ConfirmThem

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Confirmthem already reported about an ongoing "filibuster" demonstration at Princeton University against GOP efforts to overcome interminable Democratic filibusters of judicial nominees in the U.S. Senate. Princeton undergrad Michael Kenneally has a piece today in the Daily Princetonian, taking the demonstrators to task. Here's a portion of Kenneally's column:

The "Frist Center Filibuster" has done well to focus our attention on an important issue, but our attention must go beyond reading Aesop's fables or Shakespeare's plays in protest. We need to have an honest debate over the merits of the arguments advanced by both sides.

Unfortunately, the Frist filibuster has provided more hype than reasoned argument. … Frist's proposal allows for 100 hours of debate over each nominee before requiring a vote. The Democrats' filibuster is not a principled plea for honest debate but rather a political maneuver….

Many of Frist's opponents speak as if he is trying to deny them some constitutional or customary right, but in fact both the Constitution and tradition support his position. The filibuster is never even implied in the Constitution, and using it systematically to deny nominees an up-or-down vote is totally unprecedented. ….

One could say much about the dramatic change in sentiment among Senate Democrats since the 1990s, when they were fighting for their judicial nominees. In 1998, Senator Patrick Leahy said, "I would object and fight against any filibuster on a judge, whether it is somebody I opposed or supported." Senators Kennedy, Harkin, Reid and others have made similar statements that reveal blatant hypocrisy in their filibuster. One might also point out that Americans overwhelmingly support the right of nominees to an up-or-down vote. But popular opinion and political hypocrisy should only be secondary considerations here. Instead, we should recognize the grave impropriety of senators using the filibuster to avoid their obligation to vote on judicial nominees. Senator Frist should be praised for fighting the emergence of a dangerous precedent.

Kenneally should be praised too.