“It is unfortunate that a procedural tactic” was used to prevent an up-or-down vote on the amendment, Collins said. Under the amendment, no funds would have been provided for the White House policy coordinators unless the President allows them to appear before congressional panels and that they submit biannual reports to committees with jurisdiction over their policy issues. (CongressDaily, Sept. 25, 2009) But, Tapper reports that the Senate will hold hearings on the constitutionality and history of czars on October 6, thanks to Russ Feingold, who has been pushing for it.

Earlier this month the liberal lawmaker asked the White House to identify the czars’ “roles and responsibilities, and provide the judgment(s) of your legal advisors as to whether and how these positions are consistent with the Appointments Clause” in Article II, section 2 of the Constitution, which states that the President “shall nominate, and by and with the advice and consent of the Senate,

shall appoint ambassadors, other public ministers and consuls, judges of the Supreme Court, and all other officers of the United States.”

This should be interesting.

What changed in four days? Was it just that Collins is a Republican and Feingold is a Democrat, or was it the Rasmussen polls that came out on Monday?