Leahy Braces for Top Court Nominee Fight

[cal04]

If a fight breaks out over President Bush's pick for the Supreme Court, Sen. Patrick Leahy will be the razor's edge of the Democratic resistance, answering a demand in his party for sharp elbows and a tart tongue. Hopeful talk of consultation and consensus has peppered the political dialogue since Justice Sandra Day O'Connorannounced on July 1 that she will retire. Few in Washington, however, are under the illusion that this upbeat tone will last. The expectation is that Bush's choice for a nominee will touch off a fierce partisan fight. Leahy, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, is battle-ready.

Elected to the Senate in the post-Watergate class of 1974, the Vermont senator has voted to confirm seven of the current justices, did not back Clarence Thomas' nomination and opposed elevating William Rehnquist from associate justice to chief justice. Leahy, 65, has been through the ideological clash over Robert Bork's failed nomination in 1987. Leahy tried to elicit a definitive answer from Thomas on the Roe v. Wadedecision, which legalized abortion, during the rancorous 1991 hearings that were overshadowed by Anita Hill's accusation of sexual harassment.

Leahy has had mixed results in trying to stop several of President Bush's judicial nominees to the lower courts, railing against candidates whom he argues are out of the mainstream.When Bush bypassed the Senate and put William Pryor on the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in February 2004, Leahy said, "This White House will stop at nothing to try to turn the independent federal judiciary into an arm of the Republican Party.

"Leahy was not part of the bipartisan group of 14 lawmakers who this spring produced a compromise on Bush's nominees, avoiding a Senate showdown.Last week, however, Leahy joined the Senate's Republican and Democratic leaders as well as Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter, R-Pa., at a White House meeting in which he urged the president to be a "uniter, not a divider"He said he hopes Bush chooses a nominee whom nearly every senators could endorse."I think the whole country could breathe a sigh of relief," Leahy said in an interview with The Associated Press.

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050716/ap_on_go_co/leahy_razor_s_edge_3

[joemurphy]

1. My bet is a benighted Neanderthal to take the country's mind

off Rove. We'll see.

[existentialist]

2. benighted Neanderthal

I'd almost bet even money that despite all the howls of protest it will bring from everywhere, that the benighted Neanderthal that he nominates will be Gonzales.

[pfitz59]

4. Stealth Neanderthal....

Someone like Thomas, who had a mighty slim judicial resume. Bush* doesn't want someone with a paper trail. They'll post a minority candidate, and scream "racism/sexism/religious persecution" should any Senator object.

[acmejack]

6. It will be an in your face nominee

That is his style. He doesn't know the meaning of the word Consensus. I still believe Ted Olsen will be his boy.

[Robbien]

3. Leahy will never raise the issue of corporate favoritism in judges

He only talks up the RNC devisive issues which the DLC always loses. He will never talk about the economic issues the people are concerned about because the DLC is in favor of the corporate elite.

Bush will pick a corporate friendly judge and the DLC and Leahy will stand up and cheer.

[H5N1]

7. I hope we fight, and fight like hell

[Robbien]

8. If it is a corporate friendly judge. there will be no fight

from the DLC and Leahy. They will only talk about the social issues and steer the conversation away from any talk about corporate vs private rights.

Note that the first day Leahy got chosen by the DLC, the corporate media is already pushing him to the fore front issuing articles about what Leahy's plans are and implies that Leahy and the DLC speak for the Democratic party ignoring the fact that the fight is not Leahy's/DLC's but the Democratic party and its leader.

[bornskeptic]

9. Leahy chosen by the DLC?

For what? Leahy has never been a DLC member.

[Robbien]

10. You are right. Vilsack is the DLC leader

My error. Sorry

[AndyTiedye]

12. If Being "Corporate-Friendly" Is the Only thing Wrong With the Nominee...

...I think almost all of us will stand up and cheer.

Much more likely is a corporate-friendly talibornagain who will
overturn Roe vs. Wade and Griswold vs. Connecticut, and move on
from there in establishing the dictates of a particular religion
as the law of the land.

Or a coprorate-friendly weasel who writes legal excuses for torture.

It can also get pretty confusing figuring out who and what is
"corporate-friendly" anyway. Consider the emminent-domain ruling.

[H5N1]

5. There's gonna be a fight

[AX10]

11. kick

One hell of a fight is about to occur. It's going to be messy.