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President Bush announced his intention to make 20 appointments during the congressional recess........

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Nominee Needs Training

Democrats have this quaint notion that presidents should nominate experienced people to sit on boards and commissions overseeing various matters. Despite ample and bipartisan precedent to the contrary, they believe this practice should continue even in June of an election year.

So there was Sen. Frank J. Lautenberg (D-N.J.) at a Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee hearing Wednesday, talking to retired oil industry executive Enrique Sosa from Florida, nominated to the Amtrak board of directors.

Lautenberg badgered Sosa, a major GOP contributor who has given a bit to Democrats, about some labor matters. Then he noted that Sosa, breaking custom for nominees, had not submitted an opening statement. And on documents he did submit, Sosa said he had no experience on land transportation matters.

Have you ever ridden on Amtrak or in the Northeast corridor? Lautenberg asked. Well, no, Sosa replied. But he pledged to do so if confirmed.

Fair enough. After all, are all lawmakers overseeing NASA experienced in space travel?

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From friends of Amtrak!!
BUSH ANNOUNCES AMTRAK BOARD APPOINTEE - February 9, 2004. The White House announced that President Bush intends to nominate Enrique J. Sosa of Florida to be a member of the Amtrak Board for a five year term. Three other pending nominations are Louis S. Thompson (returned by the Senate last year, then renominated January 26), Robert Crandall and Floyd Hall. Sosa, who is from Florida, has a non-transportation background. Much of his career has been in the petrochemical industry, with experience in the upper management of BP Amoco and Dow Chemical. There is no indication that the Senate will act soon on any of these.

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