[ArcLight]

The fight goes on.

[Thane_Banquo]

The Democrats don't have questions for Estrada. They know he's a strict constructionist. That's why they won't confirm him.

[mike_9958]

It looks to me that the pubs are going to cave... if they do I'm throwing in the towel. Bunch of lazy old men. Finally when we get a real issue that that shows the dems for what they are, we are going to say "pass". I don't understand why they don't grind everything to a halt and shine a big light on this issue, and the obstruction of the democratic machine.

damn it.

[Jackie222]

The longer this goes on the worse it is for the demos. I hope the Pubbies see the benefits of this good fight. If they cave in it will be so wussie......sickeningly.

There is an 'undercurrent' here that exposes the weakness in the leaders of both parties. This is a good fight. He is worth fighting for and stalling out all other business. Thats the problem with the Rep. party today. NO guts. A good old-fashing filibuster will put 'zing' back. The demos are not strong enough........and the Pubbies are pampering them. IMHO

[VRWC_minion]

A New Move on Estrada
The White House challenges Democrats to put up or shut up.

n perhaps its most forceful effort yet to break the stalemate over the appeals-court nomination of Miguel Estrada, the White House has now invited every member of the Senate who has doubts about Estrada's legal views to submit written questions to Estrada by the close of business Friday. In a letter delivered Thursday to all 100 senators, White House Counsel Alberto Gonzales said Estrada will respond by next Tuesday"He would answer the questions forthrightly, appropriately, and in a manner consistent with the traditional practice and obligations of judicial nominees, as he has before," Gonzales wrote.

Gonzales also renewed a White House offer to set up personal meetings between Estrada and any senator who wants to have a one-on-one talk. "We continue to believe that such meetings could be very useful to senators who wish to learn more about Mr. Estrada's record and character," Gonzales wrote.

Finally, Gonzales asked that Democrats with questions about Estrada's work "immediately ask in writing for the views of the Solicitors General, United States Attorney, and judges for whom Mr. Estrada worked and ask them to respond by Tuesday, March 4." Gonzales specifically named appeals-court judge Amalya Kearse, Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, former United States Attorney Otto Obermaier, and former Solicitors General Ken Starr, Drew Days, Walter Dellinger, and Seth Waxman.

The last three names — Days, Dellinger, and Waxman — are particularly significant. All were high-ranking appointees of President Clinton, and their inclusion on the list suggests that the White House is confident they will not voice any objections to Estrada.

In addition, all three have seen at least some, if not all, of the internal memos Estrada wrote while working in the Solicitor General's office. In recent weeks, Democrats have argued that the memos might reveal some heretofore unknown aspect of Estrada's legal views, and thus must be made public before Estrada is confirmed. The White House has refused, calling the documents "highly privileged" — a position endorsed by all seven living former Solicitors General.

In his letter, Gonzales wrote that the former officials "could provide their views on Mr. Estrada's background and suitability to be a circuit judge by March 4 without sacrificing the integrity of the decisionmaking processes of the Judiciary, United States Attorney's office, and Solicitor General's office."

"We believe that these sources of information, which have been available for some time, would readily accommodate the desire for additional information expressed by some Senators who have thus far supported the filibuster of a vote on this nominee," Gonzales concluded. "We ask that you encourage Senators who have objected to the scheduling of a vote to avail themselves of these sources of information."

The letter is the White House's clearest move yet to call the bluff of Democrats who have been demanding more information on Estrada before they will allow a vote on his nomination. In the letter, the administration is saying to Democrats: You want more information, you can ask for more information.

What is not stated, however, is that the letter will give the White House a powerful argument against any Democrats who oppose Estrada and do not ask for more information. You said you wanted more information, the administration will be able to argue, and yet when we offered it you didn't even bother to ask.

Meanwhile, the Democratic filibuster goes on. Sources say the Republican leadership has still made no decision on whether or when to call for a vote to cut off debate and force an up-or-down vote on the nomination. At the moment, Republicans, who have all 51 of their own votes plus four Democrats, would fall five votes short of the 60 needed to cut off debate. But Republicans believe they are making progress and that the filibuster is beginning to take a political toll on moderate Democrats who are so far supporting the filibuster. Thus, the talking will continue. "We are on this next week," one Republican says. "We're committed to it."

[mabelkitty]

Mr. Bush, calling their bluff.

[kcvl]

PLEASE EVERYONE CONTACT THE RNC and tell them NOT TO CAVE AGAIN!!! Unless you want Hillary Clinton becoming the president one day you will do your part. This is just the beginning if the RATS win this one.


http://www.rnc.org/contact/contact.htm

Phone Numbers:
Phone: 202.863.8500
Fax: 202.863.8820

info@rnc.org

I am NOT giving up on this one! STOP THEM NOW!!!

[jwalsh07]

We can do all the screaming we want about the fillibuster being anti-constitutional but that horse ain't going nowhere.

This is a political question and the only way to win is on the politcal battle field. Frist should keep them there 24/7 so that the issue moves into the minds of as many Americans as possible.

