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 ...
People that slur and slime others simply point out their own low character, in my opinion.
Awesome!
For machine guns? How many own those puppies?
I'm planning to stay there next time in NH too.
Actually, I called President Bush and demanded that it be Cox of CA, newly confirmed to be the head of the SEC.
Picking Alito will put pressure on Corizine....who is in a tight Governors race in NJ.
Nope he will absolutely not. Alito is more clearly pro gun and anti Roe than Luttig. Alito will drive Specter nuts.
My pick is Luttig but Samuel Alito would be great too.
well said
Come on Keith....... No one is tuned in like Jan Crawford Greenburg!(/sarcasm)
Or failing that, the late Rebbe Menachem Schneerson
They've both been more prescient than those pundits with "inside sources," IMO.
I like Alito, but whoever it is, Dubya needs to make this one count. No guarantees that there will be any more picks before the end of his term. I suspect Stevens and Ginsburg will do all they can to hold on until 2009, in the hope that a Democrat will nominate their replacements.
It's not about the caliber, it's about the principle.
The specific type of gun isn't material. If anything it's an emotional issue more than anything else. I can already see the commerical "Ben Nelson voted against a gun rights supporting judge. Say no to Ben Nelson this fall, before he comes for your gun."
Good guy.
I agree. While I love Luttig, I would rather have Alito. I am bothered that Luttig helped throw out Virginia's partial birth abortion ban which was clearly allowable under Roe.
If it's good enough in Iraq that each household is allowed one AK-47, it should be good enough here too.
Do we know what Luttig's position is on Roe? Is it that he truly has less of an animus towards it than Alito, or that he so far hasn't indicated one way or the other?
You have you finger on it. But you forgot Chuck Hagel. Here is my analysis:
Chaffee, Snowe and Collins can not be counted on. They are more likely to vote with the Dems than against them. This means we really only have a 52/48 advantage.
Graham will support any Bush nominee no matter what. He got crushed under a ton of e-mail when he joined the Gang of Fourteen and to avoid crying in public again he will be on the right side this time.
DeWine will whine about it but will go along for the same reason that Graham did - he was burned bad last time probably costing his son a seat in the House and he won't make the same mistake again.
Specter will make a fuss but go along. He sold his soul to the devil (Frist) to get his Judiciary Chair.
That leaves McCain, Warner and Hagel. We need one of those three votes. I have no idea what any of them will do but a failure to support Bush would mean they are writing off any possible chance at the Presidency. That would affect McCain and Hagel. It is the reason for all of this Gang of Fourteen stuff. McCain is desperate to avoid voting for a real conservative. In the end I think he will go along just to keep his slim hopes alive for 2008. Hagel will make the same calculation.
Bottom line is that we should have at least 51 Republican votes for the nominee whoever he/she is as long as the conservative credentials are rock solid.
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