Posted on 05/20/2005 3:36:28 PM PDT by Cornpone
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Republican senator who likened Democrats to Adolf Hitler during a heated debate over the future of U.S. judicial nominees on Friday said such language was a "mistake." Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania released a statement saying that "Referencing Hitler was meant to dramatize the principle of an argument, not to characterize my Democratic colleagues."
"It was a mistake and I meant no offense," added Santorum, who holds a key spot in the Republican leadership.
Barring a negotiated settlement before Tuesday, Senate Republicans are moving toward stripping Democrats of using filibusters, their most effective procedural weapon in slowing or defeating some of President Bush's nominees to federal courts.
Santorum attacked Democrats on Thursday for saying Republicans would break Senate rules if they banned filibusters in Senate confirmation debates of judges nominated by Bush.
"The audacity of some members to stand up and say, 'How dare you break this rule,"' Santorum said in Thursday's Senate speech. "It's the equivalent of Adolf Hitler in 1942 declaring," "'I'm in Paris. How dare you invade me. How dare you bomb my city. It's mine."
A bipartisan group of senators hoping to end the dispute over judicial nominations were planning to work over the weekend on possible compromises.
Without a deal, the Senate could vote as early as Tuesday on a Republican initiative outlawing filibusters on judicial nominations. Using the filibuster, Democrats have blocked votes on several Bush appointees they consider unsuitable for the federal judiciary.
Santorum used the statement to take another swipe at Democrats, however, saying they have "violated the long-standing principle of majority rule on nominations and are now accusing us of behaving unlawfully when we are attempting to defend that principle."
ARGH! Hitler tyrannized Germany for several years. The Marxist Dems have tyrannized the USA for several decades, just in slow motion. Santorum had it right the first time....
And they hate the Jews too! Well, most of them.
I disagree. This is senseless hyperbole that adds nothing to the debate.
i am amazed at the stupidity of politicians. Can't they figure out that they simply never,ever ever say use the names hitler, nazi, etc. in public under any circumstances? Especially republicans, he is going to get nailed in the press for this.
Notice that Santorum apologizes for making the remarks...
Compare that to the Pepsi CFO, who apologized that people were offended by her remarks, but did not apologize for making them
"This is senseless hyperbole"
Santorum's comment or mine?
Doesn't Santorum know by now that only the Democrats can get away with invoking Hitler? Sheesh.
Read this:
http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:R6pvvaYN8ksJ:www.thedrewshow.com/reparations/CivilSuitForReparations.doc+Case+No.+CV04-2442&hl=en
It's a case filed in federal court against the democratic party. It has a rather telling history of the dem party's acts against Blacks and Republicans.
There is no "debate."
The duly-elected majority is attempting to rule--and the deposed minority is throwing temper tantrums and using every dirty parliamentary trick in the book to stall what should be the inevitable--while they also try to destroy and smear and bribe and coerce and blackmail and conspire to keep Originalist Pro-Life, Pro-Death Penalty judges off the federal bench. This is not a game. This is not a debate. This is WAR and the stakes are the future of America.
It's high time to level the big guns at the moral monsters blocking the Will of the People. Santorum done good, I'm very glad he said what he did and disappointed he "retracted" it.
The reason Santorum's quip stung and raised such a fuss was it was so close to the mark--plus it co-opted the standard DNC anti-RNC "extremist/Fascist" propaganda line.
Santorum.
My post #10 addressed my position on Santorum's comments.
Thanks for clarifying yours and please reconsider, given that this is indeed WAR.
God give us men. The time demands
Strong minds, great hearts, true faith, and willing hands;
Men whom the lust of office does not kill;
Men whom the spoils of office cannot buy;
Men who possess opinions and a will;
Men who have honor; men who will not lie;
Men who can stand before a demagogue
And dam his treacherous flatteries without winking;
Tall men, sun-crowned, who live above the fog
In public duty and in private thinking. -- Josiah Gilbert Holland. 1819-1881
Calling one's opponents "Nazis" or bringing Hitler into the discussion is the equivalent of using the "F" word.
It's cheap theatrics, and Santorum ought to know better.
Amen...it was stupid, stupid and stupid.
FMCDH(BITS)
Has Sheets Byrd formally apologized for comparing Republicans to Nazis in this filibuster fight? Has Bent Reid apologized for calling Pres. Bush a "loser"?
Santorum was correct. He didn't compare dimocrats to Hitler; he gave an analogy of just how silly their claims actually are.
I'm rather tired of Republicans apologizing for any remark the left chooses to distort, while dimocrats actually do compare Republicans to Hitler without fear of retribution. It's long past time that the Republicans fought back and hard.
He only spoke the truth.
Why apologize for telling the truth?
When, o when will the Senate Republicans grow a spine?
They are so cowed by the liars that make up the main stream media that they cannot think, let alone act, coherently.
BS! Didn't happen, the fact that he apologized adds evidence to his disolving spine.
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