Republicans to raise ruckus re: Democrat obstruction of Bush judicial nominees
Just received a welcome press release from the Committee for Justice.
Senate Democrats, led by Judiciary Committee chairman Pat Leahy, pictured left, have hamstrung the nation’s federal courts by obstucting the confirmation of Bush nominees. The critical shortage of judges only grows more critical.
Confirmations are headed for a “historic low for a two-term President in modern times,” stated GOP Senator Arlen Specter, pictured below right, the ranking Republican on that committee.
Specter has been holding Increasingly frustrated Republicans at bay, trying to appeal to Leahy.
Time is apparently up….
On February 29 Specter, pictured left, wrote Leahy a letter calling for a bipartisan protocol and timetable to confirm judges. Democrats scoffed at President Bush’s likewise proposal in 2002.
If this fails, there will be a “showdown,” according to the press release.
The last showdown was averted by the Gang of 14, a group of 7 Dems and 7 GOPers who created a bloc to force compromise. John McCain headed the Gang, you’ll recall, a point of contention among conservatives ever since, although this did pave the way for Alito and Roberts’ confirmations.
The press release speaks of “hardball tactics” and “Specter… ready to lead his colleagues into battle.” I called the release writer, Curt Levey, to explain what sort of ruckus the Republicans might make. Curt said:
Republicans can threaten to deny a quorum to Leahy in committee; they can slow things down on the Senate floor; they can block specific pieces of legislation they know Leahy really wants. Anything they do to raise the visibility of the issue is helpful.
This is an issue that cuts the Republican way. The more visibility, the more Democrats want to make it go away. The biggest trouble they can cause is to have a confrontation, get a lot of media publicaity. The last thing in the world [Senate Majority Leader Harry] Reid or Obama wants is for judges to be a big issue this fall.
Yes, according to the release, one tactic will be to put Obama on the hotseat. The man calling for bipartisanship and an end to acrimony should not oppose bipartisan rules for judicial confirmations, right?
The Swamp added this:
Leahy won’t say it, but if he and the Democrats are indeed running a kind of four-corners offense to delay consideration of nominees, it may be in their best interest to do so. If either… Clinton or… Obama is elected president in November, pending judicial nominations will likely lapse or be pulled and replaced by nominees more palatable to Democrats. That was undoubtedly was very much in the mind of Specter and McConnell as they made their remarks Monday.
[Leahy photo courtesy of CBC News; Specter photo courtesy of Sports Illustrated;
“Senate Democrats, led by Judiciary Committee chairman Pat Leahy, pictured left, have hamstrung the nation’s federal courts by obstucting the confirmation of Bush nominees”
Maybe Bush should nominate better Judges.
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Leahy is a good friend to Amnesty, resisting protocols that allow torture.
Leahy is the biggest blowhard in the Senate. A real scumbag who is most concerned with terrorists getting a little water poured over their faces (which they havent done since 2003 and it was done on the mastermind of the WTC bombing -> Kalid shiek Moohamad).
Latest stats:
abortions in US: 49,120,987
terrorists waterboarded: 3
terrorists roughed up: 9
Hal, the problem is that Bush’s judges are too good, not that they aren’t good enough. Leahy doesn’t like good judges. He likes activist judges who agree with him politically. That’s pretty much all the courts are to the Democrats – a way of forcing unpopular leftist policy on the nation.
But jasper, obviously three terrorists being waterboarded since the war on terror began is worse than six million abortions over the same time period. Right? After all, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed only attacked us because BUSH tried to steal his oil, or whatever crazy conspiracy theory is popular now.
True John…and I’m not even in favor with the CIA residing to torture, but this guy Leahy has spent the last 6 years holding hearings on waterboading which the CIA hasnt done since 03 (3 terrorist have been waterboaded). what a waste of time.
All the people that complain about the Democrats don’t allow any up or down votes on Judicial nominations seem to forget about the Republicans not allowing Clinton’s Judicial nominees have any hearings needed before they could get to a vote.
