John Kerry on Alito nomination

[whometense]

http://rawstory.com/news/2005/Kerry_on_Alito_Bushs_sagging_numbers_1031.html

Every American should be deeply concerned that the far right wing which prevented Harriet Miers from even receiving a Senate hearing is celebrating Judge Alito’s nomination and urging the Senate to rubber stamp the swing vote on our rights and liberties. Has the right wing now forced a weakened President to nominate a divisive justice in the mold of Antonin Scalia? With civil rights, privacy rights, and mainstream American values hanging in the balance, the President’s sagging political position in his own party is no excuse to reopen wounds in America which a President should seek to repair.

“In nominating a successor to Justice O’Connor, President Bush had the power to unite the country by nominating a highly qualified woman or minority who would put the Constitution first and reflect the diversity of our country. Instead, the record must be studied, the documents must be made available, and the questions must be answered conclusively, to determine whether the president has chosen to divide the country with a nominee outside the ideological mainstream.”

Looks like a big fight coming.

[Mass]

1. Let's go swinging

And what is good, they are doing that in a coordinated manner.

[TayTay]

2. And perfectly consistent with the Miers statement from last week

"Caught up in a wave of scandal and concerns about the war in Iraq, the President has allowed right wing interest groups to decide the fate of his Supreme Court nominee rather than stand up to his ultra conservative base. It's a telling statement about the instability and ideological confusion facing the White House and the Republican Party.
"This nomination was mishandled from the beginning. The President nominated someone whose qualifications he alone knew, then refused to disclose the only documents that would give the Senate even a hint of his nominee's judicial philosophy. If the President really believed Harriet Miers was the most qualified candidate for the Supreme Court, he made a terrible mistake refusing to fight for her and capitulating to the right wing.

"In this difficult moment, it's even more important for the President to choose a nominee in the mold of Justice O'Connor who will decide each case on the relevant facts and applicable law rather than someone who will use the Court to pursue an ideological agenda outside the mainstream."

This President is shallow, weak and beholden to a vengeful right wing base that believes it owns him."

This is gonna get good. I bet the hearings won't take place until at least Jan. Plenty of time for the full-court press and possible meltdown of the US Senate.

[Mass]

3. I posted it on GD, but people are more concerned predicting

how Democrats will fold than seeing that they are going for a coordinated fight on the right issues.

[ray of light]

4. People need to grow up. Check the responses to the

attacks on Sen. Landreu (spelling!). I love how they got told off! I guess I can't post the link in here though.

[Mass]

6. If they expect that Landrieu, a senator from Louisiana, will have the

voting record of a Senator from CA or MA, they are fools.

Even Byrd has a much more conservative record than them on many issues.

They should lobby her rather than starting to attack her before she said anything.

[ray of light]

7. Mass their mentality is so juvenile.

They should recognize that the person votes for their constituents, not for everyone else out here. If they don't then they don't come back.

Besides...there is no ONE person in total agreement with everyone out here and to expect it is also juvenile too!

[whometense]

5. Also note:

Raw Story gave Kerry's statement a very prominent position on their front page. Larisa back in action??