Chafee is undecided

[Algorem]

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=15922415&BRD=1713&PAG=461&dept_id=24491&rfi=6
WASHINGTON -- Sen. Lincoln Chafee, a GOP swing vote in Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito’s Senate confirmation fight, said Thursday he is still undecided about President Bush’s high court pick.

Shortly after Alito concluded his final day of questioning by Senate Judiciary Committee members, Chafee said he plans to wait until the remainder of the confirmation hearings are over before deciding.

" I really want to see the process through," Chafee, R-R.I., said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. " I’m not going to tip my hand until the whole hearings are concluded. ... I want to hear all the evidence and be an impassive juror."

Chafee’s stand on Alito, who has drawn fire from Democrats such as Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., during confirmation hearings, could be critical in what is unfolding as a tough re-election fight in Rhode Island...

[0007]

1. Hmmmm. Didn't we go through this once before with Chafee?

I bet the White House is calling now!

[flordehinojos]

3. i think more than once. yes, once with the nomination of roberts, i think,

but then again with some sort of other vote in the senate--or was it with the notion that he was going to become an Independent rather than a republican?

Well, he did vote for roberts and he is still a republican. any bets that he will vote to confirm alito? i will fall flat off my chair if he doesn't.

[0007]

5. I was being facetious. I think he'll vote for Alito also!

Hope I'm wrong.

[salin]

6. He did this with Bolton - but in the end

though signaling support for Bolton - the admin pulled Bolton and did a "recess appointment".

However the reelection is even closer now; Alito is more troubling than Roberts vis a vis his record (a much longer paper trail); and the Senator is getting challenged in the reelection from both parties - bigger political calculus for him to have to negotiate. All that said - I don't buy the 'impartial juror' thing at all - think he is buying time as he faces political fall out either way and he is trying to figure out how to mitigate that.

[flordehinojos]

8. thanks for getting thet facts on chaffee straightened out!

i appreciate it!
:)

[Tiggeroshii]

20. His re election is in a bit of an arnold situation

If he wants to win the primaries, he may have to switch parties, if he wants to win his party, he'll have to really work hard in the primaries... You know how well the Dem candidates are polling against him by chance?

[brentspeak]

27. Lincoln should have declared himself an Independent

a few years ago. Then he could vote any way he wanted to without having to worry about towing the Republican party line in narrow votes. It would probably have guaranteed reelection, but that's not a certainty at all now.

[Yupster]

11. Chafee has himself in a nice position

Since he hasn't any core values he can sell his vote to the highest bidder whenever it's needed.

[pfitz59]

12. Ye$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.......

GOP family values! Like father, like son! Nepotism in its ugliest guise (Bush, Chafee, Murkowski, etcc etc etc...)

[Algorem]

2. Oops this is from Thursday

[flordehinojos]

4. okay i had not seen it, so thank you for posting it.

:)

[Benhurst]

7. Same here. Thanks.

:hi:

[CTyankee]

9. He is a bitter disappointment

I remember and liked his father. A good man.

[zann725]

10. Chafee ALWAYS "undecided"...'til he eventually decides against the Dems.

What else is new.

[go west young man]

13. He just likes to milk the machine so he can get what he wants

for his constituants.

[zann725]

30. If that's the case, he (and other UN-filibustering Dem's) have "milked"

this Democracy bone dry. Many Reps may be getting what HE (or she) wants...as Abramoff scandal shows, as well as pay-raise Congress granted itself this last year. Only THEY...NOT the people they represent are getting what they want (and pay for with OUR tax dollars...NOT the TAX dollars of the Corporate entities they NOW represent.)

Chafee, and his type (i.e., Biden...who forever sit-on-the-fence) need voted OUT for good.

[saltpoint]

14. Yo, Lincoln. If your instincts don't tell you that Alito

represents the tilt of the Court to the far right, you need to hurl yourself off a tall cliff.

[jazzjunkysue]

15. "I don't know: Maybe we should give the president unlimited power..."

"I just can't make up my mind."

[ptolle]

18. divine right

I figure that with the current conjunction of the ecclesiastical and the political on the right the next thing is to resurrect the divine right of kings concept which I'm sure machine gun Sammy can wholeheartedly support as long as it's his king. The "unitary executive" concept which Sammy surely endorses is not all that far away in any event. I lived through the Nixon years and the Iran-contra sewage of the st. ronnie the forgetful years and IMO neither was the constitutional crisis that faces this country now.If the Democrats do not resist this travesty and do their best to turn the debate to constitutional terms I'm going to have to buy a new keyboard for wearing out the old one dispatching notes of disappointment and protest. Only the circumstances of the next election will decide if I bolt for the Greens or something.I'll never become a repiglicon, but I might well become a less fervent Democrat.

[Charlie Brown]

16. when I first saw this, I thougt it said "Chafee is indicted"

LOL

[henslee]

17. Chaffee's an attention seeking ass clown.

[orleans]

19. he has voted with the democrats more that any other repukie senator

i'm hoping the democrats filibuster and i have a thread of hope chafee will join them.

[BlueManDude]

21. If Bush needs Chafee's vote he'll give it to him

If Alito is safe anyway Rove will allow him to vote against if it will help him back home.

[gunsaximbo]

22. hellllooooo?

this is a politicians way of saying

"look at me, look at me... i want a new bridge i want a new road and i want 2 billion dollars allotted to me the next time money is doled out or else i just might vote against Alito"

He'll vote for him I guarantee it.

[DemonFighterLives]

23. Welcome to DU!

I think you may be right.
From Mcglaughlin group- most pick Alito as confirmed. Eleanor says 55 for with Blankley and Mc saying 65 votes or more for him.
Basically a split down party lines. I hope they try the filibuster.

[gunsaximbo]

25. They will filibuster

The filibuster will force the repugnants to use the nuclear option which will be a violation of Senate rules which will make the repugnants look horrible. It will drive home what has been in the news a lot lately - that the repugnants don't believe in following the laws of the land.

at least that's what i think.

[DemonFighterLives]

26. I hope they do filibuster and if the reps. can pull off their Nuke thing

the government may get shut down. Seems like it would be good, but will the reps. be able to paint us all as unamerican, blah blah?

[depakid]

24. Maybe Feinstein should take some lessons from Chaffee

about not tipping your hand.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

28. It would be nice if this were the issue that finally pushed Chafee off the

fence and had him switch parties. He represents the bluest of the blue states - RI, which tolerates him in large part because of the political history of his father. Now that Republicans are in such disrepute and he will probably face more than lip service opposition within the state in the future - he should just finally become Democrat.

[Strawman]

29. Seems like snobbery is the only thing keeping him a Republican

He's romanticized the old guard blue blood Republican party. At this point, he still can't stomach the idea of being a "common" Democrat more than it bothers him to be in bed with all these hillbillies that are taking over his daddy's party.

That's the impression I get from the guy.

[AspenRose]

31. Wait'll he finds that "horse's head" in his bed....

...then his position will become crystal clear. As always.

[jillan]

32. I just emailed him - PLEASE do the same----

link

http://chafee.senate.gov/