Excerpt:
"WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid urged President Bush on Saturday to say "no to the far right" and nominate to the U.S. Supreme Court someone who will rule with "an open mind and a big heart."
"We need an independent thinker who will follow the Constitution, not a knee-jerk conservative crusader who will march in lock-step to the tune of partisan pressure groups," Reid of Nevada said in his party's weekly radio address."
It is absolutely dizzing to see all the press, OPED's, and blogger commentary about who President Bush is going to select to replace Sandra Day O'Connor. Perhaps more precisely - at least from the perspective of Senator Harry Reid's "hopes" - we are seeing "suggestions" and "templates" of who he should select streaming in from the Democrats on a daily basis.
Democrats - knowing that they really aren't going to have a voice in the selection - are hedging their bets and using the press and microphones to "put pressure" on the President, not to select 'Radical Right'.
Yet from Senator Kennedy's "warning", we have come to this almost "Fire Side Chat" nudging that has been coming from Senator Reid lately. Call it Democratic "Good Cop; Bad Cop". The language Reid is using in his statements lately is telling:
"I am confident.......I hope.......I think........I am encouraged......"
All words he is using to describe the progress towards selecting a nominee.
As if President Bush is a sort of a apprentice of his who needs to be coaxed and petted on the head!
It is like Reid is saying:
"See my George? He's doing so well! We are very encouraged at his progress!" "Now keep going Georgie! Here see, you ought to do what 'Uncle Ronald' did back in '81! Pick mainstream my-boy - mainstream!"
We all know though that Senator Reid is whistling in the dark.
We don't know who Bush is going to appoint yet but I do think he isn't really going to give two flips of attention the suggestion of the guy who called him a loser.
Additionally with the 'possibility' of Rehnquist retiring the President is really holding all the cards. He has always promised to pick a nominee along the ideological and judicial lines of a Clarence Thomas or an Anthony Scalia, and I have no reason to think at this point that he would waver from that promise.
As far as this "filibuster" business - forget it. From what I've heard, the "Nuke Option" is ready to go as soon as Democrats give any indication of a "stall". You can bet your butt that Senator Frist is really feeling the heat from the base because many of them feel, as I do, that he let the Bolton nomination turn into a fiasco by allowing a hijack of the process by the "Gang of 14". He's not about to let that happen again - I assure you of that.
Additionally, there are two things that have taken place this week that President Bush that confirm will hold true to his word, as the "Battle Group" is being assembled. One, was the selection of former senator Fred Thompson to "coach the nominee", and two the selection of former Republican Party Chairman Ed Gillespie, who I feel was the real genius behind Bush's 2004 re-election victory. Ed is magnificant with the press and more than able to combat the propoganda from the left that is sure to, and already has risen, with President Bush's selection.
Senator Thompson is more than just a great actor - he is a VERY good attorney, and experienced in this process, and he will more than prepare the nominee for any shenanigans to come from the left. Couldn't be in better hands.
Then you will also see why Reid is playing "good cop". When Bush does keep his promise and selects a nominee "like Thomas or Scalia", Reid will be able to stand at the mike and say:
"I am so dissapointed in little Georgie - the loser!" "We tried to negotiate but the President was hood-winked by those right wing special interest groups, blah, blah, blah...."
You get the point.
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