ConfirmThem

Isn't she the liberal nominee as part of the deal with Levin? That is why she was nominated.

I am not so sure that Brownback won't continue to milk the Neff nomination for all it's worth. He needs an issue to encourage interest in his presidential run. I think he will threaten Leahy and Reid with blocking Neff anytime he feels he needs some attention in the conservative press. I don't think we (or the Democrats) will be free of his machinations until Neff is actually confirmed. Unfortunately, this is the world of politics.

This is one of those housekeeping things Frist should have handled before he left. He should have broken Brownback's hold, forced votes on all the Michigan judges at the same time. Brownback is grandstanding, and although I tend to agree with him on most issues, this is not the time or place to do it.

I agree with Robert.

What will happen now is the following:
1) Neff will be confirmed very early in the session. (If necessary Reid will file a cloture motion)
2) This will clear the path for 12 other nominees to be confirmed.
3) Leahy will be yelling: "We have confirmed 13 judges in 2 months. That is more than 1/3 of the number the GOP achieved in 24 months."
4) And now Leahy has all the excuses to do nothing on judges untill July or so.

olly, what you say may in fact happen, and if it does, I'll be pretty happy with it. That would be more action on judges than we've seen in a long time.

Robert1 is right. This issue should have been dealt with in the lame duck session, as both sides have a stake in it. It could have been resolved and all the Michigan judges could have been confirmed, if Specter and Frist had the integrity to do their jobs.

feddie, I finally read your post, and I'm wondering how it is you don't know why Bush nominated Neff. He compromised on Neff to get the other Michigan vacancies filled with people he likes.

What I should have said is: One has to wonder why the president continues to compromise with the dems by appointing liberals to the bench to get his real nominees through.

Feddie,

I agree with your sentiment, but I'm afraid this is how things will go for the next 2 years. I'd love to have Haynes and Myers on the CCs, but it won't happen. We will need to be like Reagan, take 80% where we can get it, and come back for more if possible.

If Reid and Leahy are really ready to pass 13 judges, they might be willing to do even more if the WH threw them a bone or two. Dump the Five, create a new seat for Helene White, give them one pick on the 4th, in return for approving additional judges. We got creamed in the elections, so now our judicial nominating process just got gummed up, too. We can either be smart or stupid as to how we proceed. Let's take the half loaf approach, because leaving the seats open is only something the "stupid party" would think to do.

I am just not happy about it.

From the below thread:

http://apnews.excite.com/article/20061219/D8M436BG0.html

Brownback wants to requestion Neff about gay marriage OR have her recuse herself from any cases on it?

Now there's a good idea. "Judge Brown, I know the Judiciary Committee has sent your nomination to the full Senate, but I'd like to requestion you about abortion and if you don't answer you must agree to recuse yourself from all abortion cases, else I will not allow your nomination to proceed." - Ted Kennedy(hic!), 9/13/07

I'm hardly thrilled with Neff, but it is what it is, and IMO this requestion or recuse idea is even worse than just holding a nominee.

Sam, you're not going to be POTUS or VPOTUS. Your doing the country a great disservice, and it needs to stop. A deal was made; it's not perfect, but it's the best we can do (assuming Keth & Murph get confirmed too. Guess I can choke down a new seat for WHite, too).

So, knock it off.

Brownback may not like Neff, and from what little I've heard I don't either, but Bush gave his word and it needs to be honored. If we back out of the deal, we're no better than they are, and that's a pretty low bar.

Of course, we could adopt the Leahy standard and say "You should have put it in writing" - shudder the thought.

with all of Robert's posts from above. We made a deal, we stick with it. If the Dems back away from them, we roast them.