Playing Politics

Goergie boy has me confused again.
Why is it "playing politics" for the Democrats in the Senate to demand documentation on John Bolton's past official actions before voting on his nomination to the post of UN Ambassador, but not "playing politics" for the President to refuse to provide the information, and to hint that hemay circumvent the Senate approval process on Bolton by making a recess appointment.
Why is it not "playing politics" when the president makes the inflammatory selection of a dangerous, confrontational idealogue for a post leading international diplomacy?
And isn't this whole controversy over something that normally is called a "political appointment"?