To Filibuster, Or Not to Filibuster?

With the recent nomination of Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court, the Democrats in the Senate are facing a decisively uphill battle. Clearly, parts of the Democratic Party do not like Alito, he has already been called a wingnut, an idealogue, and perhaps most telling 'Scalito' or 'Scalia-lite'. The A.C.L.U, N.O.W, and the other big name liberal organizations are, after recovering from their convulsion fits, probably preparing to launch a full scale war against the confirmation of Judge Alito.

Unfourtunately, the likelyhood of this doing any good is virtually non-existant. The harder they fight the bigger and more impressive the victory is for the Republicans. And the Republicans will win this one, make no mistake. They have that 55-45 advantage in the Senate, and it looks like the gang of 14 is not going to butt in and screw around. Sen. Lindsey Graham, the semi-Republican from my home state, has already said the "filibuster will not stand", and it appears the other 6 RINO's are falling in step with him. In other words, all the Republicans will likely be voting to confirm Alito, and could very well invoke the 'nuclear option' if the Democrats try to use the filibuster. Furthurmore, it appears as though the 'gang of 14' Democrats, such as Sen Mark Pryor, do not seem to consider this an 'extraordinary circumstance' and thus have shown little intrest in a filibuster.

So the bottom line is this: Democrats just need to let this nomination happen, because bickering and fighting only hurts them. Bush now has his base strongly behind him, and the plan is apparently to win a nice victory and then launch into a new part of the agenda. For instance, the high tide from an Alito confirmation would be a great launching pad for, say, Social Security reform. So the Democrats may want to save their ammo for later fights.

But now that I think about it, Karl Rove probably has an extra plan ready, just in case the Democrats don't take his bait......

Supreme Court

I have to be honest. I was dissappointed when George W Bush nominated John Roberts to be the next Chief Justice. Not that I don't like Roberts; but I would have loved to have seen Chief Justice Scalia. Don't you just like the ring that has to it? I mean, a man with the full confidence of Ronald Reagan, and who has proven, over the years, to understand the law as it was meant to be, would clearly make an excellent leader for the Supreme Court.

Nonetheless, I am excited about Roberts' selection, and I am happy to see that he will soon be confirmed, minus the typical hoopla that the Democratic Party likes to create for these types of situations. I think that he will be an excellent Cheif Justice for many years to come. In fact, I expect him to be straight from the William Rehnquist mold. For starters, there is the fact that he clerked for Rehnquist, and thus, perhaps much of his Judicial Philsophy will have been influenced by the late Chief Justice. Also, his work for the preservation of States Rights' during the Reagan Administration is worthy of note. This is perhaps one of the most important indications that he will run a court similar to that of his predecessor.

As for the many allegations against him, none seem to really have any validity. Many seem to think he will revert back to 1950's style anti - Civil Rights notions. However, the only way this would happen is if he turns out to be a Liberal Justice. If you are still naive enough to think that Republicans are the racist Party, you may not get that joke. As for N.O.W and other liberal organizations that are afraid he will overturn Roe vs. Wade, I sincerely hope that their worst fears come true.

Intrestingly enough, a few on the Right are concerned that Roberts will be the next David Souter. (Ann Coulter being one of the most noteworthy) After more than enough suprises on SCOTUS and other Court nominees, their concerns are not to be overloked. However, I believe it is in the interest of these few to trust President Bush's judgement, more so than that of his father, and to realize that this is an incredibly intelligent man with a great respect for the law and an understanding of its History. It is highly unlikely that he will become another Souter.

The bottom line for me is this: I expect good things out of C.J. John Roberts and expect to see him as a respectable legal prescence for many years to come.