Iowan’s USDA position held up by Democrat filibuster

A filibuster led by Democrats is again gumming up the nomination of Iowa native Tom Dorr to a top post at the U-S-D-A. Iowa Senator Tom Harkin is among those blocking the vote today on Dorr’s nomination, which President Bush submitted more than two years ago. Republican Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley says Dorr -may- still win the confirmation today, but says he doesn’t know if they can get the 60 votes to break the fillibuster.Republicans and Democrats squared off last week in a debate over several of President Bush’s judicial nominees, with filibusters, holds and other delaying tactics employed and cries of foul from both sides of the aisle. Grassley says it’s frustrating to see good people kept from advancing by this sort of partisanship. Dorr was criticized for questionable financial moves on his farm near Marcus and for comments he made which some interpreted as racist. Dorr said he did nothing wrong financially and that his comments were taken out of context. He’s now in a temporary post as undersecretary of agriculture for rural development.