In the old days, presidents would appoint people to Cabinet posts, a few senators might gripe out loud, but then the nominee would be confirmed overwhelmingly.

Those days may be gone.

President Obama has nominated White House chief of staff Jack Lew to be treasury secretary. He is considered by most observers – and that includes most senators who will vote on his confirmation – to be eminently qualified. He has extensive federal budget experience; Lew is known to be a tough negotiator; he has the confidence of the president. These all are solid qualifications to be the nation’s top Money Man.

But at least one senator is vowing to block Lew’s nomination. Republican Jeff Sessions of Alabama said the other day that Lew “never should become treasury secretary.” Why? Sessions says that Lew is too much of an, um, ideologue. He’s just too darn liberal to suit Sessions. Never mind that Barack Obama was re-elected on Nov. 6 by a significant Electoral College majority, not mention nearly 5 million popular votes. And as such, he is entitled to select qualified individuals to serve in the nation’s Cabinet.

Jack Lew is qualified to be the next secretary of the treasury.

Sessions, though, embodies much of the contentiousness that infects both houses of Congress. Senate rules empower him to block the nomination all by himself if he so chooses. He can mount a de facto filibuster, even without ever having to stand on the Senate floor and talk himself to unconsciousness – which is the way filibusters ought to commence.

Sessions is vowing to be a one-man wrecking crew.

What’s most fascinating about this particular senator’s objection is his own history as it regards Senate confirmation.

In 1986, President Reagan appointed Sessions to a federal judgeship. He was a federal prosecutor at the time. The Senate began probing Sessions’ record and learned that he had uttered some racially insensitive remarks. Indeed, some critics labeled him an outright racist. The Senate Judiciary Committee, after hearing all of that – and after hearing from Sessions himself – voted to reject his nomination. Sessions withdrew his name from consideration.

Sessions was elected to the U.S. Senate a decade later.

The irony lies in that this senator, who couldn’t even muster enough votes on a Senate panel to be confirmed to a lifetime appointment on the federal bench, now is able – by virtue of his office – to cast aspersions on other nominees.

It is simply amazing that Jeff Sessions would exhibit such gall.