Posted on 05/24/2005 5:26:15 PM PDT by mdittmar
"We have sent President George Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and the radical right of the Republican party an undeniable message....the abuse of power will not be tolerated."
That was Democrat Minority Leader Harry Reid chortling over his party having once again put one over on the stupid party.
Seven so-called Republicans signed an idiot's compromise over the matter of judicial nominations, agreeing to defy the White House and their own leadership and for all intents and purposes give the Democrats a license to continue obstructing the approval of the president's judicial nominees.
Make no mistake about it this deal is nothing less than an abject surrender made more humiliating by its impudent demand that the President consult with the Senate BEFORE submitting his judicial nominations to the Senate.
According to the surrender document, "We encourage the Executive branch of government to consult with members of the Senate, both Democratic and Republican, prior to submitting a judicial nomination to the Senate for consideration."
In other words, in addition to shamefully legitimizing the Democrats' unprecedented use of the filibuster to prevent nominees from being given their constitutional right to be given an up-or-down vote, the deal attempts to rewrite the Constitution by seeking to meddle with the president's right to be the sole judge of whom he will nominate for judicial appointments.
If you listen to the seven deserters indulging in self-congratulation over their betrayal of the voters who made the GOP the majority party in the Senate, the deal was a victory for all Americans. But if you want to know who really won in this disgusting episode listen to Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, who boasted that her group was "heartened that the crisis has been averted and the right to filibuster preserved for upcoming Supreme Court nominations. We are confident that a Supreme Court nominee who won't even state a position on Roe v. Wade is the kind of 'extraordinary circumstance' this deal envisions."
Time and again the Senate's Democrat minority have demonstrated their willingness to employ the worst kind of skullduggery and outright lying and deception to obtain what they could not win from the voters, yet this gang of seven displayed a child's naiveté in accepting as valid the minority's trustworthiness and their promises to abide "upon mutual trust and confidence, related to pending and future judicial nominations in the 109th Congress."
Even more incomprehensible is the gang of seven's reliance on the Democrats' definition of the term "extraordinary circumstances," not spelled out in the surrender document, which states: "Signatories will exercise their responsibilities under the Advice and Consent Clause of the United States Constitution in good faith. Nominees should only be filibustered under extraordinary circumstances, and each signatory must use his or her own discretion and judgment in determining whether such circumstances exist."
In other words, they will rely on the duplicitous Democrats to decide what constitutes "extraordinary circumstances," which you can be certain they will define as relating to a nominee's stand on abortion and the legitimacy of liberal judicial activism supplanting the legislative process and the will of the voters as expressed at the polls. You might just as well post a sign on the door of the Senate chamber stating "No conservatives need apply."
The liberals' real target is the probability of Supreme Court vacancies and the administration's demonstrated tendency to nominate conservatives. By retaining the ability to filibuster, they plan to block any nominee to the high court who does not fit comfortably into the left-wing mold. Fortunately, the gang of seven was unable to surrender the ability of Senator Frist to employ the nuclear option should the Democrats attempt to deny the president's Supreme Court nominees their right to up-or-down votes.
Finally, the GOP's conservative majority needs to let the gang of seven know they will pay a very high price if they continue to play the Democrats' game.
Victory as been put into the jaws of defeat. Why, WHY? Why after working so hard for decades to win a majority of seats in the Senate why would these 7 "Republicans" comprimise with Democratic, lying scoundrels?
This was the time to exert their hard won power.
I was gladdened to here Senator Frist say today that he made no deal with anyone and that he intends to bring up for a vote each and every judicial nominee. Finally, a Republican who knows how to be in power. JUST DO IT!
FRIST '08!
The Democrats should be called on their fillibuster, make them do it. Actually, really make them do a "Mr Smith Goes to Washington" fillibuster. I don't think they have yet, have they?
If wanting Senators to do their Constitutional duty of Advise and Consent is being an extremist, then so be it; I am an Extremist. In this case, the term is not a pejorative.
Call their bluff, make them fillibuster! Let them know as soon as they stop reading the D.C. phone book that Senator Frist will be calling for a vote!
All day, every time I hear something about this deal, I keep hearing the old (60s? 70s?) song about the woman who takes in a half frozen snake...
"Take me in, tender woman
Take me in, for heaven's sake
Take me in, tender woman," sighed the snake.
Once revived, the poisonous snake returns her kindness by biting her. She questions why and the snake replies...
"Oh shut up, silly woman," said the reptile with a grin
"You knew damn well I was a snake before you took me in"
Take me in, tender woman
Take me in, for heaven's sake
Take me in, tender woman, sighed the snake.
When God passed out spines the Insignificant Seven thought he said wines and were all at the bar.
These 7 have betrayed our trust--we put them in office to advance the President's nominees, not to reaffirm the Democrat's right to obstruct the Constitutional process of advise and consent. Time to cull the ranks, politically speaking, of RINOs who think Senate rules and "comity" are more important than the will of those who elected them.
Bingo!
Ain't enough "retailers" in D.C. to choose from.
"Observance of the Constitution is essential to the survival of the Republic and the well being of Americans,their lives,liberties and property.Those in power must fear the consequences of ignoring,evading or violating it."
These republican turncoats, why can't the leadership discipline them? If I were in power they would find every turn blocked; I would work to throw them off every committee they wanted -- they would be on the dog food purity committee; they would have the heat and air conditioning cut off to their offices; their office would be out in the parking lot etc. There are thousands of unpleasant things that they could run into day after day hour by hour minute by minute I would assign someone full time to make their lives miserable.
The Gang of Seven is responsible for the Miers' turmoil we're currently experiencing.
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