ConfirmThem

By Paul Zummo Posted in Fillibuster — Comments () / Email this page » / Leave a comment »

Ramesh Ponnuru in The Corner notes Harry Reid's response to Bush's re-nominations.

Harry Reid today said that the people President Bush just renominated for judgeships "have already been turned down in the Senate." He also said that there has "always been a 60-vote [threshold] for judges": "Go back decades and it's always been that way."

Wow. Simply wow. It is astounding that the Senate minority leader can play so fast and loose with historical facts. First of all, it is a blatant lie to claim that these nominees "have been turned down by the Senate." No, Senator, they were never voted upon. No action has been taken because your party refused to allow a vote to take place.

What's even more astounding is that the next claim is an indirect admission that the first one is a falsehood, and of course is an even more blatant lie at that. I am not sure what historical textbooks Senator Reid is reading, but 60 votes has never been the threshold. Unless he holds in his hand the magical copy of the Constitution written with disappearing ink - the one that only liberals have copies of, the one with all sorts of penumbras about rights to privacy and abortion - but it seems to me that a simple majority will do.

We have reached a point beyond mere obstructionism. Senate Democrats are now willing to blatantly distort history and the Constitution to make illegitimate claims about the nomination process. The very same people who so callously accuse the President of lying about social security are now engaging in the rewriting of American history. Orwell would be proud.