President Bush late Fri. announced 20 more recess appointments, b...

President Bush late Fri. announced 20 more recess appointments, bypassing Senate confirmation. Two appointments were to the FTC, including Deborah Majoras as chmn. and Jon Leibowitz as comr. Majoras will replace Republican Chmn. Timothy Muris, while Leibowitz is taking the Democratic seat held by Mozelle Thompson. Sen. Wyden (D- Ore.) has had a hold on Majoras’ nomination, accusing her of being unwilling to use the FTC to pursue oil companies about gas prices. It led him to use a Senate procedural move to block a Senate Commerce Committee markup at which Majoras was to be voted on, a move that infuriated Chmn. McCain (R- Ariz.). Wyden’s maneuver also meant Leibowitz wasn’t considered at the markup. Majoras headed the Justice Dept. Antitrust Div. earlier in this administration. Leibowitz, currently with MPAA, had worked for Sen. Kohl (D-Wis.) on the Senate Judiciary Antitrust Subcommittee. Recently Bush used a recess appointment to name Michael Gallagher dir. of NTIA. He had been acting dir. Jon Dudas has for months been acting dir. of the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office; he also was among the recess appointments. Another was Albert Frink, named asst. secy. for manufacturing at the Commerce Dept.