Whom do you trust?

Ryan Horsley, at Red's Trading Post, has been leading the charge in the effort to block confirmation of Michael "Maximum Mike" Sullivan as the new director of the BATFE. War on Guns has also been near the forefront of that fight. Me? As I generally do, I've been boldly bringing up the rear (hey--someone has to be last, right?).

Apparently, folks are listening to the voices of opposition to the idea of giving "Maximum Mike" the keys to the agency that considers violating the Second Amendment (along with any other parts of the Bill of Rights that get in the way of that endeavor) its sacred calling. Gun Owners of America has publicly announced its opposition to Sullivan's confirmation, as have the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms and Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership.

These groups seem to be making a difference, as illustrated by the fact that Idaho's Senators Mike Crapo and Larry Craig are (for the moment, at least) blocking Sullivan's confirmation.

But I should try to be balanced--there are some people who do support Sullivan's confirmation. Who are they? Well, we have such pro-gun stalwarts as Ted "The Hero of Chappaquiddick" Kennedy, who says:

Sullivan has had "the impossible responsibility" of serving in both jobs and he's "done as good a job as one could have hoped at both. We'll miss him in Massachusetts, but he'll be a strong leader at ATF, and I look forward to working with him on key issues on gun control," US Senator Edward M. Kennedy said in a statement.

We also have Kennedy's fellow Massachusetts Senator, John "Can I Get Me a Hunting License Here?" Kerry, who praised Sullivan at the confirmation hearing:

Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., introduced Sullivan at the hearing, praising both his professional abilities and his character.

"It is a job that he's proven more than qualified and capable of performing," said Kerry.

More recently, Kerry also chastised Senators Crapo and Craig for blocking Sullivan's confirmation:

"Michael Sullivan has spent a lifetime protecting communities from crime," Kerry said in a statement. "I am disappointed that his nomination is now in jeopardy simply because he has responsibly enforced our country's laws. I hope this experienced and capable nominee is confirmed without further delay."

And finally, there's the Brady Bunch's Peter "Don't Call Me Petey" Hamm, who said:

Even though "we don't see Michael Sullivan as some sort of conquering hero for our side," Hamm added that the leaders of GOA and the CCRKBA "should give him a chance - even if he is from Massachusetts!"

So there you have it--on one side, we have gun rights advocacy groups like CCRKBA, GOA, and JPFO, along with the reliably pro-gun U.S. Senators representing Idaho. On the other, we have Ted Kennedy, John Kerry, and Peter Hamm. As I asked in the title, whom do you trust?

By the way, I mentioned several pro-gun groups that have taken a public stand against Sullivan as director of the BATFE, but it seems to me that there's another gun rights group out there--one, in fact, that considers itself to be the "800 lb gorilla of gun rights groups"--which has remained silent about Sullivan. Perhaps they should be asked why.

UPDATE: Apparently, the NRA's web contact form (the link to which is posted above) has not been functioning correctly, and is now disabled. The preferred way to contact the NRA on matters such as this is by emailing them at this address: ila-contact@nrahq.org.