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Why I love America...
Posted by Jeff (Guest) jeff@attoz.com - Thursday, November 13 2003, 11:19:25 (EST)
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Senate Holds Around-The-Clock Debate on Judges

By Thomas Ferraro

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. senators exchanged yawns as well as angry words on Thursday as they moved to wage the longest nonstop debate in their chamber in a decade -- one over President Bush (news - web sites)'s stalled judicial nominees.


With cots, coffee and dueling news conferences, Democrats and Republicans began the scheduled 30-hour marathon at 6 p.m. EST (2300 GMT) on Wednesday and were to wrap it up at midnight on Thursday.

"We hold this extraordinary session for truly extraordinary reasons," said Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, a Tennessee Republican. He accused Democrats of unprecedented obstructionism in confirming judicial nominees.

Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, a South Dakota Democrat, denied it and described the debate as "a colossal waste of time."

Daschle argued that the 30 hours could be better spent discussing the estimated 3 million Americans who have lost their jobs since Bush took office nearly three years ago.

Democrats this year have sustained filibusters against four of Bush's most conservative federal appeals court nominees, and say they have the votes to block two more on Friday, Janice Rogers Brown and Carolyn Kuhl, both of California.

Bush appeared with Kuhl, Brown and one of the already blocked nominees, Texas Supreme Court Justice Priscilla Owen, at the White House on Thursday and urged the Senate to give them a vote on confirmation.

"These three women are being denied the chance to serve on the bench because of ugly politics in the United States Senate," Bush said.

Republicans hold the Senate majority with 51 seats, but 60 votes are needed in the 100-member chamber to end delaying tactics and move to a confirmation vote.

"They (Democrats) are treating a president in a ridiculous, unconstitutional fashion," said Senate Judiciary Committee (news - web sites) Chairman Orrin Hatch, a Utah Republican.

REPUBLICANS DID IT TOO

Democrats disagreed, saying they are exercising their right under the U.S. Constitution's "advise and consent" clause, and noted they had helped confirm 168 of Bush's judicial nominees.

They also pointed out that Republicans blocked 63 of former Democratic President Bill Clinton (news - web sites)'s nominees, denying many of them even a confirmation hearing while in the majority.

"The bottom line is very simple," said Sen. Charles Schumer (news, bio, voting record), a New York Democrat. He said when the American public looks at these figures, "They will say, 'Gee, you are right."'

Senate staffers added to what Democrats called the carnival atmosphere, printing up shirts that read: "We confirmed 98 percent of Bush's judges, and all we got were these lousy T-shirts."

Democratic filibusters have riled conservative activists who say Senate Republicans have not fought them hard enough.

"Republicans need to show some backbone," said David Keating, executive director of Club for Growth, a conservative group. "I'm not sure 30 hours will be enough."



To prepare for what was billed to be the longest nonstop Senate debate since a 30-hour, 41-minute battle over election reform in 1994, both parties had plenty of coffee and food.

They also had rotating shifts for members to be on the Senate floor, lined up interviews on radio talk shows and invited liberal and conservative groups to join them at around-the-clock news conferences. Republicans also had cots set up in a room near the Senate chamber.

Republicans said they would seek a vote on Friday on a proposed rule change to effectively end filibusters on nominations. Democrats said they have the votes to block it.



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-- Jeff

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