Posted on 10/29/2005 5:23:51 PM PDT by Halfmanhalfamazing
WASHINGTON - Rebounding from the failed nomination of Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court, President Bush is poised to select between two of the nation's leading conservative federal appeals court judges - both experienced jurists with deep backgrounds in constitutional law - for what promises to be a bruising Senate confirmation battle.
With an announcement expected Sunday or Monday, administration officials have narrowed the focus to Judges Samuel Alito of New Jersey and Michael Luttig of Virginia, sources involved in the process said. Both have sterling legal qualifications and solid conservative credentials, and both would set off an explosive fight with Senate Democrats, who are demanding a more moderate nominee to replace Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.
(Excerpt) Read more at mercurynews.com ...
Very interesting, traderrob6. I'm not sure what to think of all this re Lutting, except that it's a shame these criteria have been made such big issues in this process.
Now, I have not read all or even most of the fourth circuit opinions but this is what I have heard.... She only disagrees with Luttig, the conservative golden boy, when she goes to his right. She'd be a fantastic pick. I prefer her to Sykes, who has a shorter paper trail, but either would be fantastic.
Either pick would tie Dems in nots as the majority of them approved them for their current Circuit posts. If anything Williams might be an easier confirm despite her rulings on Miranda and on the sexual harrasement case.
Sorry, Lutting = Luttig
Fascinating post. Where did you get all of this? Another matter, is despite the academic record, does Luttig have a first class brain or not, as marketed?
I like Luttig alot, I just think Alito is as good and carries a bit less baggage.
I think he is very smart but his early academic mediocrity could be a potential Dim talking point. I pulled that off of a comment thread at
http://www.confirmthem.com
Bush is at Camp David making his final decision. How did the "sources" find out who is in the running? Seems fishy to me.
No he's not. I saw him on the News Hour the other night, right after Miers withdrew, and his performance was pathetic. He and Dick Durbin were both guests, and Durbin kept going on about how Bush is facing pressure from the "extreme right" to nominate someone "they" want, and who's "outside the mainstream of what Americans want" - you know, the typical Democrat spew. And Brownback didn't lift a finger to correct the misconception Durbin was deliberately pushing.
I don't get this business of why Republicans are expected to be so damned dainty when dealing with Democrats, even when there's a smarmy Democrat sitting right next to him who's dragging conservatives' names through the mud like that. If he can't be bothered to stand up for us in the face of that kind of slander, he's useless.
What was worse is that Durbin was so smug and self-satisfied in that segment, while Brownback was very guarded in his choice of words and appeared on the defensive. I wanted to puke. These idiot Republicans don't even know when they have the upper hand.
I was sort of aware of the academic side, but what interested me was your quid pro quo sort of stuff. Where did that come from?
How could Warner and Graham not support Luttig, a brilliant jurist from their own circuit?
I think McCain will support Luttig or Alito. Just because he makes all of us nuts doesn't mean he is going to be a problem here.
Doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me, but then she is from Texas, and frankly, at this point, that is a negative.
No he's not. I saw him on the News Hour the other night, right after Miers withdrew, and his performance was pathetic. He and Dick Durbin were both guests, and Durbin kept going on about how Bush is facing pressure from the "extreme right" to nominate someone "they" want, and who's "outside the mainstream of what Americans want" - you know, the typical Democrat spew. And Brownback didn't lift a finger to correct the misconception Durbin was deliberately pushing.
Well then while Browback is a real conservative he's too damn wimpy (trying to go compassionate conservative) to ever be elevated to higher office. I'll cross him off my 2008 list. With that said he's the most conservative senator Kansas has sent us in a while, before him there was Bob Dole and Nancy Kasselbaum (sp?)
They won't be able to get the 60 votes to shut off debate and bring any of these nominees up for a vote. And they don't have enough guts or votes to force a change in the rules.
Being a Texan is a negative at this point, except for me Jones and Garza. Of course at this point,the masses may not distinguish Jones and Garza, from the cronies.
I hate to get provincially political about the Supreme Court, but it wouldn't hurt to nominate an Associate Justice out of Virginia right now .. might help Kilgore in the VA gov race ... don't know if Alito would help Forrester in NJ.
I am hoping it is one of them, or Mc Connell ... just not a woman or black or hispanic to fill some 'minority' notion. I was so proud of Bush for originally nominating Roberts because he was so well qualified in spite of the pressure to nominate another woman to replace O'Connor.
You are sure they will filibuster???
They folded once and let Owen, Pryor, and Brown through. The Dems have folded once with these cards, they'll fold again. I'm wiling to wager they do it again.
In poker terms the Dems have no better than a pair of threes
Any thoughts why our favorite-JRB- never makes it to the final round?
I did hear someone say on the tube the other day that he might not want the job. Other possible reasons are his age, the fact that he was barely confirmed as solicitor general, and the never-ending claims that he was involved in the effort to dig up dirt on Clinton (the so-called Arkansas Project). Some Dems just won't accept his denial.
Dan Abrams gave a compelling argument in favor of Olson the other night on his show.
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