At that point there will either be enough pressure to force the dims to vote or their won't be. The only way to win is to play tough and play politics.

[linn37]

I say recess appointment,and when the dems howl point out how they refused to allow the man a vote on the senate floor.

[HumanaeVitae]

The RATS know if they confirm him now, and in short order he's nominated for the SCOTUS, it'll be impossible to stop him.

[PhiKapMom]

I posted Senator Leahy's comments from Wednesday and bolded the most important parts. Please go read them as they are quite telling what the RATs are up to with the Estrada nomination. We must fight for Estrada to be confirmed and not waiver!

Sen Leahy's attack on Estrada, 26 Feb 2002!

[I Am Not A Mod]

Free Republic Highlights, 2/28/03

[RandyRep]

My take on this is this:

1) A filibuster on a judicial nomination is a very bad precedent - so Bush and Frist are doing this as a last gasp before really calling for cloture. The call for more questions and offering peers for comment looks reasonable to most people.

2) If the filibuster works for the Dems, then every judicial nomination can be held to the 60 vote standard. Every president will have a hard time getting nominations through a Senate controlled by either party if there are enough partisans (and they are nearly all partisans, I think).

3) What is needed is a Senate rule that states that Senate advice and consent are not subject to cloture rules. Unfortunately, to add or change a Senate rule requires a 2/3 vote. With all the previous statements about not using a filibuster to delay votes, it would be hard for Leahy and others to vote no.

4) Unfortunately, this is not getting the attention it deserves because of the Iraq situation.

[bmwcyle]

BTTT

[TLBSHOW]

Rush is now reviewing it all and will put the story at his web site later today, telling of the rats filibuster and says no one Bush wants will get in if this is allowed.

Not to mention Estrada life is being destroyed by the rats.

[Anitius Severinus Boethius]

DOOLITTLE'S FLIGHT FAILS TO WIN WAR (My Title)

April 19, 1942

[excerpt]
Yesterday, a flight of bombers led by aviator Jimmy Doolittle bombed Tokyo as well as several other cities.

---------------------------------------------------------

This is unbelievable! What are we, wimps! We can't even kill their so-called "Emporer" when we fly right over their city. I swear, we should just give up now.

Posted by FDRsucks!

---------------------------------------------------------

You got that! I mean, it's been 4 whole months and we can barely get a small unit of bombers to make a run on Tokyo?!? We are a paper tiger!

Posted by CoolidgeLives!

---------------------------------------------------------

Ironic that his name was "Doolittle", huh?

Posted by NeverForgetPearlHarbor

*sigh*

If Freerepublic had existed back then.

[TLBSHOW]

Sorry the site locked up.

Breaking
Rush just had a call from Hatch and he says that the fox story is not correct and there is no vote for Tuesday and that to have a real filibuster like the past can't happen because the senate changed the rules about 20 years ago? Anyone know about that one?

The battle does go on we are told.....

that is good news....I hope!

Oh and Rick's office called Rush too!

So I was wrong and the fox story was wrong where I based my thoughts on this from this.

in other news

George F. Will: Will Bush defend the Constitution?
WASHINGTON -- The president, preoccupied with regime change elsewhere, will occupy a substantially diminished presidency unless he defeats the current attempt to alter the constitutional regime here. If at least 41 Senate Democrats succeed in blocking a vote on the confirmation of Miguel Estrada to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, the Constitution effectively will be amended.
If Senate rules, exploited by an anticonstitutional minority, are allowed to trump the Constitution's text and two centuries of practice, the Senate's power to consent to judicial nominations will have become a Senate right to require a 60-vote supermajority for confirmations. By thus nullifying the president's power to shape the judiciary, the Democratic Party will wield a presidential power without having won a presidential election.

http://www.sacbee.com/content/opinion/national/will/story/6174754p-7129857c.html

[Huck]

Let's hang in there folks.

[FryingPan101]

I can hear it now. "Ahem. I find this outrageous. This is totally disingenuous of the White House. This is smoke and mirrors. This an attempt to lure the attention of the citizens of this country away from the pending tax cuts for the rich. This does nothing to fix the problem of Estrada's not being Hispanic enough."

[nicmarlo]

Yes, let's get ALL their questions WRITTEN DOWN, recorded for infamy, and PUBLISHED for ALL to see and read.

[Political Junkie Too]

The next two years of Republican rule in the Senate has come down to this showdown over Estrada. The Republicans cannot afford to back down on this issue, because there is no tomorrow if they lose this.

The Democrats are throwing everything they have left at this, burning all their bridges along the way on their scorched-earth strategy. That, in itself, is telling in that the Clinton's have a long history of not abiding by any of the long-held traditions that have prevailed in our government bodies. The fact that the Democrats, who have often harkened back to the grand traditions of the Senate, are so quick to throw it all away over this nomination tells me that they recognize that this is the high-water mark for them and they are willing to do whatever it takes to keep power.

The Republicans must realize that they are being forced into a position of having to do whatever it takes to keep power, no matter how distateful that may be to their senses.

There is no tomorrow for them if they lose this.

-PJ