Because Senate won’t confirm all the people he wants. What this Washington Post article fails to mention is that a lot of them are held up because Bush wants one key person confirmed. There is a little mention of that person:

Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) chastised Bush for sticking with nominees who have no chance of confirmation. One example is Steven G. Bradbury, whose nomination as assistant attorney general is opposed by many senators because he signed memos authorizing especially harsh interrogation techniques on terrorism suspects.

Reid offered in December to confirm dozens of nominees if Bush would agree not to install Bradbury with a recess appointment, but the president refused. Reid cleared 84 confirmations anyway. “President Bush has instead pursued his my-way-or-the-highway, all-or-nothing approach,” Reid said in a statement. “As a result, many of these nominations — Democrat and Republican — have stalled, putting a number of agencies in jeopardy.”

Bradbury is an extremist – period. During his confirmation hearing he told Patrick Leahy; “The President is always right”. Really? I guess that means they can’t use Monica against Clinton, because “the President is always right”. No he isn’t, and this is the perfect example why this man should not be confirmed.

Don’t be mislead by articles like this. It isn’t Congress blocking the nominees, it’s Bush blocking them because he wants one constitution hating extremist to be confirmed. Perhaps Reid should get really nasty and fight back saying he won’t schedule any confirmation hearings and will keep Senate in session straight through to 1/20/09. Let’s see how that goes.