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To: Sully- who wrote (19779)	5/4/2006 2:06:21 PM
From: Sully-	Respond to of 35834

Re: Senate Republicans Suck Kathryn Jean Lopez The Corner The cave is official. bench.nationalreview.com corner.nationalreview.com

To: Sully- who wrote (19779)	5/5/2006 10:07:24 AM
From: Sully-	Respond to of 35834

Republicans earning grassroots' disfavor by David Limbaugh townhall.com May 5, 2006 When are Republican politicians going to wake up and quit playing footsie with obstructionist Democrats? Come November, how will Republicans credibly be able to make the case that they deserve to be reelected to majority status when they have unilaterally surrendered their current majority position? Based on their repeated behavior, these Beltway politicians couldn't possibly comprehend the degree of angst, disgust and frustration swelling in the conservative base of the Republican Party. The tepid, feckless reaction of Republicans to the Senate Democrats' latest assault on President Bush's judicial nominations is a perfect illustration of their recurring abdication. More and more they think like Democrats, act like Democrats and get in bed with Democrats. And why? Democrats do not come to them bearing gifts. Like the unmitigated minority bullies they are, Democrats are threatening to filibuster White House aide Brett Kavanaugh, President Bush's nominee for the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, and Judge Terrence Boyle, his nominee for the 4th Circuit. Democrats are grossly politicizing Kavanaugh's appointment, using it as yet another platform to paint the administration as a sadistic torturer of terrorist detainees and an enemy of the 4th amendment through its NSA wireless surveillance program. Democrats are alleging that since Kavanaugh has been a White House staff member, he must have approved of these dastardly policies and must not be allowed anywhere near the federal appellate bench, where he would vote to constrict our civil liberties. As for Boyle, Democrats are pretending to be concerned that he is riddled with conflicts of interest and has heard cases involving companies in which he had a financial interest. Sound familiar? Remember a few months ago when they made a similarly bogus charge against Judge Alito concerning his interest in Vanguard? Senate Judiciary Committee members have a lot of gall to be throwing around ethics charges when the very substance of those charges is unfounded and fraudulent. Which is more unethical: for a judge to hear a case involving a party in which he has a financial interest, but whose interest cannot possibly be affected by the outcome of the case -- as in Vanguard? Or, for United States senators to level unfounded allegations -- bearing false witness -- against judicial nominees of stellar character? Senate Democrats have proven themselves to have no credibility when it comes to assessing the character of President Bush's judicial nominees, who they routinely slander with actual malice -- that is, knowing their charges are false, or having reckless disregard for whether they are true or false. When will Republicans quit tolerating this and begin to condemn these Democratic senators for their tortious conduct, quit trying to compromise with them and plow forward full speed ahead with these nominations? Why would the Democrats' filibuster threats even bother Republicans? They should welcome the showdown. And if Republican members of the Gang of 14 want to continue their charade of colluding with these obstructionists, target every last one of them for defeat in the primaries, no matter how secure their seats. Make them pay for defecting in the name of collegiality. Why do Republicans always run for the tall grass every time the "f" word is whispered rather than calling their bluff and forcing the Democrats into a real filibuster, instead of idle threats of one? As I wrote at the time, the Gang of 14's agreement that averted the Republicans' invocation of the "nuclear option" was a great betrayal, because it legitimized judicial filibustering. Republican Gang members insisted the concessions they secured, such as the Democrats' agreement to allow nominees Janice Rogers Brown, William Pryor and Priscilla Owen to get a full floor vote of the Senate -- big whoop -- outweighed any negatives. Plus, they boasted, Democrats agreed that henceforth they would only filibuster judicial appointees upon the existence of "extraordinary circumstances." Nonsense! As we knew at the time, "extraordinary circumstances" was undefined and left open to each member of the Gang to define for himself. Result: The judicial filibuster remained alive and well. And since that ignoble "bipartisan" treaty, we've seen the Democrats threaten the filibuster time and time again. This cannot go on. The Republicans' acquiescence to the Democrats' demand for a delay on the hearings on these nominations is just another straw. When will the elephant's back be broken? How long will Republicans continue to allow themselves to be walked on? Whether it's their shameless joinder with Democrats in demanding investigations of oil companies, their acute tone deafness on the growing immigration crisis, their refusal to bring discipline to spending, or their willingness to let the tail wag the dog on judicial appointments, the Republicans are begging for a drubbing in November. Grassroots frustration is growing with a vengeance, and someone in charge better wake up and show some leadership. Yesterday. David Limbaugh is a syndicated columnist who blogs at DavidLimbaugh.com. He is also the author of Persecution and Absolute Power: The Legacy of Corruption in the Clinton-Reno Justice Department. Copyright © 2006 Creators townhall.com

To: Sully- who wrote (19779)	5/6/2006 12:56:55 PM
From: Sully-	Respond to of 35834

Keep the champagne on ice Power Line Bryron York reports on the latest round in the judicial confirmation wars. His most telling piece of information, it seems to me, is that Republican staffers are now boasting about the confirmation rate for Bush nominees -- the highest since President Reagan. As York notes, that's normally the Democrats' line. The Republicans typically complain about how the Democrats have succeeded in thwarting the will of President Bush and the public. The new line suggests that the Republicans aren't going to be very aggressive this time around. And York's report confirms that, while there will be a big (and probably successful) push for Brett Kavanaugh, the outlook for the other stalled nominees -- Terrence Boyle, William Myers, Jim Haynes -- is fair to poor. Indeed, York reports that Haynes, the General Counsel of the Defense Department, is unlikely to get a vote this session. His source claims that Republicans don't want to defend the military's treatment of military prisoners this close to an election. But the Republicans need not worry about losing votes because of public sympathy for the inmates at Gitmo. The real reason why Haynes, who in my view has done more to protect the security of this country than any other Bush nominee, won't get a vote is that Senator McCain and his sidekick Senator Graham (the Arlen Specter of the south) don't want him confirmed -- a fact that conservatives should remember in 2008. With Haynes and Boyle in trouble, the long-term prospects for preventing an activist Fourth Circuit are diminished. Finally, let's not throw a party because the confirmation rate for Bush's nominees is higher than the rate for those of his father and President Clinton. The Democrats controlled the Senate for the entire Bush I administration. The Republicans controlled it for most of the Clinton presidency. Bush II had essentially an evenly divided Senate for two years and a Republican Senate since then. powerlineblog.com article.nationalreview.com weeklystandard.com

To: Sully- who wrote (19779)	5/9/2006 5:34:41 PM
From: Sully-	Respond to of 35834

American Bar Association shenanigans The American Thinker The ABA is treading on dangerous ground by allowing its rating of judicial nominees become openly politicized. Charles Hurt writes in the Washington Times <<< A 14-member ABA committee changed Brett M. Kavanaugh’s rating last month in part because six members downgraded their rating from the last time the White House aide was reviewed, panel Chairman Steven Tober said. Washington divorce lawyer Marna S. Tucker, a registered Democrat, conducted the most recent interview of Mr. Kavanaugh and delivered testimony on behalf of the ABA over the telephone yesterday for the Judiciary Committee hearing today. Ms. Tucker has donated more than $10,000 to Democratic candidates and causes, according to Federal Election Commission records [see link below], a Web site that tracks campaign contributions. She has never given to Republicans, according to the site. The Washington Post described her as a ‘prominent liberal’ in 1991 and the following year noted her friendship with Hillary Rodham Clinton, now a Democratic senator from New York. Ms. Tucker also is a founding member and board director of the National Women’s Law Center, an organization committed to abortion rights and other liberal causes.” >>> Hat tip: Todd Christian americanthinker.com washingtontimes.com politicalmoneyline.com