Posted on 01/26/2006 6:57:08 PM PST by metalmanx2j
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Senate's top Republican decided Thursday to force a showdown on Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito early next week, with the two Democratic senators from Massachusetts pushing to block a vote.
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist filed a motion to cut off debate on the Alito nomination after his Democratic counterpart, Minority Leader Harry Reid, objected to a move by GOP leaders to schedule a final vote on his confirmation Monday afternoon.
Frist's motion, which requires 60 votes under Senate rules, will come up for a vote at 4:30 p.m. Monday. If successful, senators will then vote on Alito's nomination at 11 a.m. Tuesday, with a simple majority of 51 votes needed for approval.
Frist's move came as Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts was lobbying his Democratic colleagues to filibuster the Alito nomination -- an uphill fight, given that none of the chamber's 55 Republicans have opposed his confirmation and three Democrats are on the record supporting it.
"Judge Alito's confirmation would be an ideological coup on the Supreme Court," Kerry said in a written statement.
"We can't afford to see the court's swing vote, Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, replaced with a far-right ideologue like Samuel Alito."
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
Maybe someone should tell JFKerry losers don't get to pick Supreme Court Justices
Maybe the Rats should just accept the fact that they haven''t controlled the House since 1994 or the Senate for that matter. Even after the 2000 election more Republicans were elected. It was Jeffords who then switched parties. But the point is the voters elected more Republicans. They did again in 2002 and in 2004. And since the Rats keep bringing up the fact that a vote for the Pubbies would mean nasty things for the courts and the people keep voting for the Pubbies anyway, maybe they are saying, "Yes we know and that's the way we want it."
You can bet the Pubs will cheer loud and long just to rub it into their dejected, defeated collegues across the aisle (or I should say, across the Great Divide).
Leni
Or he wants to force an attempted filibuster so that the Constitutional option can be put in place, and end the tyranny of the majority. I doubt it, but you never know.
Come on , you can't expect these clowns to work a 5 day week can you ?
yep, the people are tired of the ACLU and liberal courts trying to remove "under God" in the pledge and so on.
I think Joe Lieberman will give us the fifth Dem vote we need to put an end to this nonsense and get on with it.
They don't even work a full three days.
They may have to settle for a sedan.
I believe you are correct. Lieberman may be the only Democrat who has sufficient moral courage and personal integrity to cast the decisive 60th vote for cloture.
yup , Sir Edmund Hillary Clinton already has her sedan chair ,...
... and the MSM,et al, is carting her around
so , today there is nothing ?? [Fri.]
... Big Show late Monday ??
... fireworks Tuesday ?? Is that the timeline?
... [fireworks , ahhh , sometimes it is just The Thing]
Can't allow this crucial Senate and national issue to intrude on Kerry's ski vacation.
Kerry must not be back from skiing in Switzerland yet.
The dems have got to have something to gripe about on Sunday morning, hence the push back.
You want to appoint Supreme Court Justices... WIN ELECTIONS... until then trying to keep a man who is one of the most qualified candidates ever offered to the bench, who has twice been unanamously approved by congress for federal bench just makes you look even more rediculous than you already do.. and ensures you will continue to LOSE elections.
Democrats... want you to play by the rules.. but they don't want to.
"My considered judgment ... leads me to believe [Alito] to be an honorable man, a man who loves his country, loves his Constitution and a man who will give of his best," said Byrd, who faces re-election in November. "Can we really ask for more?"
This is HUGE!!! Democrats if Robert Byrd doesn't even feel safe enough to tow your incredulous line.. then NO democrat in anything but the bluest of states facing re-election is safe to vote down Alito without serious reprisals at the ballot box. Byrd is about as safe a Senator as you can find.. even though WV is turning red, Byrd will leave the Senate when he's good and ready.. he won't be voted out... and if this guy sees the writing on the wall... the rest of the Dems will know its safe to do what they know is right.
I think the best thing that could happen is for long-winded Kerry to BORE the American public to death. The people will get tired of the Dem obstructionist antics. Alito already has the popular support in the polling out there. I say let 'em do it and pay the consequences.
Just another demo of our Wimp Frist leadership.
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