Recess Appointments Abound at the Department of Education. While I love the headline (recess, education, get it?), it's outrageous that two of the top three federal education officials are brought in through the back door. What is Bush so afraid of?

According to Education Week, this has become an all too familiar pattern with the Bush II regime, particularly in the area of education. Here's the full article (r.r.). Here's a little excerpt for those who aren't interested in registering for Education Week.

Excerpt:
Allen Abney, a White House spokesman, said that in the past, members of the Senate have held up the president's education nominees, and that recess appointments are a way around the problem.

"As education is a top priority for President Bush, the White House felt it was important to fill these vacancies," Mr. Abney said last week.

But Paul C. Light, a professor of public service at New York University, who once led a project on presidential appointments at the Brookings Institution in Washington, said it appeared the White House wanted to avoid hearings that could provide an opening for criticism of the No Child Left Behind Act.

"The Bush administration is trying to insulate the [president's re-election] campaign and itself from any opportunity for anyone to pick a fight," Mr. Light said. "They're doing potential damage control in education." -- source: Education Week, 2004 Editorial Projects in Education Vol. 23, number 33, page 26

Hmmm -- education is a top priority for Bush II? Chris Dodd doesn't think so; neither does William Raspberry. I'm sure I'll find more...