January 29, 2006
GEEZ, HE'S NOT SERIOUS EITHER:
Democrats didn't make their case on Alito, Obama says (JEFF ZELENY, 1/29/06, Chicago Tribune
Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., said he would vote Monday to filibuster Judge Samuel Alito's confirmation to the Supreme Court, but he conceded the effort would be futile and criticized Democrats for failing to persuade Americans to take notice of the court's changing ideological face."The Democrats have to do a much better job in making their case on these issues," Obama said Sunday on ABC News' "This Week." "These last-minute efforts - using procedural maneuvers inside the Beltway - I think has been the wrong way of going about it."
Despite his criticism, Obama announced his intention to support the maneuver designed to block - or delay - Alito's confirmation this week. [...]
In his television appearance, Obama did not reconcile his views over the filibuster. Spokesman Robert Gibbs denied a Chicago Tribune request Sunday to interview Obama but said the senator decided to join the filibuster effort because he believes Alito "would be a bad addition to the Supreme Court." [...]
Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., said he also would vote to keep debate open Monday, but he questioned the wisdom of a filibuster and predicted it would fail.
"I think a filibuster make sense when you have a prospect of actually succeeding," Biden said Sunday on CNN's "Late Edition." "If I thought it would work, if I thought it would keep Judge Alito off the bench, there was that kind of consensus, then I would support it."
So, if we're understanding this: Mr. Obama thinks such procedural moves are a mistake and his party didn't make the case to keep Judge Alito off the bench but he'll vote for the filbuster, but just once, then he'll vote against it. He's their best young prospect? Posted by Orrin Judd at January 29, 2006 11:45 PM
He's merely triangulating Hillary's triangulation. Not the best tactic for a hot new face in the party, but it beats having to spray your face with shaving cream and go running in front of the C-Span II cameras on Monday howling the name "Alito" like a maniac to keep the Kos/DU/MoveOn crowd happy.
Posted by: John at January 30, 2006 12:10 AMHe's getting squeezed. Big time.
Posted by: ghostcat at January 30, 2006 12:18 AM"...criticized Democrats for failing to persuade Americans to take notice of the court's changing ideological face." Mayhaps Democrats had succeeded beautifully to persuade Americans of the court's changing ideological face, and Americans like the new face? It's the good Democratic senators who are out of the mainstream swimming in little mud creeks gasping helplessly, flinging mud desperately to try to avoid the fate of that whale in the Thames.
Posted by: ic at January 30, 2006 12:43 AMYour disillusionment is not surprising. Really, the only reason Obama attracted so much "centrist" attention in the first place was that, nationally speaking, he was a tabla rasa. Now that he has to start filling in the blanks, we see the same old D picture...
Posted by: Kirk Parker at January 30, 2006 1:21 AMFollow the $$$.
Posted by: ghostcat at January 30, 2006 1:32 AMWhen faced with a moonbat onslaught, mild-mannered, rational Senator Barak Obama transforms into . . . "Buck-Buck-Barak!" Obama, the Illinois Chicken.
Posted by: Mike Morley at January 30, 2006 6:39 AMMr. Morley;
No, Obama is just reverting to type. He was a lefty even for the Illinois Democratic Party.
Posted by: Annoying Old Guy at January 30, 2006 11:11 AManother empty pair of pants
Posted by: toe at January 30, 2006 12:12 PMIt's called supporting your party, even if they're a bunch of dingbats. He's what - 99th in seniority in the Senate? You tow the line at that time.
Posted by: Chris Durnell at January 30, 2006 1:03 PMChris:
All 100 hundred see a potential president when they look in the mirror. He's acting like he wants to be the junior senator of a marginal party for his whole career when he could easily lead it out of the wilderness instead.
Posted by: oj at January 30, 2006 1:32 PM