Stop the Holder-Geithner-Clinton trainwreck, Republicans

I can't believe that these guys are going to be cabinet officials after eight years of attacking Bush for hiring low-quality people like Alberto Gonzalez. The Republican's party's first test of the Obama era is whether or not they'll present a united front to at least protest if not block the confirmation of Holder, Geithner, and Clinton.

Holder's problems are well known: he rolled over and facilitated politically motivated pardons for Puerto Rican terrorists, Weatherman Underground members, and fugitive Marc Rich.

Geithner couldn't figure out his taxes and, more worrisomely, failed to regulate Citigroup which looks to be in a death spiral.

Fortunately, there's some Republican spine on the first two. But Clinton? Just one Republican on the foreign relations committee voted against her. The case against Clinton isn't that hard: she's compromised by Bill's business dealings and has no distinguished record of foreign policy other than being for the Iraq War until it became unpopular.

Her appointment would be in violation of the Constitution as well, because no Senator can be appointed to a cabinet position during a time when the cabinet obtained a pay increase. Many dismiss this as petty because the relevant clause was only intended to prevent corruption. But does anybody really believe that the Clinton appointment is guided by anything other than the political opportunism of both side instead of this country's best interest?

Holder and Geithner are easy targets. If Republicans really want to be a vaiable opposition party they should stand against Clinton too. The feeling right now, though, is that they'll roll over, which shows that they truly aren't ready to be the party in power again.