Thursday, July 10, 2008

Enforcing loyalty to the end

White House announcements --

NOMINATIONS SENT TO THE SENATE:

Clifford D. May, of Maryland, to be a Member of the Broadcasting Board of Governors for a term expiring August 13, 2009, vice Mark McKinnon.

WITHDRAWAL SENT TO THE SENATE:

Mark McKinnon, of Texas, to be a Member of the Broadcasting Board of Governors for a term expiring August 13, 2009, vice Fayza Veronique Boulad Rodman, which was sent to the Senate on January 9, 2007.


The net effect is to pull the nomination of Bush-Cheney stalwart McKinnon, who had strayed from the true path with words of praise for Barack Obama (and indications that he wouldn't work for John McCain with Obama as an opponent) and replace it with neocon Cliff May, who can bring the message of the various Washington freedom-style institutes with which he is affiliated to taxpayer-financed broadcasting. Note that Cliff May will be familiar to regular attendees at Phil debates at Trinity College Dublin.

UPDATE: An alternative interpretation is that McKinnon wants to stay involved with the McCain campaign and so would be too awkward as a Senate nominee. How Cliff May -- who will spend the next 4 months bashing Obama -- is a better pick in that regard is not clear.

FINAL UPDATE: More background on May's role in the Republican noise machine.

No comments: