Anne Joseph O’Connell writes for The Washington Post, July 19, 2013
Our Constitution says presidents must execute laws passed by Congress. But what if the Senate won’t approve the people supposed to do the executing? A stalemate over this quandary ended this past week when Senate Democrats and Republicans struck a deal to confirm some of President Obama’s stalled nominees to agencies such as the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. But before we move on from this crisis, let’s tackle some misunderstandings about presidential appointments.