Reid Offers Olive Branch on Bush Nominee
Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid Gives Support to a Bush Judicial Nominee As Goodwill Gesture
By JESSE J. HOLLAND Associated Press Writer
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON May 9, 2005 — Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid on Monday offered the Democrats' support for one of President Bush's judicial nominees, former Senate lawyer Thomas Griffith, as a goodwill gesture in the confrontation over banning judicial filibusters.
"Let's take a step away from the precipice," Reid said. "Let's try cooperation, rather than confrontation, which seems to be the hallmark of what we've been doing here lately."
The offer came as President Bush and Senate Republicans renewed their pressure on Democrats to stop blocking some of his judicial nominees, four years to the day that the White House unveiled its first judicial picks.
"Each deserved a simple up-or-down vote by the entire Senate," Bush said in a statement, pointing out that two of his first nominees from 2001 Texas judge Priscilla Owen and North Carolina judge Terrence Boyle have yet to be approved by the Senate.
Griffith replaced a third, Hispanic lawyer Miguel Estrada, who withdrew his nomination for the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia after Democrats filibustered his nomination for two years.
Griffith was the Senate's general counsel during President Clinton's impeachment and became Brigham Young University's general counsel in 2003.
Democrats are hoping Reid's offer will help convince a number of undecided Republicans that they can be reasonable and that the GOP should not support Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist's call to ban judicial filibusters.
"We know the difference between opposing nominees and blocking nominees. We will oppose bad nominees, but we will only block unacceptable nominees," Reid said.
Republicans say all of Bush's nominees should get confirmation votes. "Why stop at one?" Frist spokesman Bob Stevenson said. "We should take them all up, including those to be reported out of committee later this week."
U.S. Appeals Judge William Pryor who got a recess appointment from Bush after Democrats blocked his confirmation and Boyle are expected to get committee votes later this week. But Republicans spent most of the day talking up Owen's nomination.
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