Thursday, October 31, 2002

Re the President's "plan" to speed up the nomination and confirmation of federal judges, this Washington Post article tells all we need to know (not that you couldn't have figured it out yourself). If you read nothing else about this issue, read this paragraph from the Post.

The Democrats who control the Senate are unlikely to approve such a plan, but for Bush, that is largely beside the point. Republican officials said the timing was designed to dramatize the stakes going into the elections, when just a few races will decide whether Democrats keep their majority. The strategy, drafting proposals for major changes in the way judges are chosen without consulting senators of either political party, suggested an eagerness by the White House to expand its powers rather than to broker compromise on a delicate issue.

While various people may have various thoughts about how the process should work -- and for my part, I think that it should involve much more consultation with the Senate prior to nomination than this President has done -- substance wasn't really the point of the President's proposal. If the President had wanted faster confirmation of judges by this Senate, he would have worked with them on the selection of nominees. If he wants a rubber stamp, he needs a Republican Senate. And that's all that this proposal is about: getting a Republican Senate.

posted by sam 6:49 AM 0 comments

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