Gore, Democrat Voters Demand End to Filibuster

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- In a startling turn of events, thousands of opponents of the Bush administration have turned their wrath on Senate Democrats for obstructing the confirmation vote for U.S. Court of Appeals nominee Miguel Estrada. Senate minority leader Tom Daschle orchestrated a filibuster earlier this week to prevent the appointment of Estrada, who he and other Democrat senators say has not been forthcoming enough during the hearing process.

Democratic operatives demonstrate in hopes of securing an up-or-down vote on the Estrada nomination.

Former Senator and Vice President Al Gore himself spoke out forcefully but somberly on the Constitutional threat posed by the filibuster: "Once the votes have been legally cast they have to be counted. That's what we do here in America. We don't give the control over the outcome of the election to the people who are in charge of the voting system or machinery. We count the votes and let the people decide. And that's the only way we can have a legitimate outcome," said Gore.

Former Vice President Gore visits President Bush at the White House to show support for the President's call for a final confirmation vote on Estrada.

"What is wrong with counting the votes?" Gore asked. "I'll tell you what's wrong with not counting the votes. If you ignore the votes, you ignore democracy itself. You ignore the will of the people. You ignore the basic principle upon which our whole system of self-government is based. That principle is the consent of the governed. And the consent of the governed is expressed in elections, through ballots, votes that are cast by the people.

"And if those in charge of the election machinery, for whatever reason, decide that, in this county or that, in this area or in that, they are simply going to ignore the votes and not count them, then the will of the people has not been fully and fairly expressed. And, as a direct consequence, the consent of the governed has not been fully and freely given.

Democratic demonstrators protest what they believe is the shameless disenfranchisement of Orrin Hatch and other GOP senators.

In recent days, tens of thousands of Gore supporters have taken to the streets demanding that Estrada receive a "fair, accurate count" of votes in the Senate. Bearing signs reading "This is America; Count Every Vote!" and "Let The People Decide," they protest what they claim is deliberate disenfranchisement of the 51 Republican members of the U.S. Senate.

Shouting the mantra "Count every vote," civil rights leader Jesse Jackson rails against Daschle's opposition to well-qualified minority judicial nominees, at a recent anti-filibuster rally in Washington.

Angry liberals assemble outside Senator Daschle's office demanding that every vote be counted.

Even more surprising, numerous Senate Democrats have vociferously condemned their own positions on the Estrada filibuster.

"How can we teach our children that every vote counts if we are not willing to make a good-faith effort to count every vote?'' asked Connecticut Senator and former Gore running-mate Joe Lieberman, scolding himself as well as fellow Democrats.

"Americans want all votes counted. That's all," said Massachusetts Senator John Kerry, appearing on CNN's "Larry King Live."

New York's junior Senator Hillary Clinton weighed in as well. "I would hope that there will still be an opportunity to have the votes counted," she said, in a separate interview with Larry King.

CBS anchor Dan Rather denounces the Estrada nomination, asserting that "Larry Wilcox was way better on CHiPS."

On the other side of the issue, the normally objective CBS anchor Dan Rather couldn't resist expressing a lone voice of support for the Democrat's stalling tactics. Insisting he was "madder than a rained-on rooster," Rather alleged that Miguel Estrada opposes "a Wookiee's right to choose." The veteran newsman also insisted that Senator Daschle is "more likely to give a hippopotamus a pedicure than to let that funny little wetback get on the federal bench." Rather subsequently revealed that his real name is Zoltan, viceroy of planet Wibleg. He added that he is being persecuted by former presidential candidate Ross Perot, who, Rather alleges, plans to use altered photographs to make him appear to be a lesbian. White House press secretary Ari Fleischer declined to comment on Rather's claims.

Dear President Bush,
With the Surpeme Court session getting ready to close, it may well be time for perhaps the most important domestic decision of your presidency: the appointment of a Supreme Court Justice(s). The main reason why I supported you in 2000 and why I wanted Daschle out of power in 02 (and 04) has to do with the courts. I want America courts to interpret law, not write law. During your presidential campaign you said Thomas and Scalia were your two model justices. Those are excellent models. The High Court needs more like them. Clarence Thomas recently said to students that the tough cases were when what he wanted to do was different from what the law said. And he goes by the law. This should be a model philosophy for our justices. Your father, President Bush lost his reelection campaign for 3 main reasosn, as far as I can see. 1. he broke the no new taxes pledge 2. David Souter 3. Clinton convinced people we were in a Bush recession (which we had already come out of by the time Clinton was getting sworn in)

I urge you to learn from all three of these: 1. on taxes, you're doing great. Awesome job on the tax cut. 2. good job so far on judicial appointments. I want to see more of a fight for Estrada, Owen, and Pickering, but I commend you on your nominations. 3. by staying engaged in the economic debate you'll serve yourself well

I have been thoroughly impressed with your handling of al Queida, Iraq, and terrorism. You have inspired confidence and have shown great leadership.

But I want to remind you that your Supreme Court pick(s) will be with us LONG after you have departed office. I urge you to avoid the tempation to find a "compromise" pick. Go for a Scalia or Thomas. Don't go for an O'Connor or Kennedy. To be specific, get someone who is pro-life. Roe v Wade is one of the worst court decisions I know of, and it's the perfect example of unrestrained judicial power.

I know the temptation will be tremendous on you to nominate a moderate. But remember who your true supporters are. I am not a important leader or politician. I am "simply" a citizen who has been an enthusiatic supporter of you. I am willing to accept compromise in many areas of government but I will watch your Court nomiantions extremely closely. What the Senate Dems are doing right now is disgusting, but as the President you have the bully pulpit to stop it. Democrats will back down if you turn up serious heat on them.

Moreover, I think public opinion is shifting towards the pro-life position. Dems will want you to nominate a moderate, but almost all will vote against you anyways. Pro-choice Repubs will likely still vote for you if you nominate a Scalia, after all, you campaigned on it. So Mr. President, I urge you to stick with your campaign statements and nominate justices who believe in judicial restraint, like Scalia and Thomas.

Happy Memorial Day and may God bless you and your family.

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