Posted on 11/13/2004 2:56:30 PM PST by El Oviedo
WASHINGTON -- The Senate Republican leadership is considering a two-year waiver to delay Sen. Orrin Hatch's removal as Judiciary Committee chairman because of term limits, thereby forestalling Sen. Arlen Specter's succession to the post.
Specter has almost entirely backed down from his exuberant post-election comments warning President Bush that no foe of the Roe v. Wade abortion decision would be confirmed for the Supreme Court. Nevertheless, pro-life activists and other conservatives still suspect what course Specter would take as chairman and want to keep him out of that position.
An argument for giving Hatch a waiver is the fact that while facing re-election in Utah in 2006, he would have no committee chairmanship or even a subcommittee chairmanship despite advanced seniority in the Senate. Although Hatch and Specter have had their differences in the past, Hatch has publicly supported Specter as his replacement.
(Excerpt) Read more at townhall.com ...
It would make me one happy hombre. Anybody but Scottish law.
Hatch needs to be term-limited by a good candidate in the primary.
NFW!!! Hatch is only marginally better than Specter. Hatch essentially gave over the committee to the RATs. Remember when the hard evidence of RAT collusion was discovered and all the pubs could do was bemoan the leak??? NO NO NO Term limits are there for a reason. Scrap the seniority system. If PA wants to reelect Specter; if MA wants to reelect Kennedy; if WV still flips us the Byrd that's their business. But that doesn't make their senator one bit better than my newly elected guy or yours.
As I said on an earlier thread where this Novak column was posted, the GOP used to support term limits when they were out of power. Since assuming the majority, it appears there is no longer support for this previously advocated bedrock principle.
Hatch may retire. It's unkown if he will run again in 2006. Personallly, I wish him a happy retirement after keeping the gavel out of Specter's hands for 2 more years.
Yes Hatch is one of those guys the of whom the Washington Post might say "He has matured in the job" and "He has surprised friend and foe alike"
translation: he has sold out conservatives
Right. That requires principle...kinda like that old balanced budget amendment.
Off the Judiciary Committee is the only acceptable option.
Dittos!!! We need either (a)
an implanted chip in the back of Specter's neck to jolt him
when he goes off the reservation to ensure he cant jerk consrvatives around,
or (b) an honorable compromise that keeps Specter out of the chair.
Hatch for 2 more years is a reasonable compromise.
Now, there is the danger that Specter will screw up *later* ... but, here's the good part of the deal: By leaving a carrot for Specter later and putting him on notice, I doubt he'll doe anything foolish in the next 2 years at least.
This is best of all worlds, unless Specter becomes a total angry loose cannon over it.
My understanding was they are brand new and never before used in committee chairmanships.
Before I would agree to this compromise I would want one simple question answered.
What happens in two years? Does Specter get the job then?
We need a full four years just to make a start at taking back our judiciary. Time will undoubtedly be wasted arguing about fillibusters and the usual Democrat obstructionism.
I wouldn't agree to this if it means promising Specter the job in two years. Give him some other post.
What happens if, as a compromise, we let Specter have the chairmanship, but also have a rule put into place that every single judicial nomination must get a full vote on the floor of the Senate with no filibusters allowed regardless of what the judiciary committee does? You know, in the name of compromise.
Amen! Orrin Hatch, in my view, has been far too concerned about not offending anyone on the SJC and compromising anything and everything in order to keep things hospitable.
In a perfect world I would prefer to see Senator John Kyl of Arizona take over Judiciary, but I think that if the President, as the titular head of the Republican Party were to call in Senator Specter and say something like:
"Now Senator, we don't always see eye to eye on many issues, but you ought to understand that the American people expect an end to this damn practice of blocking good judges because the Democrats are applying an abortion litmus test. I'm not going to stand for that anymore, and if you are sitting as chairman, I expect you to get my nominees through committee and down to the Senate floor for an up or down vote, just as you've promised, and I take you at your word. In case you forget, I spent some of my political capital BEFORE the election by campaigning for your ass against a good conservative Congressman, Pat Toomey.
Bottom line Arlen? You owe me. And if you pull any crap as chairman, I will direct Ed Gillespie to expel you from the Republican Party, you will lose any and all perks you have accumulated over the years, you will be bounced from the Senate Judiciary Committee and the whole damn world will know the reason why. You can either operate as an independent or go right on over to those losers on the other side of the aisle, they'd be happy to have you. But you won't get any phone calls returned from THIS office, you'll be lucky if YOUR office isn't in the Senate men's room, so at this point you have to ask yourself if losing everything you've spent your life acquiring is worth defending people who see no moral or ethical problem with sucking the brains out of a nearly born baby, or murdering that child while it is defenseless in the womb. Now Senator, I'm sure you wouldn't enjoy such unpleasantries, so we'll shake hands and smile for the cameras, and I'm going to tell those fine White House presstitutes that you and I are in complete agreement about everything, and that I have every confidence in you as the new Committee Chairman. And you're going to tell everybody and God that you are behind me 100 percent, and if you so much as step one inch outta line, I'm going to personally show you how they turn a bull into a steer down in Texas. Got it Arlen? I just knew you would."
Don't want Hatch in there any more, either.
Wow! Glad you're on our side.
>Bottom line Arlen? You owe me.....<
LOL. MM, I think I love you.
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