I’m thinking that we can forget all that talk from Bush, when he was saying that he was going to show a stronger hand in border enforcement. Because he’s just made a big time crony pick with his recess appointment of Julie L. Myers to run the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement division of the Homeland Security Department. Also known as ICE, it is the 2nd largest Federal law enforcement agency. While it is very much legal and Constitutional for our President to take this action, it is not at all a wise pick.

What was Julie L. Myers doing before getting this appointment to head the 2nd largest Federal law enforcement agency?

Her previous jobs in order from the most recent:

• White House special assistant for presidential personnel
• Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff’s chief of staff, when he headed the Justice Department’s criminal division
• Assistant Secretary at the Commerce Department
• Treasury Department Deputy Assistant Secretary for money laundering and financial crimes
• Assistant U.S. Attorney in New York
• Associate Independent Counsel for Kenneth L. Starr

Notice the running theme in the “bold” type? She was always under one or more people and never the one running things. If she was going from being “Assistant” Director of ICE to being the head person, that would make perfect sense. But she’s going from being under others in every other post to running the 2nd largest Federal law enforcement agency. You would think that someone running ICE would have lots of experience, but given her resume and that she’s just 36 years old, she even admits that she does not have much experience.

That should have resulted in Senators voting NO. But the Republicans on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee all voted for her (9), while all the Democrats voted against her (6), citing concerns about her experience. Now do you see why I’ve never been a member of a political party and never plan to be? Party loyalty at times requires checking your brain at the door. I’m not saying all members of a party always tow the party line, but taking a party brand does not suit me. I’ll keep the brand of Jesus and that’s enough for me.

Back when this mess started Michelle Malkin made this post that cited a Washington Times article.

And she is on top of the current situation as well.

Meanwhile, Michael Chertoff is cheering.

In September 2005, Julie L. Myers married Chertoff’s chief of staff, John F. Wood. And her uncle is Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers, the former head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

She’s got all the inside the beltway connections, but is weak in the skills department.

Let’s be straight here. Bush’s crony appointments have become a serious problem. He picked Harriet Miers to be a US Supreme Court Justice and everyone was concerned about her experience. We all discovered she was not well suited at all for the job and she wisely withdrew. And we will never forget when Michael Brown was head of FEMA. The group Thomas Sowell calls an “equal opportunity bungler”.

Our President has a problem at times, when it comes to making well qualified appointments. At times he makes great appointments of people with glowing qualifications. Like Condoleezza Rice for example. Then other days it seems he wakes up, decides he wants to hook up a “team player” and picks somebody that never should have been considered for the job. I don’t know who Bush is allowing to advise him on these appointments, but he needs some folks that will be straight with him when he makes a weak pick. And given he’s now made a weak recess appointment, it is the job of the US Senate, both Democrats and Republicans to bounce Mrs. Myers when they get the opportunity.

We are talking about a position that is over protection of our borders! This is too critical a position to give to a novice.

update (1/9/2006 5:33PM ET): Peter Lattman at WSJ.com’s Law Blog points out that nobody is happier that the Alito hearings have begun than Julie Myers. And he’s right! Many will forget her name now, unless much noise is continually made and pressure put on Senators.