As Mr. Obama said in the Rose Garden, one of his "most important responsibilities" is to nominate people of intellect and experience, and the Senate has "a constitutional duty to promptly consider judicial nominees for confirmation".
Tom Korologos, who served as the US ambassador to Belgium under George W Bush and has prepped GOP nominees for confirmation hearings, said the biggest difference between the current raft of ambassadorial nominees and most of their predecessors has been how poorly they performed on Capitol Hill.
Despite his qualifications, Garland has waited longer than any other Supreme Court nominee for a confirmation hearing.
Other Trump nominees sat for confirmation hearings on Tuesday, including Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga)., tapped to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.
The Senate began its workday with a failed Democratic effort to end a Republican filibuster to pressure Democrats to bring more judicial nominees up for confirmation votes.
If Buhari and the APC were ready to govern, they should have had their cabinet nominees ready for confirmation on the first business day after the swearing in.
Also the presidential appointment process would be changed to reduce the number of appointees subject to confirmation, identify a slate of critical nominees for expedited confirmation (to preserve continuity in government when Presidents change) and require an up or down vote within 90 days on presidential appointments.
Legislators said the infractions were unlikely to harm the nominee's prospects for confirmation.
In an environment in which such past behavior has at times had an impact on a nominee's chances for confirmation, Mr. Ryan could become the latest test case.
On Capitol Hill, Hillary Rodham Clinton was confirmed by the Senate as Mr. Obama's secretary of state — and later sworn in — and it appeared that Timothy F. Geithner, the Treasury secretary nominee, was headed for confirmation.
