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Flashback: George Will Against Nuclear Option
Washington Post ^ | 3/20/2005 | George Will

Posted on 10/06/2005 2:30:31 PM PDT by Mighty_Quinn

Why Filibusters Should Be Allowed

By George F. Will Sunday, March 20, 2005; Page B07

With Republicans inclined to change Senate rules to make filibusters of judicial nominees impossible, Democrats have recklessly given Republicans an additional incentive to do so. It is a redundant incentive, because Republicans think -- mistakenly -- that they have sufficient constitutional reasons for doing so.

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: focusontheotherguy; georgewill; judicial; nominee; nuclearoption; rationalization; supremecourt
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To: CaptainK

Buchanan once famously referred to George as "a yapping poodle".


21 posted on 10/06/2005 3:22:58 PM PDT by Texas Songwriter
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To: Huck
Huck,

I don't think you can say 'p****s' here. But that aside, take note as to the relative silence of the democrats and the casual nondescrimination of the dems who speak. It is because we are commiting harry carrie and they are absolutely loving the view.

I do have to agree with you that the pubs in the senate are carlilagenous in their spine and reveal to us a lot about their personal character.

22 posted on 10/06/2005 3:28:09 PM PDT by Texas Songwriter
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To: Reactionary

Breyer's a complete twit. But the idiot GOP voted for him, and now want to enshrine the new standard as the president gets whatever he wants, which is of course BS.


23 posted on 10/06/2005 4:58:22 PM PDT by Huck ("Sometimes you're better off not knowing how much you've been had." --Bob Dylan)
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To: Texas Songwriter

Sorry about the language. Point taken. Can I say wussies? As for the dems enjoying it, thank GW for that. And hell, thank Harriet. She didn't vet herself very well, now did she? The irony is that supposedly GW picked her to avoid a mess! Well, he got a big one anyway. I don't think it's all bad tho. Why shouldn't the conservatives have a voice? If the moderates can have an effective bloc, why can't we? So, if we have to break some eggs, I say let's break em.


24 posted on 10/06/2005 5:01:15 PM PDT by Huck ("Sometimes you're better off not knowing how much you've been had." --Bob Dylan)
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To: Mighty_Quinn; Huck
Rush Limbaugh mentioned this on his radio show today. Whoever tracked this down did a very good job.

A few months ago George Will was making the case that eliminating these judicial filibusters was a bad idea. Then yesterday he criticized the Bush administration for failing to nominate a "truly conservative" Supreme Court justice who only could have been confirmed if the GOP exercised the "nuclear option" and overturned the filibuster rule.

In taking these schizophrenic positions on the issue of judicial nominations, Mr. Will has exposed himself as an utter, two-faced fraud. The man is so full of sh!t that I can smell him from here.

He writes very well and often makes good points, but never trust an inside-the-Beltway jack@ss who wears a bowtie and lists "professional pundit" as his occupation.

25 posted on 10/06/2005 5:03:20 PM PDT by Alberta's Child (I ain't got a dime, but what I got is mine. I ain't rich, but Lord I'm free.)
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To: uncbob

It's pathetic. They talk tough. "Nuclear option"! Ooooo! Scary! All they had to do was change a rule to limit debate. It's not really that big a deal. And the latest thing is to blame the moderates, but what sense does that make? They are what they are. Why would anyone expect them to act otherwise? Actually, they are smarter than the leadership, and more effective too. They band together and get results. Same goes for the Dems. As a minority, they are kicking tail. Clintoon got an ACLU lawyer overwhelmingly confirmed because the GOP are saps. And all they do is say boo hoo it's not fair. A bigger bunch of sissies I've never seen. I actually think they are liars. I think they don't really want what we want. They want to not get what we want, and have someone to blame for it. Why would Orrin Hatch want strict constructionists on the court? What's in it for him? Or Frist? Or any of them? And while they dawdled for over two years, the moderates went out and did something, got an agreement, and now the GOP is STILL whining about it. They're getting their butts kicked.


26 posted on 10/06/2005 5:06:41 PM PDT by Huck ("Sometimes you're better off not knowing how much you've been had." --Bob Dylan)
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To: Alberta's Child
We were talking about this article days ago. I totally disagree with the whiners on this one. Will was correct, and there's nothing inconsistent in his positions. In both cases, he is taking a stand for the Constitution and our system of government, not party politics. Good for him.

As for the so-called nuke option, the GOP had 2 years of talk, talk, talk before the moderates got together and made their deal. While Orrin Hatch was bloviating about discrimination against hispanics (which was ludicrous), something real could have been done. I don't really think Frist or Hatch or most of them really wanted to get the kind of judges we want. I think they are posers and are actually happy with the end result. They get the kind of expansive judges they like, they get to keep pretending they don't like it, and they get to blame someone else for it. Perfect for them, and we're the suckers.

27 posted on 10/06/2005 5:10:39 PM PDT by Huck ("Sometimes you're better off not knowing how much you've been had." --Bob Dylan)
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To: Mighty_Quinn

Interesting catch.


