Posted on 09/20/2005 11:29:18 PM PDT by msnimje
The reactionary liberal effort in recent years to slow the march of progress by filibustering George W. Bush's judicial nominees was a political disaster for Senate Democrats in many ways, but it was successful in a few. Although most were ultimately confirmed, liberals stopped the president from placing young Grade A jurists on the federal appellate courts who, had they been confirmed a few years earlier, would now be perfectly suitable for Supreme Court elevation.
This is exactly what liberals intended. Proof of that came in staff memos from Dick Durbin of Illinois, quoted by the Wall Street Journal in November 2003. They showed that the Democrats blocked Miguel Estrada, the longest-debated appellate court nominee in Senate history, expressly because, in the words of one memo, "he is Latino." Mr. Durbin, and the Washington lobbyists for whom he shills, wanted to avoid having a qualified Hispanic jurist that Mr. Bush could elevate to the Supreme Court.
Another score for the left was in their effort to distort key nominees' records. Some distortions have stuck and they are having an effect today as controversy-shy White House aides advise the president on his next pick.
-Snip-
(Excerpt) Read more at opinionjournal.com ...
Also check out Miranda's "Confirm Them" Blog.
http://www.confirmthem.com/
Somebody should ask Durbin if Miguel Estrada is our "Latino Amigo?"
HYPOCRITS!
If they have proof of that memo, I would circulate that around in English and Spanish time and time again. I'd make sure the voters know what they had been up to.
Congressman Billybob
Congressman Billybob
RINOs suck.
Bush's greatest failure as a president is his disinterest in enforcing party discipline.
For the opening on the DC Circuit after Roberts is confirmed...I'd like to see Estrada renominated...
Mr. Miranda makes some excellent points. I believe it is appropriate to have a nominee who is prepared to unequivocally make the case for a conservative judicial philosophy. This would be the opportunity for the debate of "great ideas". Is there a chance that the nominee will suffer the fate of Judge Bork? - Possibly. Now, however, Republicans have a majority in the Senate. We know the Dems will challenge if not fillibuster, any clearly conservative nominee for O'Connor's spot, even one with Roberts' temperament. Why not lay the groundwork in way that could galvanize marginal members of the SC (not to mention the Republican base) to re-embrace a non-activist role for the SC.
The tactics demand, of course, that the back-up be more of a stealth but equally conservative nominee.
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