[Les_Miserables]

I guess your point is the Senators should not use their own intellect in deciding their vote but should just say "whatever"..right? What's your point..that Lott and Hatch acted properly and they should continue to use that logic? Why are they there then if their vote is predetermined by the President? We could just elect signs and glue them into the seats in the Senate chamber.

[McGavin999]

The senator's place is to advise and consent. It is their job to question her to see if she has the proper judicial temprement and if she is more than qualified. The fact that she has a degree in law makes her qualified so the only remaining question is will she administer the law in a fair manner. THAT is their only job at this point.

Our role in this whole affair was done on election day. We gave that power to the President of the United States. At that point, our constitutional obligations were ended.

[McGavin999]

Why are they there then if their vote is predetermined by the President?

Their JOB is to legislate. The whole advise and consent deal was to make sure that corrupt persons were not nominated. Read the constitution some time, it's only a few pages long, written quite clearly, as a matter of fact it was written so the average American could understand it. It is due to legislative and judicial interference that it's made to seem complicated.