In a big "FU" to the Republican obstructionists in Congress, Barack Obama has re-submitted Dawn Johnsen to head the Office of Legal Counsel, after the GOP blocked her nomination late last year.

It should be noted that Johnsen has had glowing recommendations from both sides of the aisle for her legal acumen, but because she did work for a pro-choice group two decades ago, she was deemed "too liberal" to be acceptable for a Congressional vote:

The renomination of Johnsen-the Obama nominee who has waited the longest for a vote-is especially noteworthy. Currently a professor at Indiana University School of Law, Johnsen is extraordinarily well-qualified to head the Office of Legal Counsel. She served for more than five years in that office during the Clinton administration, including as its acting head for more than a year. She has the bipartisan support of both her home state senators and from former heads of OLC from both political parties. Senior officials from every administration since Gerald Ford's have endorsed her nomination.

"President Obama made an excellent choice in Professor Johnsen to lead OLC, and today he's shown his willingness to stand on principle and call the Republicans on their attack and delay tactics," said Marge Baker, Executive Vice President of People For the American Way. "President Obama's statement today is a refutation of the GOP's efforts to spin this eminently qualified nominee as a controversial choice, and he should be applauded. Professor Johnsen's legal scholarship, her integrity, her substantive knowledge, and her commitment to this nation's security and to the rule of law will serve this country well once she's confirmed."

To be fair, this is not strictly a GOP issue:

At least two Democrats — Ben Nelson of Nebraska and Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania — have also said they oppose her, and the Senate majority leader, Harry Reid of Nevada, did not give her a floor vote.

It's patently absurd that someone as eminently qualified as Johnsen should not get even the respect of being given a vote. John Yoo--the poster child for the phrase "the banality of evil"--has no problem with his nomination to the OLC, but Johnsen does?

In addition to Johnsen, Obama has re-submitted the nominations of five others whose original nominations were effectively killed by GOP obstructionism:

Mr. Obama will also renominate Christopher Schroeder to lead the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Policy and Mary Smith to lead its tax division; Craig Becker to be a National Labor Relations Board member; and Louis Butler Jr. and Edward Chen to be district court judges, the official said.

TPMCafe: It is now clear there were elements within America's government and/or military, working in concert with Iraq's current scarecrow power-holders, who wanted as many people as possible in the world to see video of Saddam being hung.

Unclaimed Territory: The president's praise of fair trials and the rule of law

HOLY CRAP: Jesus did not trust the political world to further his mission...New Kansas Special Prosecutor freely admits to years of close association with a prominent operative of an antiabortion terror group, the Army of God...If you have a strong stomach, read this smirking porker's gag-inducing musings on morality

MediaBloodhound: Should we mourn James Brown or Gerald Ford?...the Rude Pundit has some thoughts. I'm convinced Betty is the Ford who has done the most to help others. 

Bob Geiger: The usual crackerjack collection of editorial cartoons

END-OF-YEAR STUFF: From Foley to Frey: The Year in U.S. Scandals...Ten Video Moments from 2006 -...50 things we know now, that we didn't know this time last year...The P.U.-litzer Prizes for 2006...The BRAD BLOG Year in Review 2006...A deadly year for journalists...The most popular Top 10 Lists of 2006...The Top Ten most discussed articles of the year...The ten most outrageous civil liberties violations of 2006...

Halfway There: Before Gerald Ford was president...and Jonathan doubts we will see any MSM mention of this...but at least the former president didn't agree with Bush's invasion of Iraq even though his administration spawned the two most twisted leaders of the Bush administration --- Cheney and Rumsfeld.

TalkLeft: Bush is sending 3,500 troops top Kuwait.  Wonder why?

Connecting.the.Dots: President Gore, lame duck...

Rootless Cosmopolitan: TIME senior editor Tony Karon, a South African Jew, who lived in Israel, appraises Jimmy Carter's controversial new book

Norbizness: Once again, my (The Left's) insidious plan to destroy Christmas has failed, as evidenced by the fact that several hundred quadrillion gifts were exchanged over the last three-day weekend.

OFF THE BEATEN PATH: MoxieGrrrl...the Hue and Cry...RealClearPolitics...My Two Sense...HELP PARDON CARMEN GRANATA

The Leaks Probe: Andrea Mitchell, Cheney and Ari

Talk Left: There's a great post today by Attytood on Andrea Mitchell, Cheney and that July, 2003 White House's 90th birthday reception for Gerald Ford. Remember, Fitzgerald subpoenaed the guest list....read on

Digby rants about Andrea Mitchell's role in all of this.

In October of 2003, after two years of work, the Toledo Blade newspaper published a harrowing account of Tiger Force's merciless patrols through Vietnam's remote and deadly Central Highlands. Good soldiers of conscience blew the whistle but no one stepped in to stop the carnage. Later when the Army did investigate, even recommending murder charges, the case was dropped and forgotten until it was discovered by the Blade decades later. The Blade series won a Pulitzer Prize and the publicity prompted the Pentagon to begin anew an investigation into the old war crimes.

"This is Rumor Control" has learned that the same Judge Advocate General officer who was charged with re-investigating Tiger Force also handled the Army's review of Abu Ghraib. His report on the Tiger Force atrocities was due over a year ago. No one from the Army has offered an explanation for its delay and the story itself is in danger of receding back into history.

The current Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, was also the Secretary of Defense under Gerald Ford when the original queries were buried. That first investigation found that "a total 18 soldiers committed crimes, including murder and assault but no one was ever charged" according to the Blade, even though as the newspaper determined, Rumsfeld's office was sent a copy of the report.discovered a couple of threads connecting those Vietnam-era atrocities to the up-to-date horrors of Abu Ghraib:

In October of 2003, after two years of work, the Toledo Blade newspaper published a harrowing account of Tiger Force's merciless patrols through Vietnam's remote and deadly Central Highlands. Good soldiers of conscience blew the whistle but no one stepped in to stop the carnage. Later when the Army did investigate, even recommending murder charges, the case was dropped and forgotten until it was discovered by the Blade decades later. The Blade series won a Pulitzer Prize and the publicity prompted the Pentagon to begin anew an investigation into the old war crimes....read on

Monday, September 27, 2004; Page A19
After the debacle in Florida four years ago, former president Gerald Ford and I were asked to lead a blue-ribbon commission to recommend changes in the American electoral process. After months of concerted effort by a dedicated and bipartisan group of experts, we presented unanimous recommendations to the president and Congress. The government responded with the Help America Vote Act of October 2002. Unfortunately, however, many of the act's key provisions have not been implemented because of inadequate funding or political disputes. The disturbing fact is that a repetition of the problems of 2000 now seems likely, even as many other nations are conducting elections that are internationally certified to be transparent, honest and fair...read on