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To: Soul Seeker
Frist DOES have the option to still call the vote on all nominees and I hope he does it.

The way I take his words, he, himself, feels a DUTY to bring all of them to the floor. This is what he said last night ...

I will continue to work with everything in my power to see that these judicial nominees also receive that fair up-or-down vote they deserve. But it is not in this agreement.

But in this agreement is other good news. It is significant that the signers give up using the filibuster as it was deployed in the last Congress in the last 2 years. The filibuster was abused in the last Congress. Mr. President, 10 nominees were blocked on 18 different occasions, 18 different filibusters in the last 2 years alone, with a leadership-led minority party obstruction, threatening filibusters on six others. That was wrong.

It was not in keeping with our precedents over the past 214 years. It made light of our responsibilities as United States Senators under the Constitution. It was a miserable chapter in the history of the Senate and brought the Senate to a new low.

Fortunately, tonight, it is possible this unfortunate chapter in our history can close. This arrangement makes it much less likely--indeed, nearly impossible--for such mindless filibusters to erupt on this floor over the next 18 months. For that I am thankful. Circuit court and Supreme Court nominees face a return to normalcy in the Senate where nominees are considered on their merits. The records are carefully examined. They offer testimony. They are questioned by the Senate Judiciary Committee. The committee acts, and then the Senate discharges its constitutional duty to vote up or down on a nominee.

Given this disarmament on the filibuster and the assurance of fair up-or-down votes on nominees, there is no need at present for the constitutional option. With this agreement, all options remain on the table, including the constitutional option.

108th Congress - Page S5769


1,852 posted on 05/24/2005 1:34:06 PM PDT by Cboldt
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To: Cboldt

Graham (on Hannity) says Saad and Myers will come to the floor for votes!


1,858 posted on 05/24/2005 1:41:16 PM PDT by LisaFab
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To: Cboldt
It is significant that the signers give up using the filibuster as it was deployed in the last Congress in the last 2 years

Only if you believe the 7 Dims won't bail out using the "extraordinary circumstances" provision. They don't even all have to bail, as long as part II B (No rules changes for the 106th Congress) holds. In fact none of them have to bail, the other 38 Dims (and the Dim lite) are enough to prevent cloture of a filibuster as long as the rules are not changed. And the 7 RINOs are enough to prevent that from happening.

Rather than finding out about "trust", I think we just found out what the meaning of "is" is.

2,390 posted on 05/24/2005 5:18:42 PM PDT by El Gato
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