US Government (Friday, February 17, 4th period)
Josh looked up from his copy of the Washington Post. "Today we learn about the presidential power of appointment." He pointed to the board where he had scrawled Cabinet-level, judicial types, diplomatic in fairly illegible handwriting.
"All of these appointments are with the advice and consent of the Senate as laid out in the Constitution, blah, blah, blah," Josh began. "There are hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of these things--someone has to be the US Ambassador to Azerbaijan, for instance, or a federal judge in Montana--but the ones that really make the news are Cabinet-level appointments and judges, especially ones heading for the Supreme Court."
He raised an eyebrow. "There have been two Supreme Court justices, including a Chief Justice, recently appointed and run through the Senate gauntlet. The White House usually vets the living crap out of these people, hoping to discover anything that might make them unqualified before sending them up to the Senate." He snickered. "This particular White House, well, slightly less so."
He sat down at his desk and kicked his feet up. "So let's pretend you're qualified in some way to be a Cabinet secretary, a judge or an ambassador to some country--which one do you pick and why?" He smiled. "It's Friday. I don't want to break your brains too much before the weekend."
"All of these appointments are with the advice and consent of the Senate as laid out in the Constitution, blah, blah, blah," Josh began. "There are hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of these things--someone has to be the US Ambassador to Azerbaijan, for instance, or a federal judge in Montana--but the ones that really make the news are Cabinet-level appointments and judges, especially ones heading for the Supreme Court."
He raised an eyebrow. "There have been two Supreme Court justices, including a Chief Justice, recently appointed and run through the Senate gauntlet. The White House usually vets the living crap out of these people, hoping to discover anything that might make them unqualified before sending them up to the Senate." He snickered. "This particular White House, well, slightly less so."
He sat down at his desk and kicked his feet up. "So let's pretend you're qualified in some way to be a Cabinet secretary, a judge or an ambassador to some country--which one do you pick and why?" He smiled. "It's Friday. I don't want to break your brains too much before the weekend."