Tue Feb 14 2012
President Barack Obama has taken his sweet time about finding someone to head the Transportation Security Administration even though Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano says the job is one of the most important unfilled posts in his administration.
It took almost nine months for Obama to nominate Errol Southers, assistant chief of security for the Los Angeles airports. A Senate committee did report out favorably Southers' nomination, but he withdrew before the full Senate could act on it. That was in January. On Monday, Obama chose retired Army Gen. Robert Harding for the post.
Harding has an extensive background in intelligence-gathering, which, given the attempted Christmas Day airliner bombing, would seem to be a valuable credential for heading TSA. He was in the Army 33 years, retiring in 2001 as the Defense Department's top human intelligence officer and the head of a $1 billion program. After retirement, he was a consultant on intelligence issues.
Filling the TSA post has taken unusually long, but delays in staffing key jobs afflicts all administrations.
Obama has 519 Senate-approved positions to fill. He has nominated 398 people to those posts and the Senate has confirmed 338. Almost 14 months after taking office, one-third of the administration's top jobs are either vacant or being filled in an acting capacity.
The Senate should quickly confirm Harding.
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