“All the people that complain about the Democrats don’t allow any up or down votes on Judicial nominations seem to forget about the Republicans not allowing Clinton’s Judicial nominees have any hearings needed before they could get to a vote.”
Maybe Clinton should’ve nominated better Judges.
jasper, I don’t know how many times we’ve been through this.
Torture occurs, and it is not limited by waterboarding. Other things are allowed that aren’t waterboarding. Plenty of people have had to report to the government because torture of all kinds was covered up, carried out, and unknown to most of mainstream America.
I would think as a fellow pro-lifer, you would be concerned with torture happening. It seems as long as they are middle eastern, then torture is okay.
I think we have discussed this numerous times, and you have never changed your fact sheet.
Besides the fact that illegal torture is being underreported in the US government, and you are only counting one form of legal torture, people have gone out to say that unnecessary torture was carried out with the White House sanction:
http://thinkprogress.org/2007/12/11/kiriakou-white-house/
Anyway, back on topic, I don’t know too much about him except for his good work to try to end sanctioned torture in the US.
Gee, PIP, I would think jasper would be against torture, too.
jasper: “I’m not even in favor with the CIA residing to torture”
Huh.
PIP, I’m against the CIA using torture, I just don’t think it deserves the coverage/weight that it gets in the media….
btw, intersting 1st paragraph in the link you posted (below)…. and he goes on to say that other techniques could be used to get the same information and I’m fine with that.
“In an interview last night with ABC News, John Kiriakou
“PIP, I’m against the CIA using torture, I just don’t think it deserves the coverage/weight that it gets in the media….”
This must be a new development…last time we discussed this waterboarding wasn’t even torture. It was just the same as kids playing in a pool.
jasper, did you care to read beyond the paragraph?
“But despite his vigorous defense of his past conduct, Kiriakou says he now views what he did as torture and says that he would not recommend those tactics going forward.
If you are fine with using non-torture techniques, why are you fine with techniques that involve torture? You seem to brush it off as unimportant, while I consider torture both here and abroad to be an offense to human character and conduct.
What about judges?
Oh yeah good judges.
Rather than blame Bush, or Clinton or republicans or democrats, how about rational criteria.
One way one could say a judge is “good” is whether the Supreme court often overturns their rulings.
There are some judges whose rulings are often overturned and then there are judges who have never had a decision overturned. Unfortunately some fear congress sometimes likes the former sort more than the latter.
It seems it would be easy to confirm a judge whose decisions are never overruled and more difficult to confirm a judge whose decisions have be often overruled.
I don’t know which sort been nominated. Does anyone else?
I am just trying to interject a reasonable basis here.
Does anyone else have any ideas?
Hippie that makes a lot of sense. I didn’t mean to derail this thread, just to essentially say “hey! I know that guy from somewhere!”
I don’t know much about the judges in question, either, so I’m not sure what to take from this story.
Good judges don’t legislate from the bench.
Is MK around? I have solidified my plans for the Chicago trip and want to know when we are all getting breakfast together…
pip – Pizzera Uno or Pizzeria Due downtown. Hands down the best pizza anywhere. Make sure and try it while your in town. I think it must be the ovens they use that make it sooo good.
Hillary won Ohio and Texas and Obama is on the ropes.
The Dems will now have a bruising battle that continues all the way to the convention. Whoever the Dem nominee is, s/he will be damaged going into the general election. Thanks Texas and Ohio(smiles). Go McCain!!!!
“This must be a new development…last time we discussed this waterboarding wasn’t even torture. It was just the same as kids playing in a pool.”
I changed my stance on this PIP.
I never thought I would be rooting for Hillary, but I am when shes running against Obama.
jasper, me to. I live in Ohio.
I don’t know though. I still can’t see her in office.
What about Harriet Myers? Is she back up again, that was awesome. Maybe Alberto Gonzales? Get his lying two faces up there for some fun…..
