President's Statement on Miguel Estrada

The WHITE HOUSE ^ | September 4, 2003 | PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH

[PhiKapMom]

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
September 4, 2003

President's Statement on Miguel Estrada

Statement by the President

It is with regret that, at the request of Miguel Estrada, I have today withdrawn his nomination to the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. I understand and respect his decision, and wish Mr. Estrada and his family the best.

Mr. Estrada received disgraceful treatment at the hands of 45 United States Senators during the more than two years his nomination was pending. Despite his superb qualifications and the wide bipartisan support for his nomination, these Democrat Senators repeatedly blocked an up-or-down vote that would have led to Mr. Estrada's confirmation. The treatment of this fine man is an unfortunate chapter in the Senate's history.

[maica]

I'd like to join your list, please. We must work for an increased majority in Congress. I heard a newscast stating that Dems will never allow non-mainstream candidates to reach the bench.

We must REeducate anyone who will listen to the concept that, at present, there is no identification for leftists. They all identify themselves as main-stream. Anyone to the right of them is considered radically rightwing.

We have to recenter the bell curve. The same people who think that Justice Thomas is way out on the right, have no problem seeing Ruth Bader Ginsburg as solidly in the center.

David Horowitz said years ago in his little book "It's a War, Stupid!" about the need for conservatives to recognize what they are fighting:-

---The vast territories ceded by the Right in the culture have become the Golan Heights from which the Left trains its rockets on Middle America.---

We let them co-opt the language and never resist each new slur that becomes 'accepted wisdom' , remember 'mean-spirited' as one example.

Those days have to be over now.

[hchutch]

Well, they're all RINOs, don't you know? They "played tiddlywinks" because they would not go 24/7 or use the "nuclear option".

/sarcasm

[Rummyfan]

The president should wait until the next break in the Congressional calendar and make recess appointments to ALL vacancies. See how Chuckie and Hillary like that!

[deport]

The only real alternative I ever heard to this mess was recess appointments. It's an obvious choice, and one I don't really understand why it wasn't used.

---

Good point but you make the best one when you say "I don't understand why it wasn't used". We may never know but there are several possible reasons...

• Estrada may not have wanted a temporary appointment that had no guarantee of being approved at a later date.

• It's presumptious to ask him to work for no salary if he's never confirmed..

• There is debate among legal scholars about the legitimacy of a recess appointee and their rulings...

There have been over 300 recess appointments since the country was founded and 11 or so were to the Supreme Court, but they have been decreasing in frequency since Eisenhower....

President Reagan and President GHW Bush made no recess appointments.... President Clinton made only one on Dec. 27, 2000 in the final days of the Clinton administration of Roger Gregory to the 4th Circuit which President Bush renominated this year when his appt was up and he was confirmed.

[Cboldt]

A "real filibuster" would have been easier on the DEMs, I agree. But one reason you provide for it being unworkable ("At any time Schumer could ask for a vote and in a weak moment defeat the nomination") is not plausible.

The difficulty comes from a need to hold the floor (you have to talk, the other guy gets to listen, or leave) and to maintain a quorum when not holding the floor (lest the session be disbanded).

Just picking a nit. I'm no fan of 24/7, especially in this case. I would have liked a bit more attention on the Senate rule. That attention was there for a short period, but not maintained.

[sinkspur]

Reason, because it is not in their interests to do such by the various reasons I have stated over the years. You've been duped in this "Two-Party Cartel".

And, Digger, you're one of the biggest flakes on this forum.

Never a solution, just griping and complaining.

[PhiKapMom]

You have my vote on that -- recess appoint them!

[Gritty]

"Mr. Estrada received disgraceful treatment at the hands of 45 United States Senators..." - GW Bush

So, what are you going to do about it, Mr. President?

[rmmcdaniell]

And you can be guaranteed that when the dems gain control again, that they will not hesitate to use the "nuclear option" to get their justices through.

You actually believe that the gentlemanly Republicans would filibuster requiring the rats to go nuclear? No, the constitution has been amended de facto. It now takes 60 votes for Republicans to get judges confirmed, but only 50 for the rats.

[PhiKapMom]

This is about as damning a statement I've ever heard him utter.

Same with me. When I read it after getting the link to post, I had a huge smile on my face. Coming out of President Bush, that speaks volumes!

[RightOnline]

The problem is that the Republican Party is just too go**amned polite and civilized. They're fighting a bunch of tantrum-throwing, childish, brain-dead foes in the Democratic Party. This is a war for the heart and soul of America, and the Democrats don't play by anyone's rules.

I NEED to see my Republican Party get down, get dirty, get MAD, kick some serious ass...........and fight these bastards. They just don't understand that being nice and polite doesn't cut it. I simply do not get why the Republicans in Congress haven't figured it out when everyone else in the country has.

[PhiKapMom]

Those days have to be over now.

Exactly! Very well stated!

I have added you to the list!

[PhiKapMom]

The fact still stands that the demos are the ones who threw out 200 years of Senate precedent, and yet you are frothing at the mouth towards the Pubbies, while you give Hillary and the demos a free pass.

Thanks for explaining the filibuster on this thread and for these comments above!

[PsyOp]

Are you sure it's going to be Bush and Cheny? As much as I like him, I don't see Cheny as the follow-on to President Bush after his second term (Dems will hammer the health issue).

I'm thinking Rice might be plugged into the ticket for VP and then President After Bush's 2d term. What do you think?

[onedoug]

"...and in a weak moment defeat the nomination."

That's defeatism itself.

I know how commies fight, and this is one of their primary weapons.

Gee, Republicans would have to have been on guard. What a horrible, unconscienable, obscene thought!

Silly me for even having suggested that somebody in that stinking rathole Senate stand on any scintilla of principle.

Democrats are racist, atheistic communists, and we have to live with it and like it because only the media or the Republicans in that cesspool know that they are the only ones who can do anything about it, which makes them either communists themselves, or they just don't eff'n care.

[Dane]

Silly me for even having suggested that somebody in that stinking rathole Senate stand on any scintilla of principle

Exactly what Schumer and Hillary didn't do, why don't you focus your anger at them for throwing out 200 years Senate precedant.

They are the cause for this travesty, not the Pubbies.

[mombonn]

Mr. Estrada received disgraceful treatment at the hands of 45 United States Senators during the more than two years his nomination was pending.

I hope this signals that the President is finally about to take off the gloves. I hope this blows up BIG TIME in the RATS faces.

And, I HOPE the President nominates him to the Supreme Court when a vacancy occurs.

I really can't stand any democrat any more. I'm watching dean and no brows, and am ready to throw something through the screen.

[jla]

Now you can continue to whine and get angry with Republicans, but it does absolutely no good -- time to channel that anger into something positive and work for a larger Republican majority in the Senate so this does not continue to happen!

Well put, PhiKapMom!

[Dane]

Thanks for explaining the filibuster on this thread and for these comments above!

Thank you for your kind words PKM.

Notice how the the malcontennts on this thread think that the demos throwing out 200 years of Senate precedant is meaningless.

JMO, but I believe some of them get a "thrill" being constant negative keyboard commandos.

[blackie]

The rats in the Senate have no shame!