Reid Letter Shows White House Rejected Nominee Compromise

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has written a letter to White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten asking for a compromise on dozens of stalled executive branch nominations.

But in the letter, Reid says President Bush has twice rejected Democratic offers to confirm as many as 80 Republican nominations in exchange for confirmation of eight Democratic slots on various federal boards and agencies.

Reid's letter comes on the heels of a Politico story today that highlighted the inability of several agencies to conduct critical work because Democrats in Congress have refused to confirm Bush appointees.

Reid says Democrats are not completely to blame for the standoff on everything from the Federal Election Commission to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

In his letter to Bolten, Reid says the White House has refused to consider Democratic recommendations for slots traditionally reserved for Democrats on bipartisan commissions. The missive is certainly not the last bit of rhetoric we'll see as the Democratic Congress tries to minimize the influence of the lame duck president.

A full copy of the letter is posted after the jump.
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