Obama's TSA Nominee Withdraws

First concrete fallout from Scott Brown victory?

The Obama administration's choice to lead the struggling Transportation Security Administration withdrew his name from consideration Wednesday, just weeks after revelations that he had provided misleading information to Congress prompted several Republicans to suggest his nomination would not move forward without a fight.

Erroll Southers, a former FBI agent and homeland security specialist, was presented as a leader who would improve the TSA's sprawling operations and improve passenger screening to prevent such attacks as the attempted Christmas Day bombing of a Detroit-bound airliner.

..."It is apparent that this path has been obstructed by political ideology," he said. "My nomination has become a lightning rod for those who have chosen to push a political agenda at the risk of the safety and security of the American people. This partisan climate is unacceptable and I refuse to allow myself to remain part of their dialogue."

Oh shove it up your ass. There were plenty of substantive reasons to vote against this guy, including his past history of breaking privacy rules (perhaps even laws), the possibility he'd support unionizing TSA workers and oh yeah, a rather nuanced view of the nature of the threats he'd be facing at TSA.

Getting cloture on his nomination was going to be a challenge before last night, this morning it likely became impossible.

Buh-bye.

posted by DrewM. at 12:52 PM

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