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WASHINGTON Unhappy Republicans say Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas has given President Barack Obama a present this holiday season a gift certificate good for confirmation of 12 judicial appointments, not long after the voters had delivered the Democrats a lump of coal in midterm elections.

Cruz, a tea party favorite and potential 2016 presidential contender, disputed the claim through his spokesman on Monday.

But there was no dissent that Democrats, who must turn over power to Republicans in January, were in position to confirm not only the judges, but 11 other appointees before the Senate wraps up work for the year.

Among them are nominees that Republicans have sought to block for two relatively high-profile posts. They are Vivek Murthy to become surgeon general and Sarah Saldaa to head Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the agency that will oversee the new administration policy on immigration that Cruz wants to defund.

At the root of the dispute lay a combination of the Senate's all-but-indecipherable rules, Cruz's attempt to use their murky corners to his advantage, and a bipartisan desire of many lawmakers to finish work for the year and return home for the holidays.

"My concern about the strategy he employed is that it has a result he didn't intend," Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said of Cruz' maneuverings on Friday night, when he sought to force a vote on Obama's immigration policy. Among the consequences, she said, would be confirmation of a number of appointees who are controversial, including some to "lifetime judicial" posts.

Some officials said Cruz was personally informed by GOP aides that Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid was primed to take advantage if he went ahead.

Under the Senate's rules, Cruz's maneuver allowed Reid to begin the time-consuming process of confirming nominations on Saturday at noon when lawmakers had been scheduled to be home for the weekend.

Had Cruz not made his move when he did, according to officials in both parties, Reid would have had to wait until Monday night more than 48 hours later. Disgruntled Republicans said they felt confident that Reid's rank and file would not have been willing to remain in Washington in that case, and only four or five nominees would be confirmed instead of 23.

Other Republican lawmakers were far more forceful than Collins in their judgment of Cruz on Monday. They declined to speak on the record, possibly feeling they had already done so enough during the unplanned, 12-hour Senate session on Saturday.

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Republicans blame Ted Cruz for string of year-end Obama confirmations

June 1, 2014: The coal-fired Plant Scherer is photographed in Juliette, Ga.(AP)

WASHINGTON When Republicans take control of Congress next month, top on their agenda will be undoing environmental regulations they claim will harm the economy, chief among them President Barack Obama's plans to limit heat-trapping carbon pollution from coal-fired power plants.

The results of a new poll from the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and Yale University show their priorities may be misplaced.

Six in 10 Americans, including half of all Republicans, said they support regulation of carbon dioxide pollution, although they weren't asked how. Nearly half of Republicans said the U.S. should lead the global fight to curb climate change, even if it means taking action when other countries do not. And majorities across party lines said environmental protections "improve economic growth and provide new jobs" in the long run, a popular Obama administration talking point.

The picture of Republicans that emerges from the poll runs counter to the monolithic view of Republicans in Washington as a global warming-doubting, anti-environmental regulation party keen on attacking Obama's environmental plans. And the results come as the Obama administration continues to forge ahead on its own with aggressive plans on climate change, even if it means going head-to-head with a Republican-controlled Congress that could derail the administration's environmental legacy.

"The American people have made it clear they know climate change is real, and that we can protect the planet and grow the economy at the same time," Frank Benenati, a White House spokesman, said after reviewing the poll results. "Climate deniers in Congress and those who would try to block efforts to address the climate challenge would do well to listen."

Still, climate change itself ranked near the bottom of environmental problems tested in the poll.

"Global warming was second to last among environmental issues. That is all you need to know," said Mike McKenna, a GOP pollster and consultant.

In recent weeks and months, the White House has announced a deal with China to curb the greenhouse gases blamed for global warming and pledged $3 billion to a fund that helps poor countries prepare for climate change, further irking Republicans after a near sweep in the midterm elections.

The divisions between Republicans and Democrats on global warming are real, the poll shows, and stark. A little over a quarter of Republicans believe global warming is an extremely or very serious problem, compared with 64 percent of Democrats. And while nearly three-quarters of Democrats believe global warming is happening, less than half of Republicans do.

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Half of Republicans back carbon limits, poll says

One colleague called the tactics of tea party-backed Sen. Ted Cruz on the $1.1 trillion spending bill a painful echo of last year's 16-day partial government shutdown.

Another senator said it was a strategy without an end game.

And that sniping came from Cruz's fellow Republicans.

The 43-year-old Texas freshman in a political hurry ? he's considering a 2016 presidential run ? infuriated several GOP colleagues with a last-minute attempt to force a vote on President Barack Obama's executive actions on immigration.

