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Peace at any cost is a Prelude to War!
Democrats stall confirmations
By Audrey Hudson
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
Senate Democrats brought the confirmation process to a grinding halt
yesterday by walking out of a Judiciary Committee hearing and refusing to
vote on key Bush administration nominees. Top Stories
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"This is the start of a knock-down, drag-out fight," Sen. Arlen Specter,
Pennsylvania Republican, said afterward.
Democrats are demanding veto authority over federal judge nominees from
their home states and Republicans are steadfastly refusing to give it.
"There is little or no reason for this griping by Democrats," said Sen.
Orrin G. Hatch, Utah Republican and committee chairman. "I think this is all
political."
A frustrated Mr. Hatch snapped at Democrats: "Do you want me to be your
chairman or do you want me to be your puppet?"
The committee met yesterday to approve four Justice Department nominees
and had nothing to do with federal judges or the procedural issue, called
"blue slips," that has caused the gridlock. The nominees include Larry D.
Thompson for deputy attorney general and Theodore B. Olson for solicitor
general.
Sen. Patrick J. Leahy, Vermont Democrat, said his caucus is unanimous in
blocking all Bush nominees until they are given veto power in the 32 states
that have at least one Democratic senator.
When Mr. Hatch called for the vote, Democrats left the hearing, leaving
the committee one shy of the quorum needed for a vote.
"None of us are seeking a fight. We´ve been forced into it," said Sen.
Charles E. Schumer, New York Democrat.
Democrats want to continue a policy from the end of the Clinton era that
allowed the veto of one home-state senator to block a vote by the whole
Senate.
Mr. Hatch says he followed the same policy set by Democratic Sen. Joseph
R. Biden Jr. of Delaware. The Utah Republican added that 377 judges were
approved for Mr. Clinton, only three fewer than President Reagan received,
and there were 40 holdovers at the end of the two terms.
Asked at a news conference how many Clinton judicial nominees were
scuttled by a blue slip, Mr. Hatch said: "I don´t know of any."
But Democrats give a different version of the privileged information.
"I can´t count them on my hands and toes, there have been so many," Mr.
Schumer said.
According to the June 6, 1989, Biden letter on which the policy is
based, if a senator rejected a nominee from his home state, it did not
preclude a vote, but was a "significant factor" to be weighed by the
committee in its evaluation.
If the administration fails to consult with the home-state senators
before submitting a nomination, however, "the nominee will not be
considered," the letter said.
Mr. Hatch said that for the entire time that he was chairman during the
Clinton administration, he followed the Biden process. When the Clinton
administration stopped the consultation process altogether in 1998, he
followed the policy and changed the blue-slip language in some cases to allow
a home-state senator´s objection to prevent hearings.
Mr. Bush is expected to send the first batch of judicial nominees to the
Senate next week. Democrats say they were not consulted beforehand, so the
rule should again apply.
Mr. Hatch concedes that consultation did not take place, but says the
administration was unaware of the Senate procedure and has agreed in writing
to consult with both Democrats and Republicans in the future. For now, Mr.
Hatch said, the administration should get the benefit of the doubt.
"I expect the Bush White House will consult with Democrats. And if they
don´t, I will apply that rule for your benefit," Mr. Hatch said. "I intend to
be fair in the process."
Democrats, however, are not willing to take Republicans or the White
House at their word.
"We cannot fall into line when [Mr. Hatch] says: 'Trust me,´" Mr.
Schumer said.
Mr. Leahy said they will insist on the same privilege, and if the
process worked in the past, it can work for them in the future.
"I do not want to think that suddenly Senate procedures change because
the president has changed," Mr. Leahy said.
Republicans say Democrats are being "obstructionists" and are not
willing to review nominees based on their merits.
Democrats devised the strategy at a retreat last week in western
Pennsylvania on "how to oppose many good nominees," said Sen. Jon L. Kyl,
Arizona Republican.
"Part of what is at play is they are trying to find ways to generically
oppose nominees," Mr. Kyl said.
The committee rescheduled the Justice Department nominee votes until
next week.
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