The Vetting We Are Owed

IBD Editorials | May 28, 2009

[Kaslin]

Supreme Court: The large Democratic majority in the Senate is said to make Judge Sonia Sotomayor's confirmation inevitable. Maybe, but Senate Republicans have a responsibility to scrutinize her record.

---

In the summer of 1993, Republican senators let their party and their country down when they essentially played dead in the face of President Clinton's nomination of Ruth Bader Ginsburg to the Supreme Court. The late Sen. Jesse Helms of North Carolina and two other staunch conservative Republicans ended up being the only senators to oppose Ginsburg.

That should not have been.

This is a woman who served as a general counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union, sat on its board and performed volunteer legal work for that radical outfit. Her confirmation hearings should have been a referendum on whether someone so wedded to the ACLU's extreme judicial philosophy could be allowed to sit on the nation's highest court.

Instead, Republicans did what a lot of observers are today predicting they will do in regard to Sotomayor — they declined to waste ammunition fighting a battle they were bound to lose.

But it would be no waste.

First, imagine if the Ginsburg approval really had focused on educating the American public on the ACLU and its crazed positions — such as opposing electronic weapons detectors in airports, helping criminals use technicalities to thwart law enforcement, and holding that while producing child pornography can be illegal, once made, its dissemination is "wholly protected by the First Amendment." Successfully tying Ginsburg to the fanaticism of a group she was deeply committed to might have stopped her.

Second, Americans deserve to know what even a shoo-in nominee really believes. They shouldn't be surprised after the fact.

[cripplecreek]

Comments of Lord Zero on the confirmation of Justice John Roberts.

"Let me also say that I remain distressed that the White House during this confirmation process, which overall went smoothly, failed to provide critical documents as part of the record that could have provided us with a better basis to make our judgment with respect to the nomination. This White House continues to stymie efforts on the part of the Senate to do its job. I hope with the next nominee who comes up for the Supreme Court that the White House recognizes that in fact it is its duty not just to the Senate but to the American people to make sure we can thoroughly and adequately evaluate the record of every single nominee who comes before us."

[ConorMacNessa]

On a less lofty plane, after the treatment of recent Republican judicial nominees, the Democrats deserve a good Borking!

Lamh Foistenach Abu!

[sionnsar]

In the summer of 1993, Republican senators let their party and their country down when they essentially played dead

RINOs doing what RINOs do best. One doesn't shoot dead elephants.

[CaptRon]

That she sits one the board of an organaiztion the calls iteslf “THE” Race should pretty much establish her racist bonafides.

[KrisKrinkle]

“...they declined to waste ammunition fighting a battle they were bound to lose.”

Sometimes it’s better to save your strength for a battle you can win. But there are also times it’s better to go down fighting, even when you know you are going to lose.

[fhayek]

Imagine if John Roberts had been a member of a white supremacist group.

[A.A. Cunningham]

http://www.investors.com/NewsAndAnalysis/Article.aspx?id=478100

[CaptRon]

My point exactly

[CodeMasterPhilzar]

Let me ...

Anyone else noticing how often obama uses this phrase? Let me, let me, let me... He is a control freak. A big government, let the government do everything nanny-state socialist.

[Roccus]

"Let me also say that I remain distressed that the White House during this confirmation process, which overall went smoothly, failed to provide critical documents as part of the record that could have provided us with a better basis to make our judgment with respect to the nomination.

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!!

[Intolerant in NJ]

...Americans deserve to know what even a shoo-in nominee really believes. They shouldn't be surprised after the fact...Interesting call on Rush today - long time listener phoned to admit he had voted for Obama and now was sorry - he had heard Limbaugh say race relations would get worse, not better, after Obama was elected but didn't believe it, especially after seeing O throw Rev Wright under the bus - but now, after watching how well O got along with Lulu, who said all the world's problems are caused by blue-eyed white men, he thinks the Prez really doesn't like whites and understands how much of his agenda comes from that animus......

It's going to be interesting to watch Obama and the 'rats support and even celebrate a woman who has openly said that because of her background and sex she could provide better judgments than could any white male, voted against giving well-earned promotions to white firefighters because blacks came in too low on the qualifing test, and thinks the second amendment doesn't guarantee gun ownership in the several states. After a few weeks or so of that spectacle maybe even the most ignorant, gullible, clueless working class voter who for years has blindly gone for the 'rat ticket because "they're for the little guy" will finally come to understand that 'rat words are for the little guy but their legislation and activism are for the societal outliers like kook environmentalists and resentful gays and minorities who give them the marginal votes they need to stay in power. When and if that understanding finally takes place, Obama and his ilk could lose three votes for every one lost by Republicans by vigorously opposing Sotomayor. 'Rats, beware.......