Frist has necessary votes to change filibuster rules
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Frist has necessary votes to change filibuster rules
By Charles Hurt and Stephen Dinan
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
Transcript of Washington Times interview with Sen. Frist
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist says he has the 51 votes needed to change Senate rules and make it easier for Republicans to overcome Democratic filibusters against President Bush's judicial nominees, but he hopes such a change won't be necessary.
"We need to restore the over 200-year tradition and precedent of allowing every nominee of the president who has majority support an up-or-down vote on the floor of the United States Senate," Mr. Frist told The Washington Times on Thursday.
"It's consistent with the Constitution, where we are as a body to give advice and consent, and the only way we can give advice and consent is an up-or-down vote on the floor of the Senate."
Mr. Frist said he has not made a decision on whether he will force the rule change the first time that Democrats filibuster a nominee.
The Tennessee Republican is entering his second term as majority leader after having led his party to a four-seat gain in the Senate in November's election. His first term was marked by a series of Democratic filibusters, varying from judicial nominations to the energy bill.
And although some on the right have criticized him for appearing to move too cautiously, he was willing to take some chances, including breaking with tradition by traveling to South Dakota to campaign against his counterpart, Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle.
On Election Day, Mr. Daschle was defeated by Republican John Thune, who helped expand Mr. Frist's majority.
Judicial nominations and Social Security reform are the two dominant issues looming over the 109th Congress, said Mr. Frist, sitting in his Capitol office moments after 18 Democrats and one independent joined 53 Republicans to approve the most sweeping tort-reform measure in a decade.
Mr. Frist said that bill, which was stalled in the last Congress by Democratic filibusters, is an example of how this new Congress might be different.
"We started with a bill that has — as demonstrated by the vote a few minutes ago — strong bipartisan support yet in a different environment could not be passed," he said. "With the 109th Congress, some new people and a new spirit and a commitment of leadership on both sides of the aisle, we had the first success."
... more at linked article
Uh oh liberals! Look out, the GOP in the Senate is sending word that they can go Nuk-u-lar if they so desire.
This can't be good news for those that want to establish a litmus test for the Supreme Court of the U.S., or for other high-level Judiciary appointments.
I'm sure that the Democrats will be readying a bunch of materials that will tell us all that W.'s appointees are racist, anti-abortionist, hard-liners that must be stopped at all cost. But then again, I'm just as certain that those nominees would be nothing of the kind, and that they would do a great job in the roles they're nominated for.
Of course, only the future can tell.
By Charles Hurt and Stephen Dinan
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
Transcript of Washington Times interview with Sen. Frist
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist says he has the 51 votes needed to change Senate rules and make it easier for Republicans to overcome Democratic filibusters against President Bush's judicial nominees, but he hopes such a change won't be necessary.
"We need to restore the over 200-year tradition and precedent of allowing every nominee of the president who has majority support an up-or-down vote on the floor of the United States Senate," Mr. Frist told The Washington Times on Thursday.
"It's consistent with the Constitution, where we are as a body to give advice and consent, and the only way we can give advice and consent is an up-or-down vote on the floor of the Senate."
Mr. Frist said he has not made a decision on whether he will force the rule change the first time that Democrats filibuster a nominee.
The Tennessee Republican is entering his second term as majority leader after having led his party to a four-seat gain in the Senate in November's election. His first term was marked by a series of Democratic filibusters, varying from judicial nominations to the energy bill.
And although some on the right have criticized him for appearing to move too cautiously, he was willing to take some chances, including breaking with tradition by traveling to South Dakota to campaign against his counterpart, Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle.
On Election Day, Mr. Daschle was defeated by Republican John Thune, who helped expand Mr. Frist's majority.
Judicial nominations and Social Security reform are the two dominant issues looming over the 109th Congress, said Mr. Frist, sitting in his Capitol office moments after 18 Democrats and one independent joined 53 Republicans to approve the most sweeping tort-reform measure in a decade.
Mr. Frist said that bill, which was stalled in the last Congress by Democratic filibusters, is an example of how this new Congress might be different.
"We started with a bill that has — as demonstrated by the vote a few minutes ago — strong bipartisan support yet in a different environment could not be passed," he said. "With the 109th Congress, some new people and a new spirit and a commitment of leadership on both sides of the aisle, we had the first success."
... more at linked article
Uh oh liberals! Look out, the GOP in the Senate is sending word that they can go Nuk-u-lar if they so desire.
This can't be good news for those that want to establish a litmus test for the Supreme Court of the U.S., or for other high-level Judiciary appointments.
I'm sure that the Democrats will be readying a bunch of materials that will tell us all that W.'s appointees are racist, anti-abortionist, hard-liners that must be stopped at all cost. But then again, I'm just as certain that those nominees would be nothing of the kind, and that they would do a great job in the roles they're nominated for.
Of course, only the future can tell.