Sebelius Resignation A Nightmare for Democrats

On Thursday, less than two weeks after telling the press she was going to "stick around," HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced her resignation from the Obama Administration. The announcement caught Washington by surprise, as the chattering class had only recently convinced itself that the troubles for the health care law were in the rear-view mirror. The resignation, though, now triggers two words that could prove a nightmare for Democrats and their hope to stave off disaster in November: "Confirmation Hearing".

When the Sebelius resignation was announced, the White House indicated it would nominate OMB Director Sylvia Burwell to be the next HHS Secretary. Burwell seems a relatively competent technocrat, having held senior positions in the Clinton Administration and in the private sector at McKinsey and the Bill Gates and Wal-Mart foundations. Senators may question her, however, about her role in ordering parks and monuments closed during the government shutdown last year.

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