Reply #7: AP: Bush Conferring W/ Senators Over Supreme Court Nomination

[Hissyspit]

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGBOGFRR1BE.html

Jul 12, 2005

Bush Conferring With Senators Over Supreme Court Nomination
By Deb Riechmann
Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush is consulting face-to-face with four top senators about the Supreme Court vacancy, but the lawmakers suspect they'll leave without learning the names on Bush's short list. While the president has held telephone conversations with the four senators before, Bush's breakfast with the four Tuesday is their first meeting in person about the vacancy.

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Bush is meeting with Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee; Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont, the ranking Democrat on the committee; Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn.; and Democratic Leader Harry Reid of Nevada.

Reid and Leahy say they appreciate the conversations that they've had with Bush, but they say the onus is on the president to smooth the way for a nominee by alerting Democrats to his thinking.

"I won't consider it a disappointment if he doesn't give us names," Reid said. "But we've got to have some idea of what he expects from us, and give us some idea of what we can expect to see from him."

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