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Senate's GOP Majority Again Goes Wobbly on Judicial Nominees NewsMax.com WiresWASHINGTON – Almost two straight days of debate on President Bush's blocked judicial nominees changed little in a bleary-eyed, groggy-voiced Senate, with Republicans conceding that they can't stop Democrats from blocking two more conservative jurists from the federal appeals court. "I don't see a way out," said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who called for an extra nine hours of debate Thursday night and now is considering suing the Senate to ban judicial filibusters. "Nobody is going to change their votes." Democrats say they warned the GOP that the round-the-clock debate wouldn't work. "I'm terribly disappointed that we are spending the time of this institution on something like this when we need to be spending what little time we have on so many other questions," said Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn. The Senate on Friday will hold votes on whether to break the filibuster on Texas judge Priscilla Owen, as well as new filibusters on California judges Carolyn Kuhl and Janice Rogers Brown. Owen, who wants a seat on the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans, has already lost three filibuster votes. Friday's votes will be the first for Brown and Kuhl. Brown wants a seat on the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia and Kuhl a seat on the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco. Bush brought all three women to the White House Thursday to demand their confirmation. "I have told these three ladies I will stand with them to the bitter end because they're the absolute right pick for their respective positions," Bush said. "The senators who are playing politics with their nominations are acting shamefully." With the blocking of Kuhl and Brown, Democrats will have stopped six Bush nominees: Owen, Brown, Kuhl, Mississippi judge Charles Pickering, Alabama Attorney General William Pryor and Hispanic lawyer Miguel Estrada. Estrada dropped his nomination after losing nine filibuster votes. The Senate has confirmed 168 Bush judicial nominees. The GOP considered the nonstop debate a victory and said Americans now were focused on the Democrats' "unconstitutional filibusters" of judicial nominees. Instead of allowing the Republicans to use their 51 votes to confirm nominees, Democrats have used procedures that required Republicans to come up with 60 votes to advance the president's choices. Republicans have yet to hit the 60-vote mark on controversial nominations. 'People Are Paying Attention' "For the first time, people are paying attention to an issue that a lot of people feel passionate about," said Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., adding that his office has been flooded with calls from supporters. "Now the general public is becoming aware of it and I think it will become much more of a discussion point and an important one." 'Amused' Democrats said they won the debate by showing that the GOP is focused on the wrong issues, spending two legislative days talking about judicial nominees instead of finishing bills revamping Medicare and energy policy, not to mention eight overdue spending bills, in time to adjourn by Nov. 21. "I think people are amused and wondering why the Senate isn't working on more important things," said Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle of South Dakota.
© 2003 Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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