Roll Call reports:

As Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) moves to ease a backlog of executive branch nominations, he suggested on Tuesday that he does not have the votes to bring up President Barack Obama's pick to run the Department of Justice's Office of Legal Counsel.

"Right now we're finding out when to do that," Reid said, responding to a question about the status of Indiana University law professor Dawn Johnsen's nomination to the Justice post. "We need a couple Republican votes until we can get to 60."

According to the Washington Monthly, "this is just ridiculous." [Emphasis and links theirs.]

Let's also take a moment to note that Johnsen is an exceptional nominee, who is unquestionably qualified, and clearly deserves confirmation.

That said, what kind of show is Harry Reid running here? His caucus has 59 members, and Sen. Dick Lugar of Indiana, a conservative Republican, has already endorsed Johnsen's nomination. We have Democratic senators who won't even let the president's choice for the OLC get a vote because she's pro-choice?

Firedoglake's Christy Hardin Smith is no less appalled: 

She is a superb nominee. Her legal acumen is amazing, and her integrity in terms of ethical and rule of law standards at OLC is just what is needed for that office.

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This is a failure in leadership. Period.

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The rule of law actually means something beyond a convenient campaign slogan to me. And the nation's system of justice deserves better than benign neglect.