I'd been operating under the assumption that Marc Ambinder was correct and Feinstein and Rockefeller weren't informed of Panetta because the name leaked early. But Biden's comment doesn't fit that model. Caught outside the Senate today, Biden said, "I'm still a Senate man and I always think this way: I think it's always good to talk to the requisite members of Congress. I think it was just a mistake." It's possible that Biden is simply out of the loop here. Or it's possible that he's being unclear and means to say that her ignorance was accidental, rather than a strategic error on the president-elect's part. Or maybe they're just trying to do some apologizing rather than getting into a complicated question of leaks. In any case, it remains weird. But worse than weird is the idea floating around some quarters that it's actually awesome. That Obama purposefully didn't inform Feinstein and Rockefeller because, as Scott Horton argues over at Harper's, Rockefeller and Feinstein were failures on the Committee, and Obama didn't want their opinion. "I’m delighted that the Obama team didn’t consult them," says Horton. This sort of thing is a very bad idea. Horton is right to heap scorn on Rockefeller and DiFi's committee performance. But history suggests that acting highhandedly with powerful senators is a bad idea. Those are votes Obama will need not only on his nominee, but on much else, and the last thing his administration should do is anger them or their allies. The point of presidential consultation is to show respect for their opinions and make sure the working relationship is constructive. Putting that aside for either pique or vengeance is a bad idea indeed, and not the sort of thing progressives should cheer. On this, Biden is right. Talking to the members is always a good idea.
