Sen. DeMint Plays Political Games With America's Safety

As the Federal government reassesses its vulnerabilities in the wake of the attempted terrorist attack on Christmas Day, one key post remains vacant: the administrator of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).

Why is such a critical post still unfilled nearly a year into the Obama administration's tenure? The President's nominee, Erroll Southers, has been blocked by Republican Senator Jim DeMint of South Carolina.

As first reported by McClatchy:

An attempt to blow up a trans-Atlantic flight from Amsterdam to Detroit on Christmas Day would be all-consuming for the administrator of the Transportation Security Administration - if there were one.

The post remains vacant because Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., has held up President Barack Obama's nominee in opposition to the prospect of TSA workers joining a labor union.

[...]

[Senate Majority Leader Harry] Reid spokesman Jim Manley said Monday that the majority leader is working with the White House to get Southers confirmed "as quickly as possible" and charged that "Republican obstructionism has prevented TSA from having the leadership in place that the organization deserves."

DeMint spokesman Wesley Denton said that Obama didn't nominate Southers until September, and he charged that Reid "has been too busy trading earmarks for votes on health care" to deal with DeMint's concerns.

DeMint's objection creates a procedural hurdle that could take three days of debate and test votes to overcome, or could potentially be limited if Democrats offered DeMint a compromise. No one was taking conciliatory stance on Monday, however. Manley called DeMint's opposition "disgraceful."

As Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said, "our system did not work in this instance. No one is happy or satisfied with that. An extensive review is under way."

High-ranking officials and security experts owe it to Americans to make airline travel as safe as possible.  In their never-ending search for a fool-proof system, the TSA administrator should be a leading voice in the midst of an "extensive review" of security measures.  Yet thanks to DeMint, there will be an empty chair at the table where Southers should be sitting.

Airline safety and national security are life-and-death issues affecting millions of Americans.  Sen. DeMint owes it to his state and his country to stop playing cheap political games with such important matters.