Still no Texas US Attorneys

A year and a quarter into the Obama administration, Texas still has no nominees for US Attorney. We had a nominee in the Eastern District who withdrew his name from consideration after months of delay, and now there's no telling when we may see these appointments, if they ever come at all. Morgan Smith at the Texas Tribune this morning sums up where we're at:

So what are the chances of the state getting a new nominee any time soon? The next best chance is the Western District’s Michael McCrum. According to a Senate staffer familiar with the process, his nomination is “forthcoming.” Along with Stevens, McCrum (who was also recommended by the Democratic House delegation) was on the list of nominees the Senators sent to the White House in early October. And, along with Stevens, he was the only candidate on the list who was also approved by the Democrats.

Once he secures the nomination, McCrum will have to endure the Senate confirmation process, which could last several months and could still result in his losing the nomination. The Senators and the House delegation have been unable to reach consensus on candidates in either the Northern and Southern districts, and now, with Steven’s withdrawal, the Eastern, meaning both factions may have to go back to the drawing board.

As time goes by, however, a U.S. attorney post becomes less attractive to possible candidates. "The deeper you go into an administration, the harder it is to get people to disrupt their lives, shut down their practices for maybe a year or two as U.S. attorneys, and say the Dems don't win” the next presidential election, says Coggins. “Then the person who has accepted the job for a year or two is back out on the streets — but they've got a one-year ban on lobbying their office and a lifetime ban on handling anything that was in the office, so it's a disruption to the practice for people to take the position."

After the hoopla in the Bush Administration over politicized US Attorney appointments, I've been surprised (bordering on appalled) at the delays. To me these are questions that should have been decided by Obama's transition team before he ever took office. Of course, it doesn't help that Texas' congressional delegation can't agree on any of the contenders, but partisan bickering is no excuse. The delay at this point begins to bespeak either incompetence or disregard.