The Republicans in the Senate are generally agreeable to Barack Obama’s cabinet appointments. The lone possible exception is Eric Holder, who was tapped for the position of Attorney General. The Republicans are concerned about Holder’s role in approving the completely unjustifiable pardon of Mark Rich in the last days of the Clinton administration. The ranking member on the Judiciary Committee, Arlen Specter, has promised to make a big stink about the Rich pardon in the confirmation hearing. But Orrin Hatch says that he’s going to support Holder. Given that, and the fact that the Democrats will remain united, Holder will have 60 votes and will win his confirmation battle.
The only remaining question mark is who will be appointed as Commerce Secretary and will they be acceptable to the Republican caucus. It looks like Obama will get all his appointments confirmed with not much more than a whimper of protest. This is another example of how the new power dynamics in Washington are breaking down Republican cohesion.
