William Lynn Confirmed

Again, from Elizabeth Newell:

The Senate has confirmed Raytheon senior vice president for government operations and strategy William Lynn as deputy Defense secretary with a 93-4 vote. The lobbyist’s nomination stirred controversy in the wake of President Obama’s ethics executive order banning any lobbyists entering the administration from handling issues or agencies they had lobbied in the previous two years.

Despite the controversy, only four senators â€" Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, Sen. Thad Cochran of Mississippi and Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, all Republicans â€" voted against confirming the nominee.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates has acknowledged the potential problems with the executive order, saying it is becoming increasingly more difficult for experts “who understand the acquisition business, who understand systems management” but have worked in the private sector to come into public service.

"The president recognized ... that to be able to get some of these people he'd need to exercise a waiver and he provided for that, I think wisely, in the executive order," Gates said. "But I think all of us -- the Congress, the executive branch -- together need to look at this and see if we're cutting off our nose to spite our face."