Posted on 04/22/2005 1:51:48 PM PDT by Crackingham
Pennsylvania Republican Sen. Arlen Specter, warning that Democrats and Republicans were headed for "mutual assured destruction" over President Bush's judicial nominees, suggested yesterday that senators vote their consciences and not follow the dictates of their parties in deciding whether to outlaw filibusters of court nominations. Specter, the Judiciary Committee chairman, cast himself in the role of a peacemaker on the same day that his panel -- on a party-line vote -- sent on for full Senate consideration two controversial nominations that had been halted in the last Congress by Democratic filibusters.
"At certain junctures of American history, the fate of our system of government has rested on the ability of members of this body to transcend party loyalty for the national interest," Specter said in a Senate floor speech. "I believe the Senate currently faces such a challenge between party-line voting on filibusters and potential voting on the 'constitutional/nuclear option.' "
The "nuclear option" is the colloquial term that some senators have been using lately to describe a prospective rules change being suggested by Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., that would require federal court nominees to receive an up-or-down confirmation vote by allowing a simple majority vote of 51 senators to cut off debate, thus ending the filibuster delaying tactic.
Some Republicans have taken to calling the majority leader's expected strategy the "constitutional option." Under long-standing Senate rules, 60 votes have been required to end debate. Frist could engineer the rule change as early as next week. Democrats have vowed to tie up the Senate in procedural knots if Republican approve the rules change over their objections.
Specter yesterday reiterated that he had not decided how he would vote on the nuclear option
(Excerpt) Read more at post-gazette.com ...
He doesn't have one he will consult Scottish law.
Arlen, how about telling the senators to follow the wants of the majority of their constituents.... Isn't that their job?
I wonder what he is talking about he seems to be playing both sides of the fence.
What a pompous arse!
You know, Arlen was quite foresighted with that reference...anticipating the recent USSC reliance on international law....:-((
I do wish Arlen and all the Republican Senators would develop a spine. Arlen the RINO is a big disappointment.
hmmmmm.... maybe he did just that.
In fairness to Spector, you could just as easily take his comments as an appeal to Dems to not listen to their leadership, and to stop all the filibusters.
I honestly mean no ill will of any kind by this question, I am just curious.
What happened to Arlen's hair? Is he going through chemo for cancer, or it is just old age? I remember just a few months ago it looked so different.
I thought we called that 'governing by the polls'. You know, wet your finger, stick it in the air to see which way the wind is blowing, and vote accordingly.
going through chemo for cancer. it was announced a few months ago.
None. Zero. Nada. Zilch.
Spector knows this.
Your comments reflect the reality. He is warning the Dems to stand down and allow a vote in the interests of national unity.
Thank you, hope he gets well soon.
He is going thru months of chemotherapy.
"Arlen the RINO is a big disappointment"
He's not a disappointment to me... I knew he was a P.O.S. when he got the job.
The good news in this article is that the GOP may actually force the issue of using cloture to avoid the Senate DUTY of voting on a nominee.
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