Hours after enraging Republicans by appointing the head of the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau while Congress is out of town, Pres. Obama again bypassed GOP opposition in appointing three people to the National Labor Relations Board.

While union leaders praised the move, Republicans threatened legal action and said Obama is setting a dangerous precedent by ignoring the will of Congress.

Darrell Issa (R-CA), chairman of the House Oversight & Government Reform Committee, called the appointments "highly controversial" and said they "put the interests of union bosses ahead of job creators and workers."

Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-SC), said the appointments "may impress the union bosses but will deliver yet another blow to job creation."

Republicans say the NLRB is biased in favor of unions, and some -- including Graham -- had pledged to block Senate confirmation of any board nominees.

The board usually has five members, but has been operating with three. It lost another member this week, leaving it unable to conduct regular business...

Obama appointed Sharon Block, Terence F. Flynn and Richard Griffin to the NLRB.

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka praised Obama's decision to make the appointments in Congress' absence...

Only the NLRB can enforce workers' and employers' rights under the National Labor Relations Act. But the board has been under GOP fire since last year, when it filed a lawsuit accusing Boeing of illegally retaliating against union members. The case was dismissed last month after Boeing and the union settled their dispute.

Graham said the board "has become an out-of-control rogue bureaucracy" and urged House and Senate committees to "investigate the contacts between the NLRB and machinists union in their complaint against the Boeing Company."

"A congressional investigation to answer questions about NLRB's role, attitude and relationship with the parties is definitely warranted," Graham said.

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Editor's Note: Drizzle, drazzle, druzzle drone, time for this one to go home...