SNOWE TO VOTE YES ON ALITO

[pkmaine]

SNOWE ANNOUNCES SUPPORT FOR JUDGE SAMUEL ALITO’S NOMINATION TO THE SUPREME COURT

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Olympia J. Snowe (R-ME) today announced that she will vote to confirm the nomination of Judge Samuel Alito to be the next Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court. Snowe released the following statement:

“This nomination presented me with a close and difficult decision. It was only after a careful, full, and fair review of Judge Alito’s judicial record, as well as the role of the Senate and the founding fathers’ intent for the confirmation process, that I have concluded I will vote to confirm him to the Supreme Court.

“While I have several concerns with this nomination, history has consistently demonstrated that predicting how a justice will rule on a particular case is inherently unreliable. Therefore, I believe the most appropriate standard of review should include a comprehensive evaluation that measures intellectual ability, diversity of professional experience, and reputation for integrity and fairness. A nominee must also demonstrate a commitment to judging individual cases on their own merits and with an open mind, a mainstream judicial methodology and philosophy, and a respect for court precedents.

“Based on the totality of his qualifications, Judge Alito appears to meet these standards, as evidenced by the American Bar Association’s highest rating of “well-qualified,” as well as his judicial record and Senate testimony. The unprecedented statements of support from well-respected Circuit Court judges who have served with him -- judges who were appointed by both Democrat and Republican presidents – also proved compelling.

“What we do here today will have a profound impact on preserving the integrity of the confirmation process – and I think each of us individually and collectively should take this responsibility seriously to achieve this goal.”

[TheBigB]

I'll take that bet, since you're officially saying there are 110 Senators. :)

[RonF]

Ever notice the gay folk tend to hang out near coastlines. Why is that?

Because major urban centers tend to be near coastlines (or falls or rapids or forks of rivers), and when you're a 1-in-20 minority or less it's easier to find a date when you're living in a concentration of lots of people than it is in rural areas. Also, they tend not to have kids and have more disposable income, and those areas have higher living costs and more cultural amenities.

[southernnorthcarolina]

My official prediction is 62-47 with one absent or voting "present."

This must include the Senators from DC, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, Guam, and American Samoa.

[RockinRight]

62-37...sorry, coffee hasn't kicked in.

[mewzilla]

Well, if Pubbies are thinking of voting for her because of this, they should ask themselves a question. If Stevens retires after she wins re-election, would she still vote to support the president's choice?

[RockinRight]

See post 24.

[golfisnr1]

This woman defines the word "SMUG".
Can't stand her. At least Barbara Boxer doesn't pretend to be anything but a liberal.

[dfwgator]

My official prediction is 62-47 with one absent or voting "present."

When did we get 109 Senators?

[RockinRight]

Yes, but she also needs to make sure she doesn't piss off enough of the 54 conservatives that vote in the ME primary that she'd lose to a conservative challenger.

[RockinRight]

It includes Mexico. ;-)

Not really, I'm still groggy. I meant 37, not 47.

[xzins]

I think bandwagon is part of it, but if she had gone against Alito, then it would have seriously undercut her fellow REPUBLICAN senator in Maine, Susan Collins.

Apparently, the political winds in Maine make it necessary for repubs to be a bit more liberal.

Snowe would have been sending the message that she is righteous but that Collins is unrighteous.

[OKIEDOC]

Would have been better if she had got on the train earlier in the process.

Listening to CSPAN and to those Negative Dimorats whine on about nothing.

Why do I feel a certain amount of pleasure at watching these left wing moon bats slobber all over themselves to stick pins into Judge Alito.

Could it be these @ssholes finally see their house of cards starting to fall like a suicide jumper from the Empire State Building.

[g_suvorov]

I'm sorry, but I take offense to your characterization of Maine as a "filthy place" That is completely beyond the pale.

Maine is a wonderful state. And we are not "blue blue blue." The state government is almost equally divided between the two parties. We have two GOP senators. And we believe in fiscal responsibility and personal privacy. What's so "filthy" about that?

[Gunder]

Let's give credit where it's due. Maine is a blue state. Good for her.

[Republican Wildcat]

40 have announced opposition already.

[Grendel9]

IMO, she continues to win a Senate seat
because the Maine DEMOCRATS vote for her!
She's almost as bad as Jeffords(I)of VT
who's no more an Independent that Howard Dean!

[Gay State Conservative]

Ever notice the gay folk tend to hang out near coastlines.Why is that?

In Maine,it's Ogunquit...in Massachusetts,it's Provincetown.

I think it's because of all the romantic sunrises and sunsets there...and because,given that they don't have children to support,they're the only ones who have the $$$ to buy expensive real estate.

[oldbrowser]

Could it be these @ssholes finally see their house of cards starting to fall like a suicide jumper from the Empire State Building.

Call it the Ginsburg selection legacy.

[woofie]

In the next confirmation hearing the standard should be "is the Candidate smarter than 3 Democratic Senators at once ? " If so confirm him/her

[woofie]

The last I checked the Bush family has a place in Maine...