(Image source: Wikimedia Commons)

BY CHRISTINA HARTMAN

Stuck in stalemate. You could say that about a lot of things on Capitol Hill.

But Thursday -- a move by Senate Republicans to block President Obama’s nominee to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau -- meant that agency still can’t do what it was created to do.

And in a brief press conference shortly after, President Obama made clear he’s not happy.

OBAMA: “This makes absolutely no sense. … There is no reason why Mr. Cordray should not be nominated, and should not be confirmed by the Senate... We are not giving up on this. We are gonna keep on going at it.

But hey, it’s not personal. At least for Cordray anyway. Republicans have said they won’t confirm any ONE person to do the job. Instead, they want a five-person commission to head up the agency.

But Politico’s Scott Wong suggests, while Senate Republicans might have won the battle Thursday -- they might be handing the president the spoils of the war.

“The GOP filibuster also hands fresh ammunition to the White House as it pursues a populist political strategy ahead of the 2012 election, portraying Republicans on the side of Wall Street...”

And MSNBC’s Alex Wagner says she listened to the president’s news conference and heard -- reading between the lines -- he might be keeping a trick up his sleeve.

ANCHOR: “...whether or not we could see Cordray come in through a recess appointment, and that really would be controversial if he put him in that way.”
WAGNER: “He definitely left the door open and in Obama speak it's yeah, get ready for a recess appointment.”

Oh, but on Capitol Hill, for every loophole, there’s almost always another. Fox News’ Ed Henry, who posed the question to the president in that press conference, says while Congress can’t block a recess appointment, Senate Republicans might have another option.

But, surprise, there might be a loophole for that, too.

“Republican leaders like Mitch McConnell have been saying they will keep the Senate in a pro forma session in order to make sure they never recess for Christmas and the holidays. The president won't be able to use that executive power. I understand from our producer Trish Turner on Capitol Hill, Democrats are looking if there is loophole in there where you have to do a pro forma session every three days, and in that gap, when one session expires and another starts, can the president do recess appointment?”

While all that maneuvering happens, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau remains leaderless. Meaning it can’t oversee non-bank institutions like private student lenders and payday lenders.