The move upended lawmakers' weekend plans and, more troubling for his party, gave Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., an opening to move forward on long-stalled Obama nominees.

When Cruz got his vote Saturday, he lost badly, 74-22, as even Republicans who agree with him on immigration repudiated his effort. Moments later, Congress cleared the spending bill.

"You should have an end goal in sight if you're going to do these types of things and I don't see an end goal other than irritating a lot of people," said Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah.

Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., said it was a repeat of last year's shutdown showdown over Obama's health care law, when it was engineered by Cruz and Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah. Isakson said it was a movie he had seen before and "wouldn't have paid money to see it again." He called Cruz's move a problem, not a strategy.

Added Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz.: "I fail to see what conservative ends were achieved."

For once, Democrats opted not to criticize Cruz publicly, a surefire indication they calculated that he was only hurting Republicans.

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Ted Cruz's Moves on Spending Bill Roil Republicans

Chief Nyesom Wike

THE Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress on Tuesday predicted that the immediate past Minister of State for Education, Chief Nyesom Wike, was unlikely to get up to 10 per cent of the votes to be cast during the 2015 governorship election in the state.

The state APC said in a statement signed by the Senior Special Assistant, Media and Public Affairs to its chairman, Chief Chukwuemeka Eze, that despite the support of the Presidents wife, Patience Jonathan for Wike, the ex-minister would not win the governorship poll.

Describing Wikes emergence as a governorship candidate as controversial, the state APC pointed out that 16 governorship aspirants boycotted the PDP governorship primary.

Chief Nyesom Wike is unlikely to get up to 10 per cent of the votes to be cast during the 2015 governorship election in the state, not minding the pledges and support by Dame Patience Jonathan, the Presidents wife and others.

This is a man who is perpetually afraid of competition and who never believes in a free and fair election. Hence we are not surprised that he brazenly used his stooges and clowns in the PDP to frustrate and rig out the 16 better qualified governorship aspirants.

For having the temerity to level a false accusation against the APC when all that we have been doing is to state the facts regarding Wikes unreliable nature his lack of preparation for the weighty responsibility of governorship, the state APC added.

It noted that the former minister was no match for the state APC governorship candidate, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, adding that Wikes chances in the race to the Government House had been dimmed by the disenfranchisement of 16 governorship aspirants of the PDP in the state.

According to the state APCs statement, Wike is no match in any way to our credible candidate, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, a man of impeccable character with a proven record of performance.

His chances, which were slim from the very beginning, have been further dimmed by the plot of the G16 disenfranchised governorship aspirants to fight him to a standstill.

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Wike cant get 10% of Rivers votes APC

The Ogun-East senatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Mr. Dapo Abiodun, says he has initiated reconciliatory moves with aggrieved aspirants who rejected the outcome of the primary which held on Monday last week.

He said he decided to reach out to all aspirants in the district in order to pave the way for a smooth take off of the partys campaign ahead of the 2015 elections.

Abiodun said this during a meeting with party members at his home in the Ikenne Local Government Area, Ogun State, on Monday.

He said the parley was not organised to usurp the partys leadership role, but rather to fashion out some measures that would make the party approach the coming election as a united family.

Abiodun, who emerged winner of the partys senatorial primaries in Ogun-East with a landslide 2,500 votes, assured all aspirants who lost at the primaries of compensation.

He said, Let me thank all of you for honouring the invitation to be here at a short notice and more importantly for your support during the primaries. I have called for this gathering to assure all our aspirants that this will not be a case of winner takes all.

We will take care of everyone who contested and lost and we will get the party to also compensate them. Having said this, as faithful party members, we need to go back to our local councils, wards and polling units to sell the manifesto of our party to the people so that the masses can see us as one united family prepared to sweep the polls in the House of Assembly, House of Reps, Senate, governorship and presidential elections

He said all aspirants would be included in the campaign committees for them to be able to carry all their supporters along to join the campaign train.

House of Representatives aspirants who attended and made contributions at the parley were Dewunmi Onanuga from Shagamu, Babatunde Ipaye from Ijebu Igbo, Kunle Otun from Ijebu Ode, Teju Shote from Ijebu Ode and Gbenga Baruwa from Sagamu.

Another chieftain of the party, Tunde Oladunjoye, however, urged all members of the party to see Abiodun as the project of the party and ensure that he emerged winner at the polls.

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Ogun APC senatorial candidate promises to compensate losers