How can we trust ANYONE bush puts forth at this point? Scalia, Roberts, Bush, Cheney, Gonzales and Alito need to find a new country to ruin.
pip – Pizzera Uno or Pizzeria Due downtown. Hands down the best pizza anywhere. Make sure and try it while your in town. I think it must be the ovens they use that make it sooo good.
Posted by: truthseeker at March 5, 2008 1:23 AM
Oooo, crazy. I agree with truthseeker about something!
PiP, try to hit Millenium Park on the lakefront if you can. It’s really pretty, and you can warm up at the Art Institute if it’s cold outside.
jasper,
That makes me so happy! Thank you!
truthseeker and Hieronymous,
Thanks for the tips, I will definitely check them out!
I love Chicago!
I also got tickets to Jerry Springer :)
You’ll get no tears from me. Compared to Republican obstruction of Clinton judicial nominees, often by a single senator, Bush’s are sailing through scott free.
Bush needs to sit quietly in a corner somewhere for the next 10 months and do no more harm.
pip – Pizzera Uno or Pizzeria Due downtown. Hands down the best pizza anywhere. Make sure and try it while your in town. I think it must be the ovens they use that make it sooo good.
Posted by: truthseeker at March 5, 2008 1:23 AM
……………………………..
I think it’s the crust.
PiP, try to hit Millenium Park on the lakefront if you can. It’s really pretty, and you can warm up at the Art Institute if it’s cold outside.
Posted by: Hieronymous at March 5, 2008 8:04 AM
………………
Very very cool sculpture in Millennium Park. The Museum of Science and Industry is my favorite. If you like Ikea, there is one in Schaumburg. Tony ‘n Tina’s Wedding at the Chicago theater is a lot of fun too.
Don’t forget to visit Intelligentsia Coffee on Randolph, half a block west of the northwest corner of Millennium park. Ask ’em for a Clover brew. :-)
Anybody know how Erin is doing? Haven’t seen her on the blog since her car wreck?
pip, is Bridgette still improving? I pray for her every now and again.
Maybe thats why diplomats usually schedule a meal prior to the meeting. They can all start by agreeing that the food was good.
Maybe thats why diplomats usually schedule a meal prior to the meeting. They can all start by agreeing that the food was good.
Posted by: truthseeker at March 6, 2008 1:58 AM
I think you may be on to something :-)
truthseeker,
Yes, she is! She was moved to a rehab center were they were able to take out her trach and she can talk. Now she can move her arms, write, and eat solid food. She is having bouts of confusion but the doctors say that it is part of the recovery process–that her brain is trying to “wake up.” And she is experiencing some neuropathy, but pain medications are helping.
Thanks for asking :) Our prayers are definitely working.
Maybe thats why diplomats usually schedule a meal prior to the meeting. They can all start by agreeing that the food was good.
Posted by: truthseeker at March 6, 2008 1:58 AM
…………………………
Imagine being the chief and trying to please everyone’s palate. The pressure!
Bush needs to sit quietly in a corner somewhere for the next 10 months and do no more harm.
Posted by: Hal at March 5, 2008 11:38 AM
Hal,
Bush has already nominated the judges.
Now it is up to congress to hold hearings to confirm or reject them.
Are you saying the congress should not hold hearings to confirm or reject the nominees for the next 10 months?
pip, that’s great that she is still improving. I’ll keep praying for her too.
Senate Republican strike looms
I wrote a month ago that Senate Republicans, led by Arlen Specter, were threatening a work slowdown if Judiciary Committee chair Patrick Leahy didn’t pick up the hearing pace of President Bush’s judicial nominees. According to the Committee for Justice…
Looks perfectly straight to me. Of course, I’m also the type of person who allegedly [ahem! allegedly] agree with everything.
It’s a pain in everyone else’s butt. Let’s just stop discussing this crap, the topic is too questionable.
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