Thanks for the clarification. I am hoping all goes well, but am still amazed that the Dems cannot stop this nomination. McCain still worries me the most. He could stop the nomination for his political ambition, if he believes it would help him somehow.
Anyway, for the Dems moonbat and intellectual wing, this is the end of life as they know it. Alito doesn't believe in the wide interpretation of the Commmerce clause, and that is how the Federal Government has expanded so dramatically into every facet of life.
He has absolutely no inclination to do so for the Alito nomination.
Mr. MCCAIN: I will make one other comment. We are dragging out this process for no good reason. We all know what the outcome of the vote is going to be. We have other pressing business, including lobbying reform, which needs to be taken up by this body. We have pending the issue of the PATRIOT Act. There are many issues we should be addressing and at least beginning to work on, rather than dragging out this process. I wish my colleagues on the other side of the aisle would see fit to bring this process to a close and let us vote on Judge Alito and move on to other pressing issues.The fact that there will probably be a large number of votes on that side of the aisle against Judge Alito doesn't upset me as much as it saddens me. I didn't agree with the judicial philosophy of Justice Breyer or Justice Ginsburg. I knew that Justice Ginsburg worked for the ACLU and held liberal views. But I also believe that elections have consequences. The President of the United States--at that time, President Clinton--nominated them as his selection. There were very few--a handful of votes against either Justice Breyer or Justice Ginsburg.
When there is a large number of votes against this highly qualified individual, it is a symptom of the rather bitter partisanship that exists in this body today, and I regret that very much. There are pressing issues, such as Iran and their rapid acquisition of nuclear weapons, which spring to mind. We have to sit down in an atmosphere of mutual trust and respect and work on these things. I will be very sad when I see this large vote against this good and decent American, but, more importantly, I will be upset because we continue to engage in the kind of partisanship which has even been ratcheted up lately on lobbying reform, when we should be working out a common approach and a common cure for a significant illness that afflicts this body and the Capitol today.
I hope we can finish this debate as soon as possible, vote on Judge Alito, and then move forward.