Strange Ineptitude
Peter Kirsanow
The Corner
The news that the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pension committee has postponed consideration of Labor Secretary nominee Hilda Solis because her husband only yesterday paid off tax liens, some of which had been pending for up to 16 years, confirms that there's an inexplicable, widespread problem in the Obama vetting process (as if Geithner, Daschle, Richardson, Killefer, et al hadn't already demonstrated that).
The disclosure forms that presidential nominees have to fill out are interminable—they take days to fill out; think about how long it takes to do your taxes, and multiply by at least ten. So are the interviews. Then there's the FBI background check and the IRS tax check. The White House counsel's office questions the nominee on any arguably controversial thing he may have said or written, any dispute or litigation he may have been involved in, and anyone that might have any reason whatsoever to say anything negative about the nominee. Caesar's wife received less scrutiny.
And at the end of the process the nominee is asked one final catch-all question: Is there anything that could cause you, your family, or the President embarrassment if it became public?
Either Obama and his nominees aren't easily embarrassed, or the vetters have tin ears the size of satellite dishes.
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