28 posted on 10/06/2005 5:11:39 PM PDT by pollyannaish
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To: Alberta's Child

One more thing: If the nuke option would fix all this, why not do it now? What's the hold up? Is it because they don't have the votes? Then what difference does it make? The GOP made this big deal about the nuclear option, as if it was something radical, and totally lost the debate on it. They should have treated it like no big deal and just done it. And if they didn't have the votes, then what's all the whining about. Moderates will be moderate. That's what they do. And besides all that, I happen to agree with Will. He's right, and the GOP is wrong, just like they are wrong trying to say the prez should pretty much get whoever he wants. We should have advocates like Schumer on our side, instead of fake, ineffective pansies like Hatch, Frist, et al. And to now try to blame a columnist is just pathetic.


29 posted on 10/06/2005 5:15:43 PM PDT by Huck ("Sometimes you're better off not knowing how much you've been had." --Bob Dylan)
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To: Huck
Is it because they don't have the votes?

Yes.

Here's the scenario George Will has to play out for me:

1. Bush nominates Janice Rogers Brown to the Supreme Court.

2. Democrats filibuster the nomination, citing some half-baked rationale based on the "extremism" of the candidate.

3. The 7 GOP "moderates" (I'll lay it all on the line right here and call them "limp-wristed, butt-f#cking @ssholes") side with the Democrats and refuse to support the GOP Senate leadership in exercising the so-called "nuclear option."

OK, smart guy (George Will, that is) . . . What the hell happens next?

30 posted on 10/06/2005 5:26:29 PM PDT by Alberta's Child (I ain't got a dime, but what I got is mine. I ain't rich, but Lord I'm free.)
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To: Alberta's Child

For one, how about forcing a REAL filibuster? Our side wasn't even willing to work overtime for this stuff. And then instead of spewing all sorts of inane nonsense about discrimination against hispanics, how about drawing a line in the sand and go ahead and HAVE the debate. Let it take a year, and truly, honestly debate. Till the entire world is sick of it. Don't let up. Make the case. Have the debate. That's what the Senate is for. Instead, at the slightest inconvenience, our side folds like rental chairs. The Dems have been able to win a lot of ground without even firing a real shot.


31 posted on 10/06/2005 5:36:10 PM PDT by Huck ("Sometimes you're better off not knowing how much you've been had." --Bob Dylan)
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To: Mighty_Quinn

Some might say that here is all the proof we need that tying your bow-tie too tight will kill your brain cells.

Others (more cynical) would observe that Mr. Will's lush income depends upon his finding some "conflict", somewhere, to pontificate about...


32 posted on 10/06/2005 6:03:31 PM PDT by pfony1
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To: Huck

Yep


33 posted on 10/06/2005 6:06:04 PM PDT by uncbob
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To: Alberta's Child
. What the hell happens next?

Bush exerts some DAMN leadership and goes to the American people who supposedly are fed up with liberal judges
34 posted on 10/06/2005 6:08:46 PM PDT by uncbob
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To: Alberta's Child
A few months ago George Will was making the case that eliminating these judicial filibusters was a bad idea. Then yesterday he criticized the Bush administration for failing to nominate a "truly conservative" Supreme Court justice who only could have been confirmed if the GOP exercised the "nuclear option" and overturned the filibuster rule.

What a friggin' weasel. Not that I'm surprised.

I see that George Will has joined the ranks of pundits who forget the great unwashed can use the net to search down their past opinions.

And now he has bite marks in his arse to rival those of Dan Rather. In a way, what Will did was worse. Rather at least was going after those he thought to be foes. Will is stabbing those he professes to be allies right between the shoulder blades with his two-faced columns.

35 posted on 10/06/2005 6:09:53 PM PDT by dirtboy (Drool overflowed my buffer...)
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To: Mighty_Quinn

Thank you for finding this.


36 posted on 10/06/2005 6:10:48 PM PDT by Howlin
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To: Huck
I agree with you 100%. Note, however, that your real complaint is about limp-wristed GOP Senators, not a half-@ssed Supreme Court nomination by this president.

There's a reason why U.S. Senators are usually such terrible Presidential candidates. It's because there is more testosterone in a typical kindergarten class than in the entire U.S. Senate.

37 posted on 10/07/2005 6:48:01 AM PDT by Alberta's Child (I ain't got a dime, but what I got is mine. I ain't rich, but Lord I'm free.)
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To: uncbob

Fine, but then understand that Bush is no longer a Republican at that point -- he's some guy from Texas with his own peculiar political views.


38 posted on 10/07/2005 6:49:11 AM PDT by Alberta's Child (I ain't got a dime, but what I got is mine. I ain't rich, but Lord I'm free.)
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To: Alberta's Child
Well, I'm thru complaining about it (see my tagline.) My point is when it comes to the filibuster, I blame the leadership. Not the RINOs. RINOs are just being who they are.

But that aside, I still am not happy with this pick. And I think filibusters are beside the point, because one can't reasonably argue at this point that the president has avoided political controversy or weakness with this pick. Far from it. Therefore, imo, he'd have been better off picking a fight with the other side, rather than with conservatives. But, it's all water under the bridge now, and we'll just have to wait and see.

39 posted on 10/07/2005 6:56:16 AM PDT by Huck ("I'm calling a moratorium on Miers/Bush/GOP bashing--but it won't be easy (thanks tex))
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To: Huck
I'm not thrilled with this selection, either. I was holding out some faint hope that the President would nominate a CPA or a truck driver for the post.

There ain't no nuances or penumbras when you're hauling a trailer full of gasoline down I-80 at 70 mph.

40 posted on 10/07/2005 6:58:32 AM PDT by Alberta's Child (I ain't got a dime, but what I got is mine. I ain't rich, but Lord I'm free.)
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