Good journalism on Obama transition in Connecticut.

Awhile back I pointed out that there are a wealth of positions to be filled in the new government in Washington. One of the most sought-after appointments is the office of United States Attorney. This is the office that Dick Blumenthal occupied, positioning him to run for Attorney General. Kevin O’Connor, one-time candidate for Congress, is contemplating another run for office now that he’s left the position. The way this usually works is that the senior Senator from each state makes a recommendation to the Administration, which usually honors it and appoints the recommended choice.

The Hartford Courant reports today that Senator Dodd has formed a committee to vet potential candidates, including Senator Lieberman in the process. Excerpt:

The seven-member committee’s first task probably will be the screening of Connecticut’s next U.S. attorney. At least half a dozen lawyers already have expressed interest in the position, a relatively large and strong field of job-seekers compared with past years.

In addition to the U.S. attorney, Sens. Christopher J. Dodd and Joseph Lieberman said they will use the committee “to solicit, screen, and comment on candidates” for U.S. marshal and other “federal positions as appropriate,” perhaps including district judges.

Very interesting development. Devolving the power to appoint this way has a lot of implications. The report goes into some of them.

Worth reading.

Source Mahony, Edmund H. “Dodd And Lieberman Form Advisory Committee On Federal Appointments.” The Hartford Courant 06 March 2009

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  • Anonymous

    That US Attorney needs to be Irish, to keep up the tradition of going after Connecticut’s Hispanic and Italian mayors.

  • Old Timer

    The next US attorney may well be Irish, but the job requires federal prosecution for federal crimes. The US Attorney ends up prosecuting the cases brought to him by the FBI, IRS, DEA, INS…etc. He actually has little or no control over the cases they develop and they go where the evidence takes them. They have little or no discretion over what cases get prosecuted. There is too much oversight in the federal system for anybody to pick and choose based on family origin or nationality.
    It is sad that you believe the politicians that have been indicted were indicted because of Hispanic or Italian last names. If you look at the record, you will find that is not the case. Rowland is not a Hispanic or Italian name, for example.

  • 1 of the SMD 3

    The only real question here is how much money will Dodd make on the deal?? And what arrogant lie will he come with when he gets caught?