Senate prepares for two-week vacation, delaying historic vote on Loretta Lynch

Proving that his Senate cannot chew gum and legislate at the same time, or at least he'll refuse to do so when it's politically inconvenient, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is delaying a vote on Loretta Lynch, the first black woman to be nominated as attorney general, until after spring recess.

"Budget all week" Don Stewart, a spokesman for Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, said in an e-mail Monday when asked whether the Senate would vote on Lynch before taking a two-week spring break until April 13. President Barack Obama said Nov. 8 he was nominating her to replace Attorney General Eric Holder. […]

Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, criticized Republicans who are using the stalled trafficking legislation as a reason to delay the Lynch vote.

Lynch has said that fighting human trafficking would be one of her top priorities as attorney general, Leahy said in a statement.

"And now, in the name of supporting human trafficking victims, Senate Republicans are blocking her nomination," he said. "That makes no sense."

Immigration, abortion, budget . . . no excuse the Republicans have come up with makes any sense for what would take less than an hour's time—voting on this nomination. The Lynch vote has already taken longer to reach the floor than the last four attorney general nominees for no good reason other than this habit of obstruction Republicans have gotten into. Now they're obstructing themselves.