Is Barrack Obama now ready to fight partisan confirmation obstruction against his nominees? When Ben Bernanke's reappointment was jeopardized, the president fully engaged the fight. Obama worked the phones himself to help Senate leadership line up 60 cloture votes. But what about the additional 300 critical federal executive, regulatory...

Barack Obama should announce plans to recess appoint Ben Bernanke as Fed Chair while the Senate debates whether to hold a timely confirmation vote. The bold act would reassure world financial markets that Bernanke will keep his job, and signal to the Senate that the president is ready to fight...