Reid: Pick Nominee in Earl Warren Mold

AP ^ | 7/9/05

[Crackingham]

Contending that President Bush's far-right allies are pushing him to appoint an extreme conservative to the Supreme Court, Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid pointed to liberal icon Earl Warren as a model. In his party's weekly radio address, Reid, D-Nev., noted that Saturday marked the anniversary of the 1974 death of Warren, a Republican whose court established a liberal tradition with its 1954 school desegregation ruling and other decisions. Reid said Warren had been able to forge a consensus on the court that would become the national consensus.

"Mr. President, that's the kind of justice we hope you'll nominate," Reid said in Saturday's broadcast. "Someone who will bring us together. A mainstream justice who won't use their judicial robe as a cloak to impose their political ideology on the country."

Bush is considering a nominee to succeed Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. The Senate, under the Constitution's directive that it offer "advice and consent" on such appointments, must vote on his choice.

O'Connor, a Republican and long a swing vote on the court who often took a moderate stance on decisions, to the chagrin of conservative activists, announced her retirement last week. Reid hailed her tenure on the court and said she decided cases "the old-fashioned way — based on law, not politics."

Reid said he hopes Bush and the Senate will work together to nominate and confirm a justice who can build on national consensus on important issues, hold a deep respect for the Constitution, and make rulings not along narrow partisan ideology, but with "an open mind and a big heart."

"But radical-right activists are hungry for something else," he added. "President Bush's far-right allies are spending millions of dollars to pressure him to pick not just a conservative, but an extreme conservative, someone out of the mainstream, someone who will impose their narrow partisan agenda from the perch of the highest court in the land instead of faithfully interpreting the law."

"America deserves better," he said.

[longtermmemmory]

Reid's democrat radio adress needs a LAUGH TRACK.

(ATTENTION RUSH)

Seriously, Reid's words are a JOKE. I could not help but laugh at the absurdity of a LIAR like Reid saying things like national consensus (party of consensus not values) or judge with a heart. (tell that to homeowners in CT)

Democrats have become such a parody they are in desperate need of a laugh track.

[PhiKapMom]

Sickening if you ask me -- the far left is liberal but I guess the world liberal isn't PC! Have I said I detest the majority of the media lately? Without their friends in the media, they never would get by with the liberal agenda being called moderate.

Just thankful we have talk radio and the Oklahoman newspaper or I would really get irritated.

[PhiKapMom]

I grew up with my Dad wanting to impeach Earl Warren. Don't think I ever heard him say one good word about him! First bumperstrip I ever remember my Dad putting on the car was "In Your Heart You Know He's Right" and after the election "I was one in 27 million!" for Barry Goldwater.