November 2, 2005
SORRY MR. McCAIN, ALL IS FORGIVEN...:
TOP DEMS BACK OFF ALITO (DEBORAH ORIN and FREDRIC U. DICKER, November 2, 2005, NY Post)
Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito's chances of confirmation without a filibuster rose yesterday when two key Senate Democrats said they see no reason to use the tactic of talking a nomination to death. [...]The two swing Democrats who said they now see no basis for a filibuster are Sens. Ben Nelson of Nebraska and Mark Pryor of Arkansas.
"I'm not aware of anything that would constitute extraordinary circumstances," Nelson said.
Alito OK by me,
says key GOPer (MICHAEL McAULIFF, 11/02/05, NY DAILY NEWS)
One of the "Gang of 14" senators who may hold the keys to Samuel Alito's move up to the Supreme Court said yesterday the judge should not face a filibuster.Ohio Republican Mike DeWine, one of the more outspoken members of the bipartisan group that averted a showdown over judicial nominations last spring, said Alito is "clearly within the mainstream."
"It's hard for me to envision that anyone would think about filibustering this nominee," DeWine said after meeting with Alito as the New Jersey appeals judge made his rounds of senators. "This is a good solid pick by the President." [...]
Other Democrats in the gang said they hadn't heard talk of a filibuster yet, but DeWine fired a warning shot to keep it that way. "I would vote to change the rules of the Senate to stop that filibuster," he said.
Even if we revel in the tag the Stupid Party, it has to hurt for folk on the Right to acknowledge that Mike DeWine and John McCain outwitted even them with the Deal. Posted by Orrin Judd at November 2, 2005 9:37 AM
Don't forget - there are still nominees to the Circuit Courts languishing in limbo-land. Jon Kyl has said he will continue to push, but while the use of the filibuster may not work with SCOTUS, it is alive and well for the lower courts. If McCain wants to name his own judges, he better start cleaning Reid's clock now.
Posted by: ratbert at November 2, 2005 10:17 AMThe Deal was a terrible deal, even if it ends up not doing any harm -- the best possible result. But the point is not to get stellar establishment conservatives on the court, it is to get extreme conservatives on the court, and that's what the deal makes impossible. We've gotten stuck with Alito who, as you've repeatedly noted, is a pro-abortion activist judge.
Posted by: David Cohen at November 2, 2005 4:19 PMDavid:
And the most extreme conservative in the pile. And he'll be confirmed easily. The extremists just happen to be liberals if you restrct the choices to elites.
Posted by: oj at November 2, 2005 5:35 PMA pile that is limited by the need to sneak the ultimate nominee past the Gang of 14.
Posted by: David Cohen at November 2, 2005 8:44 PMSneak? The extremists went through easily.
Posted by: oj at November 2, 2005 9:01 PMEasier than Ginsburg? Or some of the left's lower court nominees? With a 3+ year wait (on Owens, Pryor, Brown, etc.), I don't think so.
Posted by: jim hamlen at November 2, 2005 10:32 PMThey went through as soon as the Gang acted.
Posted by: oj at November 2, 2005 10:41 PM