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Senators recognize that it is the President who has the right to choose his cabinet. Appointees are generally only voted down when there is something out of the ordinary that disqualifies the individual. Cabinet members shouldn't be approved based on policy. Bush will get all of his choices, including Gonzalez. Democrats used the Rice hearings to voice concerns about the Iraq policy, which was entirely appropriate given Rice's role in implementing that. But there never was a serious possibility that her confirmation would be rejected. Just as there was no possibility the Ohio electoral vote wouldn't be accepted on January 6. The point was the debate itself. Of course a party that holds a majority could technically reject a cabinet appointee. A minority party, such as the Democrats, can't do so except by using filibuster. It isn't reasonable to expect they should pull out all the stops to make that happen. Remember that it is Bush who is ultimately responsible for the Iraq policy. A different Secretary of State, as Powell discovered, is not going to change that. It's not simply a matter of establishing precedent. It's also the fact that the Constitution gives the president the right to choose his cabinet. These are people he chooses to implement HIS policy. Our fundamental problem is with Bush himself, not Rice or Gonzalez in particular.
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