Within minutes of President Barack Obama's recess appointment of Richard Cordray as the head of the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection, U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Tuscaloosa, shot out a news release titled, "Shelby responds to Obama end run of Congress."

It was a predicable response from the man who forced Obama to push the legal limits of recess appointments.

Congress passed the law creating the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection. Shelby did his best to prevent the law's passage. If he had the votes to do so, he would repeal the law.

He does not have the votes, though, so he has instead spent the months since the law's passage coming up with ways to sabotage it.

Unlike many federal agencies, the Bureau of Financial Protection cannot function without a director. The law requires a director for oversight of non-bank financial firms, such as mortgage originators and payday lenders. Thus, Shelby repeatedly has announced he would oppose Senate confirmation of any director appointed by Obama. He will only support a nomination if Obama agrees to gut the agency in ways that, not incidentally, would benefit Shelby's corporate contributors while harming most of his constituents.

Of course Shelby is part of a Senate minority, which should preclude him from blocking the appointment. No matter. While a majority of senators voted to confirm Cordray, they did not have the 60 votes necessary to end a filibuster.

Such Senate gamesmanship is not without precedent, and was the reason for most of former President George W. Bush's 171 recess appointments.

So Shelby and company further hamstrung Obama by refusing to go into recess. Even when senators are home eating Christmas dinner, a senator residing near Washington swung by every three days to pound the gavel.

Obama's "end run," as Shelby called it, was to make a recess appointment despite the fact that a solitary senator had pounded the gavel in the last three days.

For those keeping score, Obama's one end run compares to three for Shelby. Our senator is using the nomination process to undermine a valid law, using the filibuster to prevent a confirmation vote and using the gavel technique to avoid going into recess.

Possibly of more concern, Shelby is using his considerable skill and seniority not to benefit his millions of working-class constituents who would benefit from the agency, but to benefit those financial contributors who perceive the agency as a threat.