Posted on 04/05/2005 2:06:47 PM PDT by Crackingham
U.S. Senate Republican leader Bill Frist said on Tuesday that courts had acted fairly in the Terri Schiavo "right-to-die" case, differing sharply from a vow of retribution by his House of Representatives counterpart, Tom DeLay.
"I believe we have a fair and independent judiciary today," said Frist, now trying to resolve a battle with Democrats over judicial nominations that threatens to tie his chamber into knots. "I respect that."
Frist and DeLay, as the Senate and House majority leaders, had led a charge for emergency legislation calling on the federal courts to review the Schiavo case. President Bush flew back from a Texas vacation to sign the bill into law. But federal courts refused to intervene and let stand a Florida state court order to remove a feeding tube from the brain-damaged woman. Schiavo's husband had said she would not have wanted to live in her condition, but her parents fought against the tube's removal. Schiavo died last week after spending 15 years in what courts had ruled was a persistent vegetative state.
DeLay, a Texas Republican, said afterward: "We will look at an arrogant, out-of-control, unaccountable judiciary that thumbed their nose at the Congress and president when given jurisdiction to hear this case anew."
In a written statement, DeLay said: "The time will come for the men responsible for this to answer for their behavior."
Frist, asked about the furor over the case, told reporters, "I will let members (of Congress) ... speak for themselves."
But the Tennessee Republican said he believed the courts "acted in a fair and independent way."
The Schiavo case was unique, Frist said. "Our bill said, 'let's let the courts take another look,"' he said.
WOW - More 1 issue Republicans huh? Good thing it's not election year. But, I never did see Frist as shooting for the Presidency and he himself has never come out for it, so let it rest. My choice is the Senator from Texas - John Cornyn! He's got the backbone and a quick tongue to fight off the wicked witch of the east.
Our patience is not limitless...
hillary clinton has a bigger set of testicles than all the Senate Republicans combined.
I'd like to see a reliable poll or survey to show the numbers on this.
15 posted on 04/05/2005 2:15:03 PM PDT by VRWCisme
November '06.
I can not even imagine this man running for President. He has about the worst political instincts going. He's almost as bad as Trent Lott.
Which would be better: to have Congress made up of 49% liberal Democrats, 25% conservative Republicans, and 26% "Republicans" who felt they need run leftward to be and remain "electable"; or to have a Congress made up of 49% conservative Republicans, 25% liberal Democrats, and 26% "Democrats" who felt they needed to run rightward to be and remain "electable"?
I'd suggest the latter would be much preferable. Unfortunately, what we have is the former.
How? Call Greer to Washington and grill him on national television?
That would be an unmitigated disaster, as would calling any federal judge to testify.
DeLay may hold hearings, but he'll drag in Randall Terry, and Father Pavone, and the Schindlers and their incompetent attorney, David Gibbs.
IOW, it will be a regurgitation of "murder, murder, murder."
There is no stomach for such a circus among the vast majority of GOP reps.
I just don't think anything will happen.
Oh get off your high horse! If you sit it out, it will be YOUR fault, and you'll have to live with Hillary just like the rest of us.
But that won't stop you from coming on here and squealing like a pig under a gate.
You punish the GOP, you punish yourself too. Remember that.
I doubt that Frist was misquoted, but they may have quoted one sentence out of context. Frist may have been talking specifically about the Federal courts and not about Judge Greer's court in Pinellas County, FL. I don't see how any informed observer could say that Greer acted fairly in this case, and if Frist is saying that then he's either uninformed or stupid.
I just wish HINO could get asked some tough questions. He'd be as more transparent than glass.
I agree there is a disconnect between a very principled base and a "leadership" in Congress and the White House that has trouble understanding real principle.
I also agree that using the "nuclear option" -- a word we should find a substitute for -- would help the GOP with its voters. The problem is that some of the most moderate GOP senators really don't care about GOP voters, partly because their own constituents aren't that conservative, and partly because that's just the way these senators "think." Rounding up 50 Republican senators for this in the face of the Democratic threats and the post-Schiavo propaganda war mounted by the left will be difficult. But there's a chance it might happen. We'd better hope it does.
Your strategy would not result in a purely conservative GOP caucus. It would result in a smaller GOP caucus. The people would lose wouldn't necessarily be the RINOs. It would be some RINOs and some conservatives -- in each case, the ones with difficult districts.
I can see it now: Tom DeLay himself jumping down the throat of Michael Schiavo on cable tv.
DeLay would have to hire a food taster.
Hillary's ballz ...
Maybe so, but I just see her as a clever panderer.
In any case, it isn't helpful to praise our enemies.
We need to be about strengthening the nerve of our cowardly friends. That may be less glamorous than all the bytching and moaning on this thread. But it's what must happen.
They aren't scared. We are now the equivalent of blacks to the Democrats. They take us (conservatives) for granted, figuring where are we gonna go? I would love to see a strong third party in my lifetime but it isn't going to happen.
Bwahahahahahahhahahahahahha. That's funny. I didn't know he had a sense of humor.
Coburn should be majority leader.
Fair point. Our people are often quoted out of context.
However, there is a larger point: Our people often speak in such a way that it's easy to take them out of context.
They should never say anything they aren't willing to read in print -- in context or out. It isn't that hard to do.
They just need to focus.
Ok...I'm starting to miss Trent Lott.
My sentiments exactly.
I wasn't bitching and moaning, I was just stating a fact.
Republicans have been in control of Congress for going on 5 years.
What have they accomplished?
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