Quote:Frist (presumably) would make a motion for clouture at some point. The Minority lead would, of course, object. Frist would then refer the motion to the Presiding Officer (Cheney) for a decision and Cheney would grant the motion. The minority leader would challenge this on the basis that it violates Rule XXII. This is the challenge referred to in the article and, as the article does correctly note, First would only need a simple majority vote of the entire Senate to uphold Cheney's ruling.
No ruling that anything is unconstitutional is necessary.
Nothing unconstitutional, just a ham-fisted grab for power. There will no longer be any necessity for debate on judicial nominations, including those for the Supreme Court, as long as the majority whip has the list sent down from the White House, and 51 votes, he can go to the Clerk and have it rubber-stamped "Ok".
You better pray that some of the few remaining centrists of the GOP rise to the occasion, we are about to lose our Republic.
--
I am curious about the right's faith in George Bush's abilities. He was asleep at the switch on terrorism until 9-11. He was wrong about the reasons to go to war in Iraq and his administration has bungled every step thereafter. He has no plan for dealing with what he himself called the Axis of Evil and has single-handedly squandered whatever goodwill we had as a nation for dealing with Osama bin Laden and his minions.
Domestically, other than to feed his friends with tax cuts and oil drilling permits in wilderness areas and starve State governments for funds for programs like "No Child..." and Homeland Security, he's been hopeless.
Even ensconced before carefully selected audiences, the reception to his Private/Personal Accounts was as dim as the idea was. As dim as he is.
Yet now the right wants to allow the confirmation of his choices of judges for the Supreme Court to be affirmed by a vote of a simple majority.
Joe(Someone hand him the list)Nation
