Collins Mum On Johnsen

In the past, Sen. Collins has been pretty clear about the importance of giving qualified presidential nominees up or down votes.

And yet when it comes to the fate of Dawn Johnsen, President Obama's nominee to head the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel, the junior senator's lips are sealed:

Right now there are 59 Democrats. Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE) has said he's "concerned" about her nomination, but his office strongly suggested to me that he'd vote for cloture on her confirmation.

Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA) has said he "opposes" Johnsen, but hasn't answered the cloture question thus far. Republican Sen. Dick Lugar (R-IN), though, says he supports her...

For what it's worth, the Senators from Maine haven't responded to my repeated requests for comment.

What exactly is going on here?