirty little game.

Leahy, though, being the snake that he is, and the New York Times being the shill that is, refused to play the politics of the nomination straight. Over the weekend, the Times published Leahy’s statement:

“Rather than appointing professionals with relevant experience, the Bush administration has promoted a culture of cronyism by tapping political allies and close friends for key positions,” Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont, the ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, said in a written statement issued after Mr. Flanigan announced his withdrawal.

“Like Mike Brown at FEMA, Timothy Flanigan has strong credentials as a faithful Republican Party stalwart,” he said. “But just as Mr. Brown did not have the qualifications to lead our nation’s primary disaster response agency, there were serious doubts about Mr. Flanigan’s qualifications to serve as the nation’s second-highest ranking law enforcement officer.”

This is absolute trash. Flanigan was more than qualified for the Deputy Attorney General position. A real conservative, an outstanding lawyer, he would have been outstanding in the position. In Leahy’s statement we are seeing now the key argument Democrats will put up against any and all Bush nominations regardless of qualifications. When will the White House start pushing back?