With kudos to both climate science watch and Tax problems
for pointing this out earlier on dkos - along with my own prior diary on March 3rd, My cowardly Senator ...Hold on Climate Change Experts
We are still stuck with the problem of unrelated holds placed on President Obama's newest science appointees - Harvard University physicist John Holdren, who is in line to lead the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and Oregon State University marine biologist Jane Lubchenco, Obama's nominee to head the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Moreover the problem is bigger than first understood and needs more urgent action. see over the fold:
The holds [apparently in the plural] are currently being allowed by our spineless Senate Leader Harry Reid - as has been sussed out in an important post on the science blog
Questionable Authority
That post implores folks to do a "full court press" which I summarize as
(1) continue pressure on Senator Menendez,
(2) find the other culprits in the Senate; and
(3)remind Senator Reid to grow some balls and ignore the holds.
Those of us who are survivors of the [lost] Warrantless Wiretapping wars recall that Senator Reid was quite willing to ignore Senator Dodd's hold - embarrassing himself by the specter of forcing a well-regarded Senator to filibuster his own party in support of our constitution.
Harry Reid's shame apparently knows no bounds - as his willingness to ignore a hold on behalf of preserving the fourth Amendment proscription on search and seizure - has suddenly reasserted itself as a new willingness to respect holds that block our own President's vital Climate Change and Science appointees.
Mike Dunford - great blogger on the above site - lists the folks who should be contacted to suss out other culprits: I quote with a bow to his great article - which should be read in its entirety for the full flavor of this problem.
Here's the list of Dems and Republicans on the Commerce/Science and Transportation Committee, that Dunford rightly asks us to contact:
Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee Members:
Dem:
Chairman John D. Rockefeller, IV (WV)
Daniel K. Inouye (HI)
John F. Kerry (MA)
Byron L. Dorgan (ND)
Barbara Boxer (CA)
Bill Nelson (FL)
Maria Cantwell (WA)
Frank R. Lautenberg (NJ)
Mark Pryor (AR)
Claire McCaskill (MO)
Amy Klobuchar (MN)
Tom Udall (NM)
Mark Warner (VA)
Mark Begich (AK)
Rep:
Ranking Member Kay Bailey Hutchison (TX)
Olympia J. Snowe (ME)
John Ensign (NV)
Jim DeMint (SC)
John Thune (SD)
Roger Wicker (MS)
Johnny Isakson (GA)
David Vitter (LA)
Sam Brownback (KS)
Mel Martinez (FL)
Mike Johanns (NE)
As importantly, Dunford reminds folks to (a) keep the pressure on Menendez - so far the only known culprit - and to contact our fearless leader Sen Reid.
I would add that Reid should be reminded that once he has disowned Senate holds in one instance (Senator Dodd) a selective return to allowing holds is per se tainted.
Here are contacts again for Reid and Menendez:
Senator Harry Reid:
DC Phone Number: 202-224-3542
Nevada address and phone:
600 East William St, #302
Carson City, NV 89701
Phone: 775-882-REID (7343)
Fax: 775-883-1980
Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey (D-coward):
DC Phone:202-224-4744
DC Fax: 202-228-2197
We are all getting the runaround about how the Senator supports science. Lets ask Senator Menendez to denounce the concept of Democratic holds on a Democratic appointee.
UPDATE that DarkSyde also published a fine diary yesterday [three on March 3rd, starting with my diary - and one on March 2nd by Tax] Kudos to all. This is important.