Obama must be enjoying the power to appoint people right now. Whereas some of his initiatives are having a tough time in their motions through Congress, his appointments are finding much less opposition. He does try to surround himself with good, knowledgeable and talented people, which even Republican partinsanism can’t deny. And today he appointed Donald Berwick to be in charge of Medicare and Medicaid. He bypassed the Senate, and good for him. Republicans, of course, are upset.

After nominating Berwick in April (April! That’s 3 months ago), he has seen his confirmation held back by Republican objections that he would ration out health care. What a bunch of hooey. As if the present system doesn’t ration out health care as much as anything- if you can’t afford it, you don’t get it. Even if Berwick were explicitly saying that he thinks rationing out health care is the way to go, the fact that it would be an option for the government to give that kind of health care at all would be a dramatic improvement over what the current system offers to the elderly without money and the poor in general. Infuriating.

Obama thought so too, so he decided to take advantage of a provision where the President has power to fill “top federal vacancies that would normally require Senate approval while the Senate is in recess,” according to Reuters. Consider it a bit of a Queen to mate move in the leadership game of chess that Obama is playing. He’s far from the first President to use this power, and any objections the Senate has don’t have much ground to stand on.

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell went so far as to accuse Obama of “arrogantly circumventing the American people by appointing ‘one of the most prominent advocates of rationed health care to implement their national (healthcare) plan.”

It’s not arrogant at all, Mitch, it’s getting things done. Your boys from the last eight years did things like this all the time. It’s not even an abuse of power. It’s just getting things done, and that’s that.

He made a few other moves during the recess: Philip Coyle is the associate director for national security in the White House Office of Science and Technology; Joshua Gotbaum is the director of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation.

He’s taking advantage of the recess. He’s enjoying himself.

"It's unfortunate that at a time when our nation is facing enormous challenges, many in Congress have decided to delay critical nominations for political purposes. These recess appointments will allow three extremely qualified candidates to get to work on behalf of the American people right away," said Obama.

There are over 180 nominees pending before the Senate. And you wondered why the Republicans are called the party of No.

Perhaps Obama will get the title of administrator of Yes? Now that’s just lame, I should take that back. But in a time like this, it’s almost that divided, almost that two sided, like a coin endlessly flipping with no one to stamp their hand atop it and call it. Obama is calling it.

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