Leahy: Obama Could've Nominated Moses, And Republicans Would Be Asking For His Birth Certificate

[ProSense]

Leahy: Obama Could've Nominated Moses, And Republicans Would Be Asking For His Birth Certificate

Brian Beutler

Sometimes it's just too easy. In the course of defending the record of Supreme Court Nominee Elana Kagan at a press conference today, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy broadsided Republicans, who, he said, could find a reason to oppose even the purest of nominees.

"We have some Republicans who would automatically oppose anybody who was nominated," Leahy said. "The President could nominate Moses the Law Giver. In fact I told the President, I said you realize if you'd nominated Moses the Law Giver, somebody would raise, 'but he doesn't have a birth certificate! Where's his birth certificate!'"

Leahy dismissed both conservative and liberal critiques of Kagan, trumpeting her experience outside the judiciary, and highlighting her years of scholarship. "It would be hard to find people in this country who would stand out as a greater legal scholar than she does," Leahy insisted. "She will be confirmed." Kagan's critics, particularly her liberal ones, have focused on her thin publishing history as an academic, and her substantive political views remain a mystery even to long-time friends.

In fairness to Republicans, they'd also likely characterize Moses as a judicial activist who foisted Ten Commandments on the people.

:rofl:

[ClarkUSA]

1. I trust the senior Senator from Vermont more than any of her critics.

I liked this line, too:

'Leahy dismissed both conservative and liberal critiques of Kagan, trumpeting her experience outside the judiciary, and highlighting her years of scholarship. "It would be hard to find people in this country who would stand out as a greater legal scholar than she does," Leahy insisted.'

[YOY]

7. "His" actually.

n.t.

[ClarkUSA]

16. I was referring to Elena Kagan.

But thanks, anyway. :hi:

[YOY]

17. Whoopsie!

Sorry! :blush:

[ClarkUSA]

20. No worries.

:hi:

[bobburgster]

11. I agree with you completely!

Pat Leahy is one of the best, most trustworthy, members of congress.

[Dr Morbius]

2. To be sure, many on DU would claim - with some validity - that...

Moses is a little bit too old for the appointment.

And he looks a LOT like Chuck Heston, who was a severe right-winger.

[Bluenorthwest]

18. Heston was not a sever right winger

He was a gun advocate, but he was many other things politically in his life. He was walking with Harry Belafonte and Sidney Portier at the 63 Civil Rights march, for example. Odd for a sever right winger to march with Belafonte, don't you think?

[classysassy]

21. People change

Ray gun was a former democrat.

[Dr Morbius]

26. Apologies. I stand corrected. (nt)

[quiet.american]

3. Lol. nt

[Cali_Democrat]

4. Awesome!

nt

[greyshade]

5. We need more people in Congress to do this...

Point out just how absurd the Republicans act. Bravo Senator!

[Bolo Boffin]

6. That's the least of Moses' problems.

He was a coyote for forty years.

/Weeds

[4lbs]

8. He spent the first 25 years of his life or so growing up in a country that now has them darn Muslins

You know.

Egypt.

What do we really know about him and his ties to those people!

;)

[The Straight Story]

9. And dems would do the same to anyone a republican president would nominate (nt)

[ProSense]

10. Dems would ask for a birth certificate? Feingold voted for Roberts. n/t

[saracat]

12. Which is why no one opinion is worth anything. This isn't anything to indicate how

this person or any other potential nominee really would perform in office.There never is because presidents always look for blank slates so they can be approved. SCOTUS appointments arre always a crap shppt . No matter who is Prez.With the exception of judicial experience, she appears to be very qualified, which is more than some GOP nominees have been. I hope she values priciples over compromise but that has yet to be determined.

[ProSense]

14. "SCOTUS appointments arre always a crap shppt . No matter who is Prez."

Yeah, when Roberts was helping out with the Florida recount and Alito was formulating his unitary excutive arguments, no one suspected a thing.

[saracat]

19. All I can say is some who were thought to be conservative turned out otherwise.

Do you really think Reagan would have nominated Stevens if he knew how he would vote? Seriously?

[ProSense]

22. "Do you really think Reagan would have nominated Stevens if he knew how he would vote? "

Just another instance of Republicans getting duped. It happens all the time because they're superficial hypocrites and reactionaries.

This is the same affliction that had the RW salivating over Kagan and executive power. They read that some on the left are up in arms about her position so they took that a face value without digging deeper.

[saracat]

23. WE are just as capable of being "duped". That is because the only way to get a Justice

confirmed is to nominate blank slates. Look how many dems voted for Roberts thinking he was a fair guy? This is more and more often the case. I hope that this Justice is actually principled and not a "pramatist". The thing is with the blank slates is one never knows till it is too late. Just the way things are.

[ProSense]

25. "Look how many dems voted for Roberts thinking he was a fair guy? " Who said they were duped?

The Democrats knew his record. Feingold was operating under the belief that Presidents should have their nominees.

In any case, the issue isn't who is going to vote for the nominee, it's about the President's selection.

Also, it was Ford, not Reagan who nominated Stevens.

[saracat]

27. None theless Ford was surprised as was Bush the elder with David Souter.

The point is any president never can tell. Unfortunately even if Obama's familiarity with Kagan is correct , she may not be as liberal as Stevens and that would be a shame.

[The Straight Story]

13. Not so much a BC, I meant it in a general sense

And I am sure some repubs will vote to confirm.

Politics in the US is inherently partisan :)

[unblock]

15. democrats never threatened to filibuster a judicial nominee no matter who it was.

republicans senators were announcing a filibuster before the nomination, saying they'd filibuster regardless of who obama picked.

that's unprecedented.

[Phx_Dem]

24. Leave it to Leahy to come up with zinger!

:rofl: