Lindsey Graham Statement on Senate Judiciary Committee Vote on John Roberts Nomination

Senator Graham's official website ^ | September 22, 2004 | Lindsey Graham

[GOP]

Then I am truly sorry.

[SuzanneC]

Thanks for giving me the opportunity to read this speech. He makes his point well.

[ken5050]

If the Dems dare filabuster the next nominee..Graham will be the one leading the charge for the nuclear option..

[YaYa123]

I needed a Gang of 14 reminder:

Republicans
John McCain of Arizona,
Mike DeWine of Ohio,
John Warner of Virginia,
Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe of Maine,
Lindsey Graham of South Carolina
Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island;

Democrats
Robert Byrd of West Virginia,
Ken Salazar of Colorado,
Ben Nelson of Nebraska,
Mark Pryor of Arkansas,
Daniel Inouye of Hawaii,
Mary Landrieu of Louisiana
Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut.

[ken5050]

Good point..remember..you'd need FIVE of the Dems to go against the filabuster..Pryor won't, nor Nelson..theyr'e from red states.. neither will Landrieu now, after the hurricane..and I don't think Sheets will now either..unless he decided NOT to run again..Inouye will vote to filabuster..so it comes down to Lieberman and/or Salazar...

[Carolinamom]

Excellent! When Lindsey is not around John McCain, he's true to his SC roots and constituents. I hope he keeps on being this clear headed.

[kennyo]

My only problem with the senator's remarks;
I have 50 more years to serve.

This cuts across party lines.Do a few terms and let someone else take over.We need to eliminate the salaries,pensions,and benefits for our elected officials.Soon,older Americans will be getting their SS benefits reduced,but the ex-government officials will be living large,This is not right.

The argument about "recruiting qualified people",or "being competitive with the private sector" is hogwash.If there were anything to that argument,we would have an all-star government,instead of the malange of demogogues and pimps that current sit in congress.

Government service used to mean giving up some salary and benefits for job security(talking non-elected now).Anecdotally,I know a woman who serves on the local utility board,that pays $150/month.OK.But I Just found out that if she is elected for a second term,she gets health insurance for life.!

[GretchenM]

This debate is about the role of the president versus the Senate.
Senator Kennedy['s] view of the central issue [is] whether or not the nominee would roll back certain progress that he's seen in the law.
[For me] the central issue [is] whether or not the Senate will allow the president to nominate a well-qualified strict constructionist to the court. Two different views of what the Senate should be doing.

If Uncle Teddy had a conscience, that would hurt.

The rule of law is about the process. If you want the law to be outcome-determinative, then the process has been cheapened.

There needs to be one place left in American discourse and politics for the quietness of the merits of individuals to trump the loudness of special interest groups. The last place I know of is the courtroom.

And even that isn't a sure thing by a long ways.

That's all you can ask of anybody that comes through our gatekeeping here: Will you adhere to the law more than you'll adhere to anyone's political philosophy?

Graham made some good remarks. I would disagree with his schmoozing about how well the Committee handled itself, however.

[YaYa123]

The transcript didn't show it, but Graham started his speech with a really funny ad lib. One of the other senators had said something about not getting to make this important vote very often, and he wanted to get it right. Graham said something about South Carolina senators living a long time, (Strom Thurmond), then Graham said he hoped to pick many, many other supreme court justices, and he told the other senators, "and I'm going to miss you guys."


Just wanted you to know Graham wasn't making a serious comment about staying too long in the senate.

[YaYa123]

well, it did show the ad lib, just not the full flavor of Graham's good humor.

[nicmarlo]

Because liberals and conservatives come and go, but the rule of law is bigger than all of our philosophies. The rule of law is about the process. If you want the law to be outcome-determinative, then the process has been cheapened.

Great speech...I especially liked the above...it should apply to many other issues within America, as well.

[Borax Queen]

ty! will read later :)

[nicmarlo]

yw

[hosepipe]

[ And I really do like Senator Biden a lot. He said, "Don't ever question a senator's motive. You can argue with their result, you can disagree with how they vote, but don't question their motive. ]

Linseys wrong... The Modus Operanti or motive.. is the lynch pin.. of a politicians character.. Judgeing character is not one of Linseys strong points.. Biden is a whore first, and a liar second.. Motive is very important..

[StarFan]

Was he reading a prepared speech or was he winging it?

[YaYa123]

Graham definitely has a special gift. He's reading a beautifully crafted speech, delivering it so naturally, so comfortably with ad libs and wry humor, you'd swear he was speaking off the cuff, from the heart.

[SC Swamp Fox]

South Carolina Ping

Add me to the ping list. Remove me from the ping list.

[Howlin]

He did good today.

[MACVSOG68]

Thanks fox. Yes, Graham gave a great speech. Looking forward to one more good selection, and heck, the Dems can have the White House........just kidding.

[FLCowboy,]

If the Dems dare filabuster the next nominee..Graham will be the one leading the charge for the nuclear option..

Graham is the one who led the compromise with the Dems. He is NOT a statesman. He is a lightweight trying to join the ranks of the heavyweights in the Senate. He is not going to make it with speeches like this one. His compromise with the Dems on the previous nominees still makes me sick, and I doubt very much he'll be a "leader" in fighting the filibuster that is sure to come on the next nominee.

The bottom line is the Republicans ARE going to shape this court to their philosophy. Thats what a majority does. The problem here is the Repubs haven't been a majority long enough to fight for their position. The Dems were the majority for a very long time, and they were so because they learned how to fight dirty to stay in power. These dipsh_t Republicans from the South, whose daddies were all Democrats, haven't really decided which party they want to be in.