SENATE WATCH-10/30/2003 (#1-9:00)

[goobergunch]

enter]108th Congress
1st Session
Thursday, October 30, 2003

The Senate convenes at 9:00 AM.

Senate will resume consideration of the nomination of Charles W. Pickering, Sr. (MS) to be United States Circuit Judge for the Fifth Circuit. Following 60 minutes of debate, the Senate will vote on the motion to close further debate on the nomination, to occur at approximately 10 AM.

If cloture is not invoked, Senate will continue consideration of S. 139, the Global Warming bill, for two hours.

Following disposition of S. 139, Senate will continue consideration of H.R. 1904, the Wildfire Prevention bill.

Following disposition of H.R. 1904, Senate will continue consideration of H.R. 2800, the FY 2004 Foreign Operations Appropriations bill.

[realFedUp]

1. Those active Senators...

Well let's see...they've voted themselves a raise, pushed
through billions for Iraq without any loan guarantees, voted
for the Healthy Forest bill which won't address the low
growing chapparel that's actually the main fire problem in
SoCal, fawned over a serial sexual predator....

A pox on their house.

[baby_bear]

2. Senate Republicans fail to break long-threatened Pickering filibuster

http://www.kotv.com/pages/viewpage.asp?id=53217

<snip>
Senate Republicans on Thursday failed to break a Democratic filibuster of U.S. District Judge Charles Pickering's promotion to the federal appeals court, continuing a two-year standoff tinged with accusations of racial, religious and regional politics.

Pickering, a Mississippi federal judge who wants a seat on the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans, has been accused by Democrats of supporting segregation. He also has been accused of pushing anti-abortion and anti-voting rights views during his time as a state lawmaker.
...
The GOP needed 60 votes to break the filibuster, but the final vote was 54-43. The Republicans have yet to break a Democratic filibuster this year
...
Democrats say the unwinnable Pickering vote could be timed for Mississippi GOP gubernatorial challenger Haley Barbour to use against Democratic Gov. Ronnie Musgrove in the state's Nov. 4 election.
</snip>



Another interesting article about the political implications is at
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/politics/la-na-pickering30oct30,1,3891139.story?coll=la-news-politics-national

<snip>
The Senate vote will spotlight the divide on Pickering between top Democrats in Mississippi, who call the judge a racial conciliator and support his confirmation, and their peers in Washington, who oppose him because of his record on civil rights and other issues.

To help drive the wedge, Senate Republican leaders scheduled the Pickering vote to occur five days before the closely fought Mississippi gubernatorial election. That will give Republicans a well-timed opportunity to portray Democrats in Washington as out of step with a region where many Democratic incumbents are struggling to hold onto office.

And it will give Bush a fresh excuse to talk up his embattled judicial nominee when the president swings through the state Saturday to campaign for GOP gubernatorial candidate Haley Barbour, former chairman of the Republican National Committee.
</snip>

s_m

[baby_bear]

3. Dabating global warming now

McCain-Lieberman bill. CSPAN2.

s_m