Know Your Hacks

One of President Bush's recent recess appointments was Ellen Sauerbrey who was tapped as the new Director of the State Department's Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration. This is the agency that helps out with refugees world wide. I wonder what she brings to the table? According to the New York Times, "Ms. Sauerbrey has zero experience in emergency management and refugee resettlement." Hmm, who is this hack and why was she picked? From the Eugene Register-Guard:

There's actually something even worse about Sauerbrey's back-door recess appoint to this post than her zero experience. She is revered by the religious right for her strident opposition to sex education, safe sex initiatives, emergency contraception, abortion and the entire range of women's reproductive health services that are absolutely vital to refugee populations.

Fully 80 percent of refugees are women and children. Because of the extremely high rates of sexual violence, coercion and disease risk in refugee camps, women must have access to effective reproductive health, contraception and sexually transmitted disease prevention programs.

It might not matter if the president of the United States wanted this television show host and two-time loser as the Republican candidate for Maryland governor to be the Minister of Silly Walks. But Bush has tapped Sauerbrey to head an agency with 100 employees and a $700 million annual budget that regularly confronts more complex and difficult global crises than FEMA typically faces in the United States.

One thing you have to admit about republicans, they throw their losers bones, even if it means putting thousands of lives at risk. Of course, if this kind of incompetence is good enough for republicans here at home, why would they export anything better abroad?

Found via John at Americablog