Thursday, July 8, 2010

Berwick Supporter Calls Recess Appointment “Cynical” and “Outrageous”

In the first paragraph of her Washington Post column on Dr. Berwick’s recess appointment, Ruth Marcus called the nominee an “inspired” choice.  That makes the rest of her piece – about how the move was “boneheaded,” and an “outrageous” abuse – that much more damning.  As she writes, “A recess appointment should be a last step in cases of egregious delay, not one of the first.  That standard was nowhere near met in Berwick’s case….You can’t fairly accuse the other side of political gamesmanship when you short-circuit the process and storm off the court before the first set. ”  Amidst the substantive controversy over Dr. Berwick’s writings and positions, she writes that “if the president wanted to buy a fight like this, he ought to have been better prepared to wage it.”

The entire piece is a very compelling read. And remember: It was written by someone who supports Dr. Berwick’s nomination.