Obama's 6 Recess Picks Include AIG Consultant

President Obama bypassed the Senate yesterday to make six recess appointments, the most controversial being a deputy attorney general whose links to the insurance giant AIG had stalled his confirmation. Obama first nominated James Cole to the No. 2 Justice Department post in May, but GOP lawmakers blocked his confirmation in part because of questions about his role as an independent consultant for AIG before its near-collapse in 2008. He's a close friend of Attorney General Eric Holder.

Others appointed were: William Boarman, US public printer; Matthew Bryza, ambassador to Azerbaijan; Norman Eisen, ambassador to the Czech Republic; Robert Ford, ambassador to Syria; and Francis Ricciardone, ambassador to Turkey. Obama has made 28 recess appointments this year. The White House said George W. Bush had made 23 at this point in his presidency. (More President Obama stories.)