The dems NEED to Fillibuster, Hatch says bring it on, I say do it!

[cal04]

Samuel A. Alito Jr., an appellate judge who could shift the Supreme Court significantly to the right, appeared headed for the high court yesterday after completing three days of interrogation without a serious misstep. Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee made a final stab at challenging Alito on presidential powers, the death penalty and other matters. But their efforts sometimes seemed halfhearted, and even the most liberal advocacy groups acknowledged privately that they saw slim hopes of preventing his confirmation later this month in the full Senate, where Republicans hold 55 of the 100 seats.


(snip)
When the hearings began Monday, liberal activists said their best hope was for Alito to commit a gaffe or lose his composure. When his 18 hours of testimony ended at lunchtime yesterday, and Republican senators scurried to shake his hand, both sides agreed he had done neither. The committee could vote as early as Tuesday on whether to recommend Alito, 55, to the full Senate. All 10 Republicans on the panel appear virtually certain to support him, while several senators predicted all eight Democrats will oppose him.

Liberals fear Alito's potential impact on the court because Bush tapped him to succeed retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who has sided with liberal justices in several high-profile 5 to 4 decisions over the years. Alito, a New Jersey-based federal appellate judge for the past 15 years, praised O'Connor's work ethic yesterday without addressing her often moderate views. "I would try to emulate her dedication and her integrity and her dedication to the case-by-case process of adjudication," he told Sen. Herb Kohl (D-Wis.). "I am my own person, with whatever abilities I have and whatever limitations I have."

Sen. Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah) predicted that Alito will win the backing of all 55 GOP senators, including those who support abortion rights and those who joined a bipartisan effort last year to avert a showdown over judicial filibusters. He practically dared Democrats to try a filibuster, a tactic in which they could block a vote on Alito's confirmation unless 60 senators agreed to end debate. Democrats used the procedure to block several appellate court nominees in Bush's first term. "If they want to filibuster, frankly, bring it on," Hatch said. In return, he predicted, Republicans would change Senate rules to ban judicial filibusters. Democrats generally avoided mentioning the tactic. "We've still got a ways to go to figure what the strategy is going to be," Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.), the committee's best-known liberal, said in an interview.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/12/AR2006011202031.html

[longship]

1. Make sure they do. FAX the Dem Senators -- (FAX list)

Senate FAX Numbers

Print it out and go crazy with the FAX machine.

[rpannier]

2. I say we take him on then

Filibuster and see if all 55 pukes will make that move. Especially, in light of the Abramoff scandal and the like. They lose the Senate in '06, they could be seeing the nuke option against them too.

Paybacks a bitch!

[oneold1-4u]

3. Right on!

When they remove the filibuster it will never be used again and when articles of impeachment arrive next year the lesser Republicans will be left on one left foot! Give it to them now!

[buddysmellgood]

4. Spying, war, corruption, lies...yeah, they have a leg to stand on.