It takes a lot to get Arlen Specter spitting mad at Democrats, but Senator Leahy's obstructionism on moving President Bush's appellate nominees through the Judiciary Committee has aroused him. And so he's decided to gather Republicans together to shut the Senate down by procedural motions.
A look at the numbers explains why the ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee is spitting mad. In the last two years of Bill Clinton's Administration, when Mr. Specter was in the chairman's seat, the Republican-controlled Senate confirmed 15 appellate court nominees.
Now, more than halfway through Mr. Bush's final two years, Chairman Patrick Leahy isn't returning the Constitutional courtesy. The Democratic Senate has confirmed a mere six nominees with no plans in sight to move the remaining 11 forward. Judicial nominees rarely are confirmed in the final months of a President's second term, so the clock is running out. Democrats figure they'll retake the White House in November, and they don't mind leaving the courts short-handed for another year or two as they stall for liberal nominees.
Mr. Specter says he has recommended that Republicans "go full steam ahead" until Democrats agree to hold confirmation votes. He has in mind a series of procedural stalls that would make it next to impossible for the Senate to get anything done. These could include refusing to accept the usual unanimous consent motion to have the previous day's deliberations entered into the official record without a formal reading, a process that would take hours. So would reading the text of many bills, which can run to hundreds of pages.
Go for it, Arlen. Remind the Senate Democrats that they don't want the Republicans to play the same filibustering games that the Democrats did for Bush's nominees if there is a Democratic president making nominations next year. And, as the WSJ points out, Senator McCain might enjoy demonstrating to conservatives that he's willing to stand tough on nominations.
It takes a lot to get Arlen Specter spitting mad at Democrats, but Senator Leahy's obstructionism on moving President Bush's appellate nominees through the Judiciary Committee has aroused him. And so he's decided to gather Republicans together to shut the Senate down by procedural motions.
A look at the numbers explains why the ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee is spitting mad. In the last two years of Bill Clinton's Administration, when Mr. Specter was in the chairman's seat, the Republican-controlled Senate confirmed 15 appellate court nominees.
Now, more than halfway through Mr. Bush's final two years, Chairman Patrick Leahy isn't returning the Constitutional courtesy. The Democratic Senate has confirmed a mere six nominees with no plans in sight to move the remaining 11 forward. Judicial nominees rarely are confirmed in the final months of a President's second term, so the clock is running out. Democrats figure they'll retake the White House in November, and they don't mind leaving the courts short-handed for another year or two as they stall for liberal nominees.
Mr. Specter says he has recommended that Republicans "go full steam ahead" until Democrats agree to hold confirmation votes. He has in mind a series of procedural stalls that would make it next to impossible for the Senate to get anything done. These could include refusing to accept the usual unanimous consent motion to have the previous day's deliberations entered into the official record without a formal reading, a process that would take hours. So would reading the text of many bills, which can run to hundreds of pages.
Go for it, Arlen. Remind the Senate Democrats that they don't want the Republicans to play the same filibustering games that the Democrats did for Bush's nominees if there is a Democratic president making nominations next year. And, as the WSJ points out, Senator McCain might enjoy demonstrating to conservatives that he's willing to stand tough on nominations.
