ConfirmThem

By AndrewHyman Comments () / Email this page » / Leave a comment »

Associated Press reported this today:

Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid has privately told individual Republicans he doesn’t intend to block votes on any Supreme Court nominees except in extreme cases, according to officials familiar with the conversations.

It's no secret that the Democrats in Congress consider three sitting Supreme Court Justices to be "extreme." For example, Congressman Barney Frank said this last year:

[T]he three extremely conservative members of the U.S. Supreme Court … are, of course, entitled to their extreme conservatism, Justices Scalia, Thomas and Rehnquist; but, they are really not entitled to partisanship.

It looks like Reid and the Democrats still steadfastly refuse to let President Bush nominate anyone like Rehnquist, Scalia, or Thomas. Reid and friends are still marching to the tune of left wingers like Joanne Mariner, who wrote this last year:

The difference between an extremist minority --- for example, Rehnquist, Thomas and Scalia --- and an extremist majority is just a couple of seats....Hang tough, Senate Democrats, and remember these three essential steps: save the filibuster, block the judicial extremists, and toast the health of the remaining Supreme Court moderates!

Senator Reid's most recent threat to filibuster "extremists" like Rehnquist, Scalia, and Thomas hardly sounds like an offer of compromise, nor does Reid's renewed threat to shut down the Senate:

He repeated that the Senate will be brought to a standstill if Republicans change the rules regarding filibusters to hasten the approval of Bush's judicial nominees.

That same article also reports Reid called the President a "loser" today, but later apologized. Senator Reid has yet to apologize for calling Alan Greenspan a "hack," for calling Clarence Thomas an "embarassment," and for accusing President Bush of "going back on his word."