Roll Call ($$) reports that Senator Barack Obama (D-Ill.) "derailed a plan blessed by Senate leaders to vote on controversial Federal Election Commission White House nominee Hans von Spakovsky, a move giving Democrats time to breathe in the ongoing Senate stalemate on FEC nominees." Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) agreed to a deal that included having a voice vote on the commission nominees only if no Senators objected to von Spakovsky's nomination. However, Obama and others expressed concern that von Spakovsky's nomination was too controversial and should therefore go through regular proceedings. The latest news is that there still is no agreement regarding an individual vote for von Spakovsky. If he is not confirmed the other three FEC nominees would remain pending, but if von Spakovsky is confirmed, the Senate would then vote on the remaining nominees. The Hill reports that "Von Spakovsky's opponents agreed to the deal because it would allow senators to vote against his appointment while voting in favor of the other nominees." This comes as organizations continue to pressure Congress to oppose von Spakovsky. Read letters from the Campaign Legal Center, the Brennan Center, and the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under, and Public Citizen. Click here to read the letter from the Campaign Legal Center, Common Cause, Democracy 21, the League of Women Voters, Public Citizen and U.S. PIRG urging that there are separate votes on the nominees.