Why did Johnson's nomination stall? In a recommended diary at Daily Kos, Turkana points to Senator Ben Nelson's objection. However, that doesn't add up. Unless something has changed, the whip count on Johnsen's nomination points squarely at Arlen Specter denying the nomination:
For several weeks--while torture revelations have dominated headlines and with the scandal still very much alive--Dawn Johnsen has been waiting. She's Obama's pick to head the Office of Legal Counsel--the same Justice Department shop that famously blessed Bush-era interrogation policies--and her strong stance on that issue has united Republicans against her. But that's not her biggest problem. Her biggest problem is that Harry Reid has not been able to muster enough Democrats to overcome a filibuster threat.
Here are the numbers as they stand right now:
Votes Against Johnsen: 37 Republicans
Votes for Johnsen: 57 Democrats plus Indiana Republican Richard Lugar
Undecideds: Republicans Olypmia Snowe and Susan Collins and Democrats Arlen Specter and Ben Nelson
Nelson isn't going to vote for Johnsen. Collins and Snowe are Republicans, and thus face a lot pressure to vote against her. That points the finger at Specter.
Arlen Specter is one of the worst, most soul-less, most belief-free individuals in politics. The moment most vividly illustrating what Specter is: prior to the vote on the Military Commissions Act of 2006, he went to the floor of the Senate and said what the bill "seeks to do is set back basic rights by some 900 years" and is "patently unconstitutional on its face." He then proceeded to vote YES on the bill's passage.
Specter also voted against outlawing waterboarding. If there is a reason other than Arlen Specter that Dawn Johnsen hasn't been confirmed, that reason has not presented